I think the excitement of that day for me will never be matched. I was so sure that I would go to bed that night and wake up in the middle of the night to say 'it's time to have the baby'. I was so looking forward to meeting the little stranger in my belly. What a trip this past year has been. It has been the hardest year I've ever lived, and yet it has been the most amazing year of my life. Thank you all for sharing this journey with us.
This day last year was a big day for me. I remember having very strong Braxton Hicks contractions all day long. I went out for dinner with my friend Lori, and I was starving. The baby had dropped and I could eat full meals again. The restaurant we went to was so packed that after taking our drink order, they came back to tell us that they could no longer take meal orders because the kitchen was overwhelmed. Since I was having so many of those contractions I was convinced that this was my 'last meal' and that I would have the baby that night. Lori protested loudly about making a nine-month pregnant woman wait for food so they brought out some horrible nacho chips. Just the chips from the bag. We got to order our food about a half hour after that.
I think the excitement of that day for me will never be matched. I was so sure that I would go to bed that night and wake up in the middle of the night to say 'it's time to have the baby'. I was so looking forward to meeting the little stranger in my belly. What a trip this past year has been. It has been the hardest year I've ever lived, and yet it has been the most amazing year of my life. Thank you all for sharing this journey with us.
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Used to be a sidebar here, but it got too big. Plus as Calvin got older the novelty of new wore off. For my historical info, here's the old list:
Avocado Steak Sweet Potato Turkey Banana Oatmeal Cereal Peas Prunes Baby MumMum's Apple Lemon Pears Cantaloupe Asparagus Watermelon Chicken (in sweet potato jar) Rick's Chicken (misc. spices) Potato Paprika Garlic powder Basil Beets Peaches Strange canned tomato and veg and pasta thingy Carrots Black beans Chick peas Green pepper Cucumber Cinnamon Meatloaf The list is getting so long I'm going to have to stop it. We feed him anything healthy we eat except for eggs, honey or milk products. We were trying a bit of Baby Led Weaning, until we heard about a three year old dying from choking on a piece of grape. Now we are back to super cut up foods. Lots going on in a baby world lately and I don't want to forget to record it! We've had a breakthrough from our standing and cruising from furniture to letting go and taking purposeful steps towards Mommy and Daddy. Calvin will do about 3 or 4 steps, unsupported, then make a dive for you. He seems to prefer doing this in his crib or playpen - lots of close by railing to grab maybe? I am both super excited for him while watching him learn to walk and terrified of when it will finally be the norm. Will I be able to keep up with him? Will our lives become a maze of baby gates at every entrance and stairwell? Why did we think a back-split with three different sets of stairs was a good idea? Our little baby really is growing up to be a 'toddler'!
Speaking of growing up, I can no longer deny the fact that this little baby is nearly a year old. 12 days from now will be his birthday. I can barely believe a year has gone by. We haven't done any proper planning for the grand celebration of the first year milestone yet, but as the reality hits me, I think I should at least send out some birthday invitations. I hope people will still be excited for his birthday even though we are postponing it three weeks. I am so curious to see what kind of birthday celebration (and when) he will want when he is old enough to pick for himself. Technically, 12 days from now marks the end of the 'worry' stage. No more worrying about SIDS, no more worrying about milk and eggs and the horrors that are honey. Baby is supposed to be mature enough to handle the full onslaught of everything the world can offer in food and sleep. We've been doing milk and egg already for a while (in cooking) so I haven't been concerned with that, but I have been super careful to avoid honey. It will be strange now to not have to worry about ingredients. It will be even stranger to offer him a glass of cow's milk to drink. I'm slightly offended that I even have to do it - like somehow my milk isn't good enough for him. But the truth is, my milk ISN'T good enough for him now. It's providing excellent antibodies for him still, and helping to regulate his blood sugars and such, but he will need more than I can offer him. Breastfeeding at this point has become...interesting. I find a lot of people assume that I will stop breastfeeding now. That he will 'self-wean'. That the end is imminent. If you see how this boy checks out my chest first thing in the morning and last thing at night, you would realize that there is no self-weaning in our near future, and that the process won't be a fast one when I choose to do it. There is the chance he may still decide for himself, but I just don't see it right now. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to 24 months or longer. I don't know if I will make it that long, but right now it seems way too early to me to stop. He still feels like a baby to me. I hope the pressure from others won't be too much, but if it is, I will deal with it. I never anticipated this as an issue because I figured he would self-wean - it's what a lot of people I know say their babies did. One thing I have come to accept - learning to be a parent and dealing with all the new parents items is a non-stop work in progress. By the way - check out the newest YouTube video (link on the right) where Calvin discovers the Christmas Fart Machine and, without prompting from us, laughs his head off at it. It was hard to capture on video the laughing episodes, but you will get the idea. . |