Baby, Baby, Baby!

It's been a long time since I posted anything, but today is a very special day. Two amazing couples welcomed a son into the world today. I've been on baby watch since last night when we got the news that two mommas were starting labor. My work colleagues have been tuned in all day today, too because I was updating my phone trying to get the latest news every 10 minutes. They got to see the first little guy, but I'll have to show them the second little one tomorrow - he arrived a little later than expected. I've been there...I definitely signed up for long duration labor (not to be confused with long duration spaceflight - which is a lot less painful and has a better view). In fact, one of my coworkers told me I was having flashbacks as I got the updates about my friend's labor lasting several, several more hours than what I deem humane. For those taking notes, that's roughly one hour...two if I'm feeling generous. I absolutely love the end result of labor, but the process itself is not pleasant. Wait, that's not strong enough. It down right sucks (still don't think that is strong enough, but I'm working on my language...I can't have Spud's first words be "Damn it, Daytona!".

Speaking of the Spud, Liam Weston celebrated his 7th month in the world today. I find that hard to believe. I'm pretty sure I just had him...or maybe that's the flashbacks T was referring to today. He's a pretty amazing little man. He crawls, he pulls up to standing, he eats like a champ (like there was any doubt - you've all met his Dad, right?), and he is the absolute love of my life. I can't wait to hear the stories of the two new little ones, both their arrival stories and the stories that come as they start their life and explore their world. That's really my favorite part - watching Liam explore new things and make "discoveries". He discovers himself each morning in one of the pictures we have hanging up on the wall by the stairs. He has discovered that the iPhone is the coolest thing ever, especially when he's watching Liam Home Movies. My absolute favorite is when he discovers someone he loves has come home - that smile lights up the room.

Quick photo flashback to Liam's first day...to celebrate the first day of two special other little dudes!

I love my little man, and I can't imagine life without him. Even though he's
taken my world and turned it completely upside down, I wouldn't change a thing...except maybe sleeping late. I would like that to become a reality again.

A Year in Review

Even though it isn't quite 2012, I figured I'd take the time to look back upon the past 12 months. Plus, I haven't update the blog in a while (ok, a few months) - but I've been a busy momma! So at any rate, here is the Kamas family in review:

January 2011
At this point, we were a couple of months into the pregnancy, and I was puking my guts out on a fairly regular basis. Gatorade, ginger ale, and crackers was what I was mainly living on, except at night, when I could usually stomach "regular" food. We rang in the new year with the Cejka's - me and Jessica asleep on her bed, and Thomas and Dusty drinking vodka and damaging walls. January 3 was Thomas and my seventh anniversary - and for once, we were both feeling well. OK, Thomas was feeling well, I was feeling, well, see above. Quite a start for 2011...

February 2011
Ah, February. Each February 14th comes with a politically incorrect card, flowers, and chocolate-covered strawberries, and 2/14/11 was no exception. I love predictability, and greatly look forward to seeing just how offensive of a card Thomas can find. Of course, February wasn't without additional craziness - I opened up SEEC in a flight suit (Thanks to Lauren for shooting most of the pictures above the waist - flight suits aren't really flattering on a non-pregnant person so I was screwed) to kick-off our reduced gravity opportunity. It was also the week of the "ice storm that wasn't". There may have been ice on the bridges in downtown Houston, but definitely not where I was, but no complaints. I'll take a free "snow day". February also saw the departure of a beloved member of the Kamas household, Got Milk. That was rough - she was my fuzzball that always slept in bed with us. Add that on top of pregnancy hormones...it was a rough few days for me and Thomas.

March 2011
March was a pretty big month. We found out we were having a boy and my pregnancy-related heart condition (unprovoked tachycardia) reared its ugly head. I became grounded in more ways than one. No flying, no working out, no elevating the heart level, no stressing, no nothing. Well, crap. This was also the month of the green bedroom. If you haven't heard about the green paint debacle, either go back and read the March postings or just ask Thomas. He LOVES to tell that story. I'll admit it, it was totally my fault.

April 2011
By the time April rolled around, I was really hitting my pregnancy stride. The bump was out and in full effect. It was starting to get hot and miserable outside, which meant I was hotter and more miserable. Then, some jackass without insurance decided to rear-end my car when all Trinesha and I wanted to do was to go get Chipotle. It was her second accident in a week, and earned us both a trip to the ER (easy, easy, we both drove ourselves...in separate cars). She was in and out rather quickly. I hung out for HOURS. Debs kept me company until Thomas go there - I'm not sure who I scared most out of those two with the initial phone call. Trophy goes to Debs for best secondary reaction when she called me back after the initial call.

May 2011
May = Insanity. There really is no other way to explain it. Two baby showers (one of which was attended by the whole of Eastern Bell County), grad school graduation (4 hours, only one bathroom break!), and the realization that soon, very, very soon, a little person would be making his way into our house, and our lives. I guess you could refer to May as the month, to borrow a phrase, "shit got real". Of course, it didn't help that this was about the time all the pregnancy books (of which I read hundreds) start to talk about the labor process. After the weekends filled with craziness (good craziness, but still, all craziness is exhausting), the last thing I needed was to look at a graphic that detailed 10cm dilation every time I opened to the apropos chapter. I knew all along what the end result of the pregnancy would be, but sometimes it takes a bit before the reality truly dawns on you.

June 2011
In June, we finished Liam's nursery (woohoo, whales!!)and managed to take a "Childbirth for Dummies" class. The only good thing to come out of that class was the massage Thomas had to give me while we were "visualizing our way through contractions". Any of you that know me on any level can imagine how well that went over with me. I don't really buy into that visualization/New Age mumbo-jumbo stuff, and looking back, after having been there and done that, there is no FREAKING way you can "visualize" yourself out of that much pain. Not possible. Hospitals should just have the anesthesiologists meet the women at the elevator.

July 2011
By this time, I had been banished to working at home by the OB. I was happy to be able to keep working, but eventually, working from home gets lonely. Plus, MECO doesn't really understand why he can't sleep on your laptop. I mean, it's a warm place and it's not like the human actually is needing to use it. Yup, part of my day was dedicated to MECO eradication from the bed exercises. In addition to laptop napping, he would also steal pens and shred paper. Don't think the office would buy the cat ate my report excuse.

We had one false alarm towards the end of July, and several disappointing doctor visits to learn that progress wasn't happening. Miserably, Thomas and I stumbled on through the next week, him wrapping up random stuff at the house and me complaining and working on getting VIPs taken care of for our flight week at work all from my bed that had now become my office.I guess Liam was just waiting for his official due date (July 31) to kick things off because dark and early on the morning of the 31st, he got the party started. And then continued to party for 36.5 MORE HOURS...

August 2011
It's probably not too hard to guess what the highlight of this month was. August 1, 2011 at 4:36pm, weighing 8lbs, 1oz, little Liam made his appearance into the world. I won't get into to many details (there's a super long previous post about it), but let's just say that the whole process SUPER SUCKED. The end result was totally worth it, but I would imagine that having each of your fingernails ripped out would probably be comparable to the pain I was in after the drugs wore off and before they would give me an epidural.

September 2011
This month flew by. I got to spend almost the entire month at home with Spud (Liam's nickname) and finally managed to work up enough strength to get up and do something. Who knew c-sections had such a long recovery period? Oh yeah, the doctor who said I couldn't really do anything for 8 weeks. No worries, doc. I really couldn't.

October 2011
By this time, we were hitting our stride as a new family. Liam was getting more predictable and was settling into a routine. Awesome, because now I was back at work, and waking up every two to three hours wasn't really working. Liam also had his first Halloween and was dressed up as a giraffe. He really wasn't digging it, but managed to stay in costume long enough to have some super cute pictures taken.

November
First Thanksgiving! And, two MAJOR road trips. One to Louisiana to see a cousin get married - I think Liam saw more of the wedding than I did. I was sick and he wanted to party! And another home to Temple to see Thomas' family for the holiday. He did well, and I became the backseat diaper changing champion (when the car was stopped, people!). This month, Liam decided to go on a temper tantrum tear for about two weeks, only to discover the nonsense all had a purpose - two new teeth! It was rough for a bit, and then we discovered the magic of Infant Tylenol...thank goodness.

December
Liam turned four months old on December 1, and got the go-ahead from the pediatrician to start solids. So far, he's had cereal, peas, and sweet potatoes (but, similarly to the Cejka clan, I think the sweet potatoes may disappear from the rotation based on the um, shall we say, noisy and smelly side effects?). It started out not so well, but he's getting better. Now only about half ends up on him and the other half in him. The original ratio was more like 90% on, 10% in. He's a roly poly guy these days. Diaper changing has become an Olympic sport where Liam goes for style points with his moves and you get a medal if you manage to get the diaper to cover the important parts. He's such a mover - always rolling. He's trying to crawl, he just can't get everything moving at the same time. He gets around in his own special way, scrawling. Half-scoot, half-crawl. It works for him. He's just excited he can sleep how he wants to, face down, butt up. He's changed so much - he's more than doubled in size, and now wears 6-9 month clothes (mainly 9 months). He's a pretty big guy, but still loves to snuggle, and play, and smile. "Where's Liam?" is his all-time favorite game.

2011 was quite a crazy, but amazing, year for our family, and we are looking forward to what 2012 might bring! Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year :)

Got Teeth?

It's hard to believe that Liam has almost been here for 4 months. At the same time it seems like so long ago and yet not so long ago that he made his grand arrival (oh, don't worry...I haven't forgotten ANYTHING about those 37 hours). He's already growing up so fast. He has TWO teeth that have broken through his gums - the bottom center teeth. Those things are sharp...very, very glad he is a formula baby. He nearly broke the skin on my finger today when he decided he wanted to snack on my fingers instead of his. I guess Frank can finally claim a victory. He is teething, but it started around week 15 instead of week 6 like her initial claim. FYI to the masses, you should go buy stock in Tylenol - we are starting to go through it like nobody's business.

Besides the teething (which is so much fun for everyone...groan), he is very much in "discovery mode" lately. He's been curious regarding his surroundings for awhile, but now it's really entertaining to watch. He loves to go outside and watch the cars drive by and look at the plants. He's fascinated by football and NASCAR on the TV (so many moving colors!). And, he's learning causal relationships. This is what I imagine Liam is thinking - "If I push the button, the toy flashes and makes noise which is wicked awesome. If I keep doing it when mommy tells me to, I get laughs and claps. If I do it long enough after she's lost interest, she'll come take me out of the toy and snuggle me because the noise has driven her crazy." He's a pretty smart guy.

I also think he's realized that his room is amazing. It's usually dark when we go up there - we only have a nightlight on when we take him up for chow and rocking before putting him to bed. But the past few days during the "teething episodes" (teething episodes = no napping, fit throwing hours where nothing makes us happy), I've taken him up to his room to rock him in the chair. He likes to look at the whales and the fish on the wall. I'm not sure he realizes this is the same place we go every night, but at least it seems like he appreciates all of me and Thomas' hard work.

Rolling Rolling Rolling

We've reached a new milestone - Liam can roll. Apparently front to back and back to front, but I've only witnessed front to back. He doesn't do it all the time, but it's happened enough times now to know it wasn't just a fluke (like the time he did it on the inclined couch cushion at 2 months and Thomas and I had a panic attack). He's also moving like crazy at night in his crib. He goes to sleep on his back with his head up near his mobile. When I walk up there in the mornings, he's either turned completely around with his head at the other end or he's all smushed up like he was in mid-turn and for some reason decided sleeping in the narrowest part of the crib is ideal. Either way, he's sleeping, so I guess it's all good. I'm too sacked out at night to know when he starts making his moves. I don't wake up until I hear the loud "come get me now!" fusses or my alarm clock (a rarity, but sometimes it beats Liam's built-in clock).

I'm also convinced that we really are teething now (Frank swears he's been teething since about week 6...no teeth yet). He's starting to get extra fussy at times, he can't keep his hand out of his mouth (yum...finger snack!), and he drools buckets. In general, he's still a really happy guy, but there are days (more so recently) where we go through the Liam checklist (diaper, food, book, swing, gym, stationary awesome thing, nap, playtime with Mommy and Daddy, lovey, etc.) to see what will make him happy, but sometimes it's a few hours before he decides he's at peace with the world. Of course, it could also be growing pains. The little monster is three and half months old, and, if my super accurate method (weigh self holding baby, weigh self, subtract) of weighing him is, well, moderately accurate, he's approaching 20 lbs. The scale said there was a 19lb 6oz difference between the two measurements, so I'm assuming he's at least 19lbs. He's shaping up to be a pretty big guy, but the good news is he's cute baby fat, and not overly chunky. Sure, he's got rolls, but in the cutest of places. Plus, Thomas is convinced that at least a pound or two of his weight is in his cheeks. They are so pinchable!

In other Liam news, he's learned how to stick out his tongue (thanks PJ). He thinks its funny, I think its funny that he thinks its funny, so we just crack each other up. There's nothing quite like a Liam laugh and smile. It can make a grown-up tough guy (i.e. Daddy), turn to absolute mush.

He may just be a little dude, but I'm pretty sure he's aware he has the two big people in his house wrapped around his little, slobber-soaked fingers.

Liam Ops

Liam Ops (that's "operations" for you non-NASA folks) take up a significant portion of my week (and Thomas' too!), but sometimes, ops extend beyond formula and diapers to some really, really fun stuff...like dressing him up like a giraffe. That's right. He was a giraffe for Halloween. For five minutes at our house. Then five minutes at Oma's house. Then five minutes at the Cejka house. Just long enough to snap a few pics before he screamed his head off. In his defense, the costume was hot even though we were experiencing some of the coolest temperatures we had seen in a long while.

Our latest challenge in Liam ops is keeping him entertained. His all-time favorite play toy, his gym where he can swat his stuffed bee and chew on everything else really doesn't cut it anymore when Oma went and one-upped us and got a stationary bouncy thing with lots of toys. So we had to go out and buy our own stationary bouncy thing with lots of toys...because he was aware that we did not own a stationary bouncy thing with lots of toys. I said it before when we bought the swing that gave us a solid 6 hours of sleep (which at the time was amazing - now he does that plus some in his crib...woohoo!), but this is probably the best money I've ever spent.

That's "Bat Spud" hanging out in his newest toy (Spud is his normal nickname...the "Bat" only ocomes in when he's wearing his Batman onesie...yup, we are those people.) My living room is starting to resemble an aisle in Babies 'R Us - swings, toys, diapers, etc., etc. This is so not what I wanted, but you have to roll with what works. At least the playpen is in our bedroom and not the living room. Besides, where else would Thomas put laundry that needed to be folded if we didn't have the playpen in our room? It's cheaper than a treadmill and serves the same purpose :)

Lovies and a New Hobby?

We've now reached the point in Liam's life that he has adopted a "lovey". I call it a lovey, but it's actually his security item. Lovey just sounds so much better than diaper rag...yup, he's chosen a diaper rag as his special snuggle buddy. I guess in a way it is perfect. I have a million of them. I can bleach them. They are relatively soft and snuggly. But I had grand visions of him dragging around a blanket a la Linus from Charlie Brown (and Jessica from the Rogers family), but no. Not a stuffed animal either. He even has small stuffed animals attached to the ends of ridiculously soft, small blankets. They are absolutely adorable...but no such luck. Every morning, when I go up to his room, there he is. One arm thrown over his head, the other clutching his lovey in a death grip, usually right up by his cheek. Oh well, you can't win them all.

Although almost everything he does is a "first", we are about to approach some fairly significant firsts. First Halloween - where he will be making an appearance as a giraffe. First Thanksgiving - which is almost in time for first solids. First Christmas - which is probably why I've been on Etsy non-stop. I have to find us our family stockings (I have my eye on some Fair Isle ones at PBK). I also want Liam to have a few awesome things. All he really "needs" is clothes, but I'll be getting him a few handmade special things from people that are far more talented than I. Speaking of...I had this bright idea this weekend that I was going to learn how to knit so I could knit baby blankets for all my friends that are having babies. I bought yarn, needles and book. I learned step 1 (casting on in official knitting terms) rather quickly and was very impressed with myself. However, step 2, aka the actually knitting part...ha. I watched 47 youtube videos, read three pamphlets and still can't do it. Oh, I know how...I totally understand the process, the mechanics of it. I just can't do it and end up with the product I'm supposed to end up with. My yarn is too loose. Let's just say the knitting needles ended up on the other side of the room...several times. So much for finding something calm and soothing to do at night once Liam is asleep.

Tummy Time

I didn't know something called "Tummy Time" existed prior to reading a gazillion baby books, but apparently, it's extremely important. So, in order to work his muscles, build his confidence, keep his head from becoming flat, and all the other millions of things the baby books claim tummy time does, we have a tummy time session at least once per day. We are definitely making progress...I'm a little biased, but I give Liam an A+ in tummy time. He can lift his head up 45 degrees (sometimes a little more) and is starting to make motions like he wants to roll over - he just can't get all the parts and pieces going at the same time. He got a pretty big assist for the "on the side" picture below.

I've learned, through experience, that tummy time should always be on a blanket, even if he's already on something soft, like our bed. Unfortunately, things tend to leak during tummy time...diapers, regurgitated formula...let's just say our sheets saw the washer a few times one week and then we finally got smart (and bought a second set of sheets, just in case of a sanity lapse).

I like tummy time because I get to use it as a chance to take really awesome Liam pictures. He's so darn cute when he's trying so hard to get it all in motion. Okay...again, biased mommy...he's cute all the time. Here's some pictures from today's tummy time session. I was having more fun than he was.

I need tummy time, too, apparently. Even though I weigh less now than before I was pregnant, somehow, all the squishy parts did not go back to normal. The squishy-ness has banded together and formed a pouch (really...like kangaroo pouch minus the hole for the baby roo). I'm not even sure how you go about getting rid of said pouch. It's not where normal squishy resides...it's traveled a little farther south. Fortunately, I can pull my pants up over it AND I have shirts that have a little room at the bottom to help hide it, but still...it's not fair when I manage to delete a fair amount of squishy molecules and the remainder decide to mutiny and band together to cause ridiculousness like kangaroo pouches.

I know, I'm a broken record with the tummy troubles. I guess I figure if I bitch about it enough, maybe I'll be motivated to get off my butt and do something about it. Step one would be to give up drinking the sodas...fat (pun intended) chance. Then, I wouldn't be able to function let alone contemplate exercise. With all the amazing things that science can do, can someone please invent true "diet" Dr. Pepper?!?

Surviving and Thriving

Yesterday marked two months for Liam - it's hard to believe how much he has changed in just this short amount of time. We both managed to make it through my first week (okay, three days) of work, but that boy is bound and determined to make a morning person out of me. He likes to get up bright and early in the morning, earlier than I consider acceptable. I can't complain too much - I do get to catch up on the TV I miss at night by watching the DVR at 5:30 in the morning when he's having a bottle - but I've been up at 6am both days this weekend. I can't tell you the last time I was up that early on both days of the weekend...it may not have ever happened. Even during pregnancy, I'm used to having Thomas yell at me (for the fourth or fifth time) to get out of bed at 10am (or later). The result of the early morning wake-up calls? I've turned into Thomas and go to bed while the sun is still up.

I've lost all my pregnancy weight and then some, so my new goal is to now get the belly back in shape...not that it was really in shape to begin with, but something a little more solid than the bowlful of jelly that I'm working with now. I've done plenty of Liam curls, dead-lifts, and squats, but those aren't going to make the stomach conform. I can, however, carry groceries into the house now by the double armful now. I guess that counts for something, especially since I braved HEB by myself today (sans Liam - he was at Oma's) while Thomas went to the Texans game. Liam or no Liam, HEB requires two people - at least for this family. One person to push the cart and one person to run all over the store as we realize things we forgot, even though they are on the list right in front of us.

Mommyhood has brought on several new hobbies/habits. First, I've become a coupon clipper. No, not one of those extreme coupon crazies, but either Thomas or I will take the time to go through the Sunday paper to see if any of the deals work for us. We've been managing to save about $20 each HEB run...I consider that fairly successful, and we can't believe we haven't done this all along. Second, I'm addicted to Etsy. I haven't bought anything yet, but with so many friends either with babies or having babies, plus Christmas coming on, my credit card is about to see some serious action. I don't have time to be Martha Stewart, but I do (typically) have the means to pay for other people to be! :) I've also been playing fantasy football with the boys, and have managed to be in 1st place for the past two weeks (this has caused some hostility...apparently girls aren't supposed to be good at fantasy football). Not to worry too much, boys. Now that I've returned to work, I can't really spend any significant amount of time doing research, and I see a few rough weeks in my future.

Our lives have been completed turned upside down the past two months, but I wouldn't trade our life now for anything, jiggly stomach included...that's why Spanx exists!!

The End is Near

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks on the planet for Liam. Man, has time gone by fast (it DID NOT go by even close to this fast during my time in the hospital...that felt like months). At least I've been wrapping up my maternity leave in style. Friday (aka the "Final Friday of Fun"), I had lunch with Liam, Frank and PJ down on the Kemah Boardwalk and spent some time walking around, enjoying the weather, and watching the boats sail by (I like to watch boats, not be on boats). Friday night we headed over to poker at Jessica and Dusty's where it was BYOB (bring your own baby). Liam finally got to meet his girlfriends, the minis. Although I can't say there was love at first sight, they definitely have things in common...love of bottles, ability to require diaper changes at a moment's notice, needing to be held by Mommy...hey, it's a start! I can't believe how big the minis are and how amazing they are - I can't wait for Liam to have control over his head and limbs like they do - it will be great to not have to worry about Liam headbutting me and for him to really be able to play in his favorite gym (although he can really give the big bee a good walloping). I didn't win at poker (and neither did Thomas), but I was happy to make a donation to the three champions for all the fun we had :)

Saturday, Thomas, Liam and I ventured downtown for a trip to Pottery Barn Kids. Taking me to PBK is always a very dangerous prospect, and now that they have "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed things, it is now also extremely dangerous to take Thomas there as well. We did manage to escape from there without too much damage to the bank account, and headed to lunch at PF Chang's. Liam managed to do some serious snoozing right up until I spooned my orange peel chicken on to my plate...oh the joys of motherhood ;-). Not to worry, the Kamas family is always (HA!) prepared. Since Thomas can eat at light speed (or faster...perhaps he's part neutrino), he downed his lunch and took over for me after a quick run to the bathroom for water to fill up bottle #2 - time to start bringing six oz with us - not four! Of course, when you are in that area, you have to get Sprinkles Cupcakes (it's a rule in our household), which I snacked on last night and plan on chowing on again today. I did yell at Thomas for getting too many cupcakes (there is such a thing when the finally-not-pregnant lady is trying to lose weight...in most normal cases, no such situation exists), but obviously, that is no longer a concern for me - I've given in to the deliciousness.

Today will be football (did I mention that I am in first place in Fantasy Football? That's right...ahead of all the boys!) and relaxation. Then, it's just Monday and Tuesday and back to work on Wednesday. Yikes!!!

Postpartum...Check!

Today was my six week postpartum appointment. I'm happy to report that everything checks out okay and I was given the go-ahead to resume "normal" life...whatever that means these days. The appointment was actually a little bit of a letdown. After nine months of exciting appointments where you discover something new, hear a heartbeat, have an ultrasound, or any or all of the above, a brief chat and a prescription for birth control just really didn't do it for me. I did have to take a test, though. Just a few quick questions to make sure I'm not nuts - passed with flying colors. Still not as exciting as an ultrasound.

I guess it's about time to start getting it back together. I've actually had a strong urge to get the house in order - postpartum nesting, perhaps? I've cleaned and organized and recycled and donated and just have a few more things to tackle before I think I will have satisfied my itch. Impressive? Not really...I've been on massive "spring cleaning" kicks before and always feel the better for it. I'm more impressed that I managed to find the stamina to make it happen. That has been one of the most challenging aspects of recovery - I had NO energy. Even passing Liam off to Oma Frank and taking naps still did nothing for my energy levels. It's hard to function much less decimate closet clutter with the amount of energy I was working with...but it's all better now. Game on, closets of the Kamas household.

It's also back to work soon. That makes me a little nervous. I'm not worried about the work aspect - and I can't wait to see my co-workers and getting back to business - I'm worried about getting up, getting dressed, getting Liam ready, and making it out the door before 10am. I could totally do it if work started at 10:30ish...since it's more like 8ish, I'll have to find a system that works so I don't have to wake up at 5am to get started. I still have to get some sleep!