Infant Obesity?

I received a shock today. Seeley weighs 11 pounds. 11 POUNDS. What? Two weeks ago he was still shy of 9 lbs. According to the pediatrician he's not in danger of infant obesity (whew! Too much Oprah for me folks.) he's just a "good eater". I guess this explains why he can already wear some of his three month clothes (at 5 weeks old) and still insists on getting fed every three hours. Mommy is introducing rice cereal into his bottle tonight cause that's how I roll. Chunky butt is hungry-he's gonna get enough to fill his belly and hopefully let me get more than 3 hours of sleep at night. Wish I'd known five weeks ago I was birthing a future Razorback lineman.

I started working part-time from home this week and it has been a little bit of a challenge. For instance, the other day I was on a conference call and Emma comes up and screams "Mommy! I've got to go poo-poo and you need to come wipe my butt." Luckily the guys on the other end had a sense of humor. I officially go back full time in 3 weeks. It was super hard on me to return to work after Emma and this time is really no different. The only exception is that now I know the people who will be looking after my 8 week old child, and I know he'll be in good hands.

I'm going to start sorting through my clothes this week to see what I can wear for work. Ugh. I'm definitely not looking forward to that. I've lost 12 pounds since having Seeley but I've still got a ways to go before I can fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I've decided to resume my love/hate relationship with Jillian Michaels next week-start praying for me now. And I think I'm going to look into re-joining a gym once I go back to work. Mainly because once I get home in the evenings it is super hard to fit in any exercise time. If I join a gym I can just swing by on my lunch break, get all good and sweaty/stinky, and then go back to work. I don't really want to add another monthly bill to our household budget but I figure since I'll be at the gym I won't be eating fast food for lunch so voila! I'll probably wind up saving money by joining the gym!

I've also started working on ideas for Emma's birthday party. I know her big day isn't until November, but I'm a little anal about starting months in advance. This year she has asked for a Mickey Mouse party and I'm thinking about having it somewhere other than at our house. There's enough work involved in throwing a party without having to worry about my house being spotless as well. Yes, spotlessness is a necessity in my book.
And finally, proof that my little man is not going to be little much longer . . .
He's already trying to stand up by himself. Yeah.

Boys vs. Girls

My friend Mollie asked me the other day if it was weird having a boy since I have been completely immersed in pink girliness with Emma for the past 2 1/2 years. My answer- besides having to lift his junk to wipe during diaper changes, and getting peed on at random, not really. He's still such a newborn that he doesn't have boy traits yet. Poop, pee, eat, sleep. That's about it. I'm anxious for the boy stuff to begin though. And, I have gotten glimpses of what I think his personality will be like.

For example, Emma was a very high maintenance baby. She seemed to cry for the sheer heck of it. All.The.Time. Seeley is a lot more easy going. He will occasionally cry when he feels that attention is needed, but for the most part if he's crying its because he needs something-new diaper, food, burp, etc. The rest of the time he's content. Which equals peace and quiet from at least one child. Aaaah.

Emma also had lots of trouble keeping her days and nights straight. So far, Seeley will sleep well at night. And he's usually not much trouble to put back to sleep after a feeding. I'm still only averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night, but with Emma it was only around 2. And that lasted until she was 6 months old.

And believe it or not, I seem to be able to function better with two kids than I did when it was just Emma and I when she was a newborn. I'm not quite sure why. But in the past three weeks I can count on one hand the number of days I have not put on at least some makeup to hide my deathly pallor. And I've only had one day where I never made it out of my pajamas-we won't even discuss that day. It was too horrific. My hair is still normally in a ponytail but I don't consider that a failure. At least it's getting washed on a daily basis! And praise the Lord I have a hair appointment this week so maybe that will motivate me to actually DO something with my hair, we'll see.

Starting next week I'll have to spend some time each day on work related items. Part of my deal with my job is that I'll begin working part time from home during week 5 of my maternity leave. This helps me make some money and it also helps them because I have a lot of areas that fall under my responsibility that are being divided up among two other people right now and its not easy on them. So, with this looming deadline approaching I decided on Saturday to right two of my mommy wrongs. One for each kid. Emma has always been terrible about going to sleep on her own when at home. I have to lay down beside her in order for her to go to bed or take a nap. This hour long process is just not really feasible anymore since it never fails that Seeley demands food during that hour. This bad habit developed when she was a baby. Due to her severe asthma I could never let her cry it out and just put her down and force her to go to sleep on her own. So, on Saturday she had I fought it out for over two hours. There were about 15 swats on the butt involved. She told me I was mean and then proceeded to yell after me as I left the room for the millionth time "Mommy, don't leave me. I love you so much!" Absolutely broke my heart and made me feel like the worst mommy in the world. I finally admitted defeat and let her skip her nap. I just could not force myself to spank her one more time and I didn't trust myself to remain calm and patient any longer. End result= Emma 1, Mommy 0+ a migraine.

Seeley decided on his first night home that he would only sleep in his swing. Can't say I blame him, it does look comfy. But was becoming quite the burden. Amazingly enough, he transitioned quite well and we're now going on five full nights in his crib. I do believe that he is going to be my easy going child; a piece of cake and an absolute blessing. Emma is going to be no less of a blessing, but I think she's going to be more of a whirlwind. One minute I'll want to laugh at her and the next her stubborn nature will make me want to pull my hair out. It's pretty annoying to realize that while I find my stubborness endearing, it's a nightmare in others. She is just so dramatic and endearing that I cannot imagine her any other way. So, I'll take the migraines along with the hugs and kisses and laughs. It's all worth it!

Seeley Alan

How did my little man get to be almost two weeks old? Where did the past 12 days go? Things have been a little hectic around the Johnson household so let me try and get you up to speed . . .

Thursday 24th- My last day of work, yay! I had planned on getting some last minute cleaning done and then just relaxing the rest of the night. And going to bed early since we had to be at the hospital the next morning at 5:30. Instead, my sis-in-law went into labor and we were at the hospital until 9pm! Seeley's cousin Parker was born around 6pm that evening and we were so thrilled to meet him. I mean, what are the odds right? So, we didn't get into bed until around 1am and then I was up again at 3:30 to finish packing and cleaning. (OCD tendencies remember?)

Friday 25th-

5:30am- Arrive at hospital and nurses recognize us from the night before. A full explanation is necessary.

7:00- Doc breaks my water. Supposedly.

9:00- Doc realizes labor is going so slow because water did not break all the way. Sigh. Only dilated to a 3 and I came in at a 2.

Noon- Go ahead and get epidural even though pain is not bad. The nurse didn't want me to wait any longer just in case contractions got really strong and couldn't get anesthesiologist down quick enough. Dilated to 4.

1:30- Page nurse because feeling lots of pain and pressure. This is not supposed to happen with an epidural folks. I didn't feel A THING with Emma. Dilated to a 6.

1:45- Anesthesiologist has already given me 3 booster shots (meant to be fast acting to help with actual delivery). I know the epidural is there because I'm shaking uncontrollably from the high level of medicine, but STILL feeling everything. Dilated to a 9 so there's not anything more that can be done, I'm going to feel every bit of this delivery.

2:05- Seeley arrives.

That's right folks. I felt everything. And since I felt everything, I can safely say that anyone who chooses to deliver natural is crazy. When I realized that I was going to feel this delivery I said a quick prayer that God would give me the strength to pull this off since I was completely unprepared and that Seeley would be healthy. Luckily, He answered both prayers. I only had to push through a total of 4 contractions and Seeley came out a healthy 8lbs, 6oz. Of course he would weigh more than Emma since I'm feeling all this lovely pain, right?

Everyone always tells you that no two babies and no two deliveries are alike. I now completely believe them, when in the past I've always been skeptical. With Emma, the epidural worked beautifully and it was like I didn't even do a thing. I had to work hard for every inch of Seeley! And, Emma was a very high maintenance baby. So far, Seeley is pretty easy going. It also helps though that I have not gotten any of those post baby blues that hit me so hard with Emma.

Looking back there were also a few moments of levity during labor. The first came when I heard that the epidural was just not keeping up with how quick I was progressing and that I would be feeling the delivery. I was in pain, trying to breathe through contractions, shaking from the medicine that wasn't working on the pain, and crying. Jeremy calmly gets up from the chair where he's been dozing all morning and goes to the bathroom. When he comes out he stands by the head of the bed and I look at him, hoping to get some words of encouragement as I tell him "I think I'm going to feel this one." No sooner do the words get out of my mouth than I see him try to take a bite out of a piece of candy without me noticing it. MY CANDY. That his dad had brought to me, along with flowers. I'm panicking and in crisis mode and he's eating my f-ing candy! I only say one word- "really". But apparently I say it exorcist style because the nurse starts looking scared. I reign in my temper and tell him to stay the hell out of my candy because I'm going to need it. Wonderful hubby and father- not so swift on the compassion and words of encouragement.

Then, after the baby was born I'm trying to get a peek at him and all I can make out are chubby cheeks and a penis. The nurse calls out "14 05" and I freak out because I thought that was his weight. (At the time it felt like I had just delivered a 14 pound baby). They quickly assure me that it's the time of birth before I completely lose it. Damn military time almost gave me a heart attack!

It's been a full twelve days since we've had him, and already I don't remember what life was like before him. He is such a sweetie and Emma adores him. She has been such a good big sister. I try very hard to give her some special time each day when he's asleep so she doesn't feel neglected. And Jeremy has really pitched in to help out; surprisingly Emma has adjusted well to the fact that mommy can't do everything for her anymore. She's been really good to let Jeremy do things for and with her whereas before Seeley she wouldn't. We've had a few minor blips since Jeremy went back to work yesterday (Emma has decided to assert her independence and exercise her selective hearing skills), but all in all life is good.

Here's some pics of my newest sweetie pea!

Correction-here's A picture of my sweetie pea. I've been trying to write this post since last Friday and my computer, along with the majority of my pics, is down. So, this is the best you get until my laptop gets fixed. Trust me though-he's gorgeous.

Baby Update and more Random Wednesday

First things first- my new favorite person in the world (my ob-gyn) has ordered me to report to the hospital at 5:30am this Friday 25th to be induced. Woot! I'm so excited to meet Seeley (and admittedly no longer be pregnant) that I can hardly stand it. My boss is freaking out a little bit because he was counting on having me around that extra week (he was tossing out words like "irreplaceable" and really giving my ego a boost) but I assured him my internal deadline has always been this Friday in order to allow for contingencies and I WILL have everything situated for transition during my leave. He finally stopped hyperventilating when he realized that my OCD tendacies had once again saved the day. Ha!

This will be my second baby and second induction, and ladies, it's the only way to go. Granted, Emma was induced because she was a full week late, but there is nothing like having the time to prepare. Going into labor in the middle of the night and being rushed to the hospital by a sleepy and discheveled husband is all fine and great in the movies, but in real life you know that you're going to forget something or realize that you didn't shave your legs, etc. When you have an induction date (and don't accidentally go into labor before hand) you can make sure all that stuff is taken care of. And especially when you have a child already its nice to be able to make those arrangements ahead of time.

I had not dialated at all when I checked into the hospital with Emma and was only in labor with her for about 6.5 hours. I'm at a 2 now so I'm hoping Seeley will come a little sooner. I'm aiming for noon on the 25th at the latest! We'll see how well baby follows my schedule! Ha!

Moving on to Random Wednesday . . .

I've been having trouble sleeping lately so I've caught lots of new-to-me shows during my late night tv viewing. The latest, Police Women of Memphis, caught my attention this week because I have met one of the officers they are following. I flipped to this channel and there she was, Officer Olson, chasing down some hulking criminal. And this chick is tiny. So of course I had to watch the whole show and now have something else to add to the DVR list for late night baby feeding entertainment.

We actually met Officer Olson and some of her male counterparts on our recent trip to Memphis. We were grabbing a quick bite to eat at a fast food place for lunch and there were several members of the Memphis PD there as well; and as so often happens they struck up a conversation with the hubs. The conversations usually start something like this:

Police Officer: "Hey there, how are you? If you don't mind me asking, are you a cop?"

And they're off . . . .

Something about the hubs screams law enforcement or military to a lot of people. Yes, he keeps his hair cut short, but I guess it's his demeanor or something. He was a cop for a little while, but that was several years ago (thank the Lord). Maybe cops just have a sixth sense or something when it comes to identifying current or former police officers, because this actually happens to us quite often. And it still amuses me that my hubby, a self proclaimed people hater, will get sucked into random conversations like this with complete strangers all the time. And, when we're out shopping or something, it never fails that we run into at least 3 or 4 people that he knows. And at the most unexpected places. If you didn't know better you would mistake him for a socialite or something. Until he opens his mouth anyway! Ha!

I'm Melting . . .I'm Melting . . .

That about sums it up.

This weather is beyond ridiculous; 90-100 degrees in June?! Really? I'm very scared to see my upcoming electric bill.

I'm not a whiner by nature. I'm sure my sweet hubs could pick several unflattering adjectives to describe me; bossy, demanding, impatient, but whiny is not normally something I do. (And for the record, I don't necessarily think the unflattering adjectives above are bad personality traits. Just saying.) I put up with a lot of crap, turn the other cheek, and just generally deal with whatever comes sans whining. My motto is whatever comes, good or bad, the Lord will not give me more than I can handle.

But right now, I'm perilously close to breaking that hard and fast no whining rule due to this heat. It's turning me into a sweaty raving lunatic. Seriously. Walking from the front door of my house to the car causes me to break out into a sweat. I'm sweating going down the aisles at Walmart for crying out loud. According to Jeremy, the Walmart thing is just me. Sweaty, swollen me.

So in short, while pregnancy is a huge huge blessing and I try super hard not to complain about any of the unfortunate symptoms, I'm ready to have this baby already. I will gladly trade sleep deprivation for the ability to close my swollen fingers into a fist and to wear shoes other than flip flops without the dreaded "muffin top" foot. You know what I'm talking about. And of course I'm ready to meet the little guy. I'm so anxious to see who he looks like. (Please, please, please look like me. It will be a cruel joke if both of my children look exactly like mini-Jeremys.)

Speaking of Jeremy, I already mentioned that he received his Father's Day gift a little early. Abby the chocolate Lab is doing well and has already taken right up with Emma Lou. I guess Jeremy just thought she would be his dog. Ha! But check out this shot of my pale complexion look-alikes from the lake last week. I heart them both. Hubs is such a super daddy, it makes my heart melt on a daily basis.

I'm feeling especially sorry for hubby today; heat index is going to be 110. Yikes. I consider myself a lucky railroader. Yes, I have to get out in the heat quite a bit and inspect construction sites and do site visits, etc. But I still have the option to spend the majority of my day in a freezing cold office or an air conditioned vehicle. The hubs has to work out in the elements. Normally he's an Engineer. Good- not out in the direct sun. Bad- like most shortline railroads our locomotives do not have air conditioning. This means our shiny black engines turn into ovens sitting in the sun. Unfortunately he was working the ground last week as a Conductor in order to train a new hire. Our conductors typically walk around 10 miles per day doing their normal work. Good-great exercise. Bad-WAAY too hot for that crap in my opinion.

So, whenever I get the urge to whine I keep reminding myself it could be worse. I think I'm going to go out today and buy the hubs one of those little handheld fans. Probably woefully inadequate but just maybe it will create enough of a breeze he won't completely melt.

Another First . . . and complete Wednesday Randomness

This past Sunday we played hookey from church and took Emma to the lake. This was her first actual outing to the lake; the past two summers I've simply set up a pool for her in the yard. But, now that she's a little older we wanted to give it a try. And, the thought of being weightless in the water was super appealing to my hugely pregnant self. (It was heavenly by the way!)

Lake DeGray was up quite a bit from all the rain we've been having so the sandy part of the beach we went to was pretty much underwater. Emma was still super excited though. She wore her brand new Minnie Mouse bathing suit and her life jacket she had picked out the night before. All was fine until it came time to actually get in the water. She totally freaked out. I think it boiled down to not being able to see into the water (let's face it, lake water is not the crystal clear water found in a pool or exotic beach). So, I waded out with her clinging to me like a monkey the entire time. She absolutely refused to let go. Which is fine, I didn't rush her. We would stay out for a few minutes, then we'd go back to shore. This happened about 4 times before she actually decided that she liked the water. I think the life jacket threw her off as well because on the fifth trip out I carried her without it and she did much better, even started splashing Jeremy with one hand and having fun. I guess I can't really blame her, I hated life jackets as a kid too!

We only stayed about 2.5 hours; enough time to get her used to the water and to build some sand castles. My poor fair skinned hubs did not take my advice and wear sunscreen so he came home with a sunburn all along his back, chest, arms, and face. Yes, it happened after only 2.5 hours of sun exposure. I swear he's got some albino in him. Has to. I think poor Em may inherit his fair complexion and tendency to burn as well.

I sincerely hope Seeley takes after me; I rarely burn and can tan with the best of them. Back in the day when I shamelessly worshipped at the tanning salon I was often mistaken for Hispanic with very little time and effort devoted to tanning. Once or twice a week tops. I'll have to dig out a picture for proof, but Jeremy can verify.

Speaking of tanning, that leads me to my first bit of randomness for the day. Found this little beauty at Walmart and highly recommend it. Goes on well, no streaking, and has a very natural color. A very good alternative to tanning since I've decided to give it up cold turkey. Of course, I had to give it up due to Seeley, but I had already come to the decision that I would forgo the bed from here on out. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to a best friend. I managed a tanning salon for four years while I was in college and that's when my love affair began. Sadly though, its time to grow up and face the reality of cancer. I wonder if they have a Tanners Anonymous that I can go to for support? Seriously, very very sad.

Second bit of randomness- I watched a new-to-me television show the other night on TLC titled "I didn't know I was pregnant" WHAT?! Obviously this grabbed my attention and I sat spellbound for an entire hour at the stupidity of some people. There are some instances where I can see not knowing you're pregnant. One woman got pregnant immediately after the birth of her first child and since she was breast feeding and not having a period it never crossed her mind. She was barely eating and working out constantly trying to lose the weight and delivered the baby very prematurely at 2 lbs; technically the baby fell onto the floor of the hospital. Horrifying right? Baby had to stay in the hospital for several months but was ok. What I cannot understand is how a woman, especially one who has had kids before, can deliver a FULL TERM 7.5 lb baby and not know she was pregnant. Really? And its not like this woman was a "bigger gal" and might not notice a little extra weight. Speaking as someone who is almost at full term, even if your weight gain is not very much you STILL FEEL THE BABY MOVING! How on earth do you explain away the acrobatics going on in your uterus?

Final bit of randomness- Also watched Toddlers and Tiaras this week. I am very sad to say they featured two families from Arkansas; I have never even heard of these towns so am sure they are backwoods and tiny. One mother had her SON competing in pageants. Enough said. And the other said they spent around $3000 per pageant for their daughter; including dress, travel, entry fees, etc. Do you know what I could do with an extra $3k? And they compete in tons of these pageants every year. Poor dad didn't have a clue as to how much his wife was spending on pageants.

I may have to cancel TLC on my satellite. It's completely destroying my faith in humanity.

Etsy Seller

I completely forgot to include the link to the Etsy seller that I mentioned below. Sorry about that; especially since I've had several people ask about it. Here's the link to the sellers page: http://www.etsy.com/shop/enowotny1

She was fantastic to work with and willing to customize just about anything. Super quick turnaround also- a week at the most to send me a proof for approval.

Be sure and look for Seeley's and Emma's custom paintings!!