Our first elf experience

An elf has come to our house for the first time this year! We felt like LG may be able to appreciate it since she's three but she still does not completely get that he "watches her and goes back and reports to Santa." She named him "Punkin." I have seen other people's blog posts about their elves and the pranks they play so we may start letting our elf play some pranks of his own and maybe that will get LG more into it.

2 week update...

Carson continues to be a wonderful baby! He eats 3.5 oz every 4 hours except for the 4 pm and 8 pm bottles at which time he eats 4 oz. Last night I put him down at 9 pm, he woke up at 12:15 am to eat, was back asleep at 1 am, woke up at 4 am to eat, was back asleep by 4:30 am and woke up at 8 am to eat again. Andy fed him at 12 am and I fed him at 4 am, so getting up once a night and still getting 8 hours of sleep has been fabulous! He has just been so laid back! My mom says that if I "brag" about him, I may jinx it but I don't feel like I'm bragging, I'm just telling it like it is. This has just been the way Carson has been since he was born...if he was up all night and crying all the time I'd be blogging about that, right? So I see no harm in talking about the good too! He stays up after his first 8 am feeding for about an hour and a half and then I put him down for his morning nap when he starts to get fussy. He does tummy time for about 10 minutes in the morning. He also stays up after his 2nd bottle of the day (12 pm) but as the day goes on it gets harder and harder for him to stay up after eating.

LG continues to be difficult. She is so good to Carson and loves on him all the time but she is so hard on us.

We have decorated our house for Christmas. I love looking around at all the decorations! If you know me well, you know it's hard hard HARD for me to sit at home and not be going all the time, so if I have to be cooped up in this house for 6-8 weeks, there's no better time than Christmas time to be confined :).

Tummy Time

Today was Carson's first tummy time. I remember LG hated it but he just laid there and after about 10 minutes, he fell asleep. It may have had something to do with LG laying beside him~maybe he felt more comfortable with his big sister by him :)

LG woke up this morning and said it was her "bottle day" and that she wanted to do it all by herself. She did a great job!

She loves her brother but she is definitely getting in trouble ALOT more these days. She says "No" to me all the time when asked to do pretty much anything. She also tells me that she doesn't want to do what I ask her to do. Patience mama Patience!

It doesn't get any sweeter than this~

I walked into Carson's room tonight and this is what I found~it's a family feeding!! Too sweet!

This little light of mine...

Carson was diagnosed with jaundice in the hospital. The dr told us that it was a mild case and we needed to put him in front of a window for 1 hour a day and let the sunlight hit his skin to fix it. Well, that was easy the first couple of days because it was sunny outside but the last 2 days it has been cloudy. So, Andy went and bought a UV light and we now put Carson under the lamp to help clear up the jaundice. I just think he looks so cute, sad that he has to be under a lamp but so cute nonetheless. :)

So far so good...

Aren't they adorable?! LG has taken so well to her little brother. She wants to hold him, rock him, stroll him, feed him, kiss him goodnight, etc etc etc! She even has a nickname for him, "Cars-Cars." :) She is however having behavioral adjustment issues. She tests us on EVERYTHING we tell her to do. That was pretty much her attitude before he came~she's three so it comes with the territory~but it has definitely gotten worse since Carson has been here.

I am feeling good~healing up nicely :). I've had my mom and Andy here with me ever since we came home from the hospital but everybody (but me) goes back to work tomorrow so hopefully it will stay as easy around here as it has been.

Carson came home on a schedule, not to say that it will stay that way forever but as the title reads~so far so good. He has been eating 2 oz every 4 hours, starting at 6 am and he wakes up 15-30 minutes before each feeding. I have been able to stick a pacifier in his mouth and hold him off until time to eat. I just upped it from 2 oz to 2.5 oz at his last feeding (10 am) because I was noticing that he seemed hungry still. After he eats he may stay awake for 15-30 minutes and then he's right back to sleep. Last night, Andy fed him at 10 pm, he laid Carson down at 10:20 pm. Carson woke up crying at 1:30 am, I gave him his paci and woke him back up at 2 am, fed him, put him back in his bed at 2:30 am. He woke up again at 5:45 am, I gave him his paci and woke him back up at 6 am, put him back in his bed at 6:20 am (LG woke Andy and I up at 8:20 am) and I had to wake Carson up for his 10 am feeding. He stayed up after that feeding til 11 am, I put him in his bed and he is fast asleep.

We had LG in our room until she was 5 weeks old and I heard every sound she made. Carson is in his room and I only hear him when he cries which I think has made a huge difference in my anxiety level. Babies make too many little noises at first (grunts, hiccups, etc) for a new mom to relax so this has been the best for us.

I'm going to try to keep posting regarding Carson once a week like I was before to keep a journal of his growth and development. We take him to the dr on Wednesday morning for his 1 week check-up so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

It's 11-15-11 and we present to you...

Carson Daniel Adair

7 lbs 7 oz, 21 1/2 in, 12:40 PM

Day 1

Day 2

Obviously, this is right after delivery and 3 bags of fluid :). I look like the Michelin man! Without going into too much detail, I was induced. The labor took a total of 8 1/2 hours and I only pushed for 10 minutes!!! Yay!

Proud papa holding his baby boy!

LG was sooo excited to see her baby brother. She walked straight in and told Andy to give her her baby brother! She jumped up on the couch and said, "Come here, hun." LOL!!! This is LG, Carson and my cousin, Jennifer.

This picture was taken as we were about to leave to go to the hospital at 3:30 AM. I took one in the same place with LG so I plan to post the comparison pics soon!

39 weeks and off we go!!!

I am scheduled to be induced tomorrow morning. We have to be at the hospital at 4 am. I am experiencing all types of feelings. I am excited to see Carson first and foremost! However, I am nervous about all the stuff that labor entails. I am trying really hard not to focus on the details and just focus my attention on the fact that I will finally not be pregnant and will be holding my sweet baby boy. Of course, the thought of having my blood pressure taken multiple times is scary for me but I got through it the first time~just got to suck it up! I am also not looking forward to the recovery~all things that I didn't know about the first time. The upside is that there are a lot of things I do know about now and will be more prepared to bring a newborn home, knowing better what to expect in the weeks to come.

I am also missing my dad alot right now. He was at the hospital the whole day the first time. He sat at the foot of my bed in a chair, talking to me, reading a book, and just basically being there to comfort me for hours. I remember his presence so much that I even remember what he was wearing on that day! I am taking a picture of him to use as my "focal point" just to remind myself that even though he is not there physically, he wouldn't miss this day. I know he will be there in spirit~I truly believe that!

I am taking my laptop to the hospital and will be posting pics as soon as I can! Keep all of us in your prayers!!

Mommy's sippy cup

My friend, Alisha, had this glass made for me. It reads, "Mommy's Sippy Cup" and has blue and pink pacifiers all over it! I love it!!! It will definitely get some use in the near future!

Dr's appt update

My fluid is still low. Dr. Peeler said I could go to the hospital if I wanted to but that he would not be able to be there to deliver the baby because he has a wedding to go to!!! Are you kidding me?!! I thought the birth of my baby was more important than any stinking wedding but apparently not :). He and the ultrasound tech both said it would be safe for me to wait until Tuesday (my scheduled induction day) to have Carson so wait we shall.

I have gained a total of 29 lbs at this point. I gained 28 with LG so it's looking like I'm on the same track. Although I do plan to eat very well this weekend (Ciao Bella tonight, pumpkin scone from Starbucks tomorrow, donut at church on Sunday) so I may put on a few more lbs by Tuesday!!! BP still holding steady at the therapist's office (124/83). It'll be funny to see how far it goes up from my anxiety in the hospital.

Funny story~when I went to the hospital with LG my first BP reading was 190/97. Alarmed, they took blood and thought I was "toxic." Of course it came back clear and I told the nurse when she told me the results, that I knew I was not toxic, just crazy! With that she brought me a Valium! True story, I swear!!!!

Carson's room

I didn't want to post pics of Carson's room until we had it completely finished. Although, there are 2 shelves up that have nothing on them so technically it is not 100% done but those things will have to come later. I figure I'll put some picture frames with pics of Carson's ultrasound, newborn pics and some of he and his big sis up there. For now just look at what we do have :)

The theme of the room is whales. I have always wanted to do whales for a boy after my friend, Jill, did that for one of her boys.

I absolutely love these wall appliques and knew this was the one for us when I got all teary-eyed when I read it for the first time. If you can't make out the words it reads, "Your first breath took ours away." LOVE IT!!!!!

Andy's older brother, Charles, painted the canvases for us and made the wooden letters that are over the bed. He did a great job! We may get him to add one more whale canvas so each whale can represent a member of our new family of 4.

So the room is done for now. All we need is a baby to go in it! :)

38 weeks

It is getting harder and harder to be pregnant! I think this is God's way of helping us get emotionally and mentally ready for labor. If you felt great, then you may think of all the scary things you were about to encounter, i.e. labor, recovery, new baby, etc. However, at the end, you are so ready to have the baby because you are so uncomfortable that you don't even think about those things~you think about how ready you are to NOT be pregnant anymore!!! :)

My feet and ankles are swelling, the right side more so than the left~so sexy!!!! Also, I keep getting this shooting pain down my inner thigh of my right leg~sometimes it hurts to even take a step. I hate to complain but I want to get all this down so I will remember what was going on at this time in the pregnancy. You quickly forget what it's like to be pregnant~again, I think that's God's way of protecting us and helping us to give our first children siblings. :) I will have another ultrasound on Friday and see Dr. Peeler~I'll post the details as soon as I can.

Could it be 11-11-11?????

No pictures to post because Carson is so pressed up in my belly that there wasn't much to see but there is news to report. He is measuring at 6 lbs 15 oz and looks to be doing just fine. However, the amniotic fluid is "a little low." Neither the tech nor Dr. Peeler seemed to be concerned but Dr. Peeler wants to see me back next Friday for another ultrasound. He also said that at that time he may send me straight to the hospital if need be. When I first found out I was pregnant and that the due date was 11-21-11, I said that it would be sooooo cool if I had him on 11-11-11. Well, next Friday is 11-11-11 so we'll see if I had a little bit of a premonition way back in March. :)

I'll keep you posted!!!

Where did that come from?!

LG had her school pictures last week. Andy picked up the proofs earlier this week. When he called me to tell me about the pictures he said, "I'll just let you look at them." No description, just a little laughter under his breath. I get home and take one look at the pics and said, "Where the heck did that BIG HORRIFIC PURPLE BOW THAT DOESN'T EVEN MATCH come from?!!!!! Are you kidding me? I did not send her to school with a bow. We don't even own a bow that big...what would make someone think it was OK to put a BIG HORRIFIC PURPLE BOW THAT DOESN'T EVEN MATCH on her head?

I have to say though, she still looks precious and although I won't be buying any of these pics, I will put one in her book to document her first preschool pic as well as the "bow incident." :)

We made it!!!

Carson and I made it to 37 weeks!!! I am so glad! The above picture is dark but it's really the best that can be expected at work using an I-phone. :)

I feel ALOT of pressure!! Sometimes it is difficult to walk. I have pains that shoot down the inside of my right leg mostly towards the end of the day. I am also sore on the inside of my thighs like I have been doing squats for hours. I know I did not experience that with LG. The nurse from my OB's office called yesterday and said I am officially scheduled to have an induction on November 15th~I have to be at the hospital at 4 AM!!!!! Hopefully Carson's a morning person like I am :). I am scheduled for an ultrasound and my check up Friday and I will update right after that. Hopefully I'll be able to post a pic or two. :)