9 months - Merry Christmas!

We've made it to 9 months and everything is going great! Desmond has changed so much and is advancing his motor skills very quickly. His weight clocked in at 19 lbs 12 oz and he's 29 inches tall. He (and mommy) had a cold last week but the doctor said everything looks great and the cold didn't effect his lungs or ears at all. She was very impressed by how strong his immune system was during this cold season. He's definitely starting to remember what goes on at the doctor's office...as soon as his bottom touched the cold paper on the exam table he got very concerned and wouldn't let go of mommy. Luckily there were no shots to be given so it was a tear-free appointment. The doctor said we can expect him to start crawling, pulling himself to standing, walk while supporting himself on objects...."he's already doing all of that" I said. "Oh, well...", she said, "batten down the hatches because he'll probably be walking soon!"

Last week we also got some great family pictures taken courtesy of our friend Bryan Kannowski! We've only been able to see a handful of proofs but I know the rest will be awesome. I will post a link when we receive them.

Well, about a week until Christmas! Good thing Desmond doesn't know what presents are yet because I've run out of room to hide them! Between our gifts and the gifts my family sent ahead (they are flying in on Christmas day and will be opening the majority of their presents here), the guest room is over flowing!

In other exciting news our friends find out if they are having a boy or girl today! I can't wait to hear the good news!

I probably won't post again until after the holidays. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Where did November go?

Once again I am way behind on my blogging. It's tough to keep up when I'm also trying to keep up with the Desmonster! The month of November flew by! We had a nice visit from Auntie Meg (pictures will be posted on the side), and Daddy turned 29! We spent our Thanksgiving with all of our "orphan" friends that don't have any family in town as well. Desmond loved Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think there was a food he tried that he didn't like! He was even a big fan of the turkey (which was nice because it put him into a tryptophan coma for the rest of the night).
Things have been pretty productive around the house. We are making headway on the master bathroom and it might actually be close to finished by Christmas. We at least have a working toilet and are able to use the shower. Drew has been keeping busy with the odd job or two around the house. I think I've managed to get the final Christmas decorations up today. One of my friends said our tree looks like a museum exhibit because it's surrounded by a baby gate. :)
We finally tried out a baby sitter this past weekend that wasn't someone we knew (i.e. friend or relative). A very nice girl who is the daughter of one of Drew's co-workers. Dez really seemed to like her and I hope we are able to use her again.

Dez is really starting to develop a fun personality. He's sweet, shy, boisterous, silly, chatty, content....really he covers it all. He's crawling even faster these days. Some times I even have to run to keep up with him. He's doing a lot of "couch walking" and occasionally he can stand on his own for a few seconds. I think we might end up having an early walker on our hands. But I'm in no hurry!

About 20 days until Christmas and Grandma & Grandpa Mead and Uncles Trevor and Cameron come visit! Can't wait! (Mommy better start cleaning the house now!)

Quick update

Just a quick briefing on the latest developments:
Dez now has 8 teeth (and finger chewing has begun again...we may not get the break we were hoping for.)
He is now crawling faster than ever, you blink and he's gone!
He has just started pulling himself up to standing, walking could be here sooner than planned.
Mommy is getting very excited for our first Christmas as a family!
Ok, off to bed I go!

Hello Fall!

I know, I know. Once again I've been tardy with my posts. Dez is keeping me on my toes these days. Here's a brief run down on what has been going on the past month. We went back to Michigan for Kevin and Savanna's wedding. It was a very busy weekend. While we were there Desmond started crawling and cut two teeth (and proceeded to cut another tooth as soon as we returned home...he now has six teeth total, with two more preparing to make their debut). We're slowly figuring out what needs to be baby proofed, it so funny how kids will zero in on the most random and normally unnoticed items once they become contraband. Dez is also doing a lot more "talking" these days, mostly consisting of "ga"s "ba"s and the occasional "da"(which gets Drew really excited :)). My little boy is growing way too fast. I finished emptying his closet of all the clothes that no longer fit him. I have 4 boxes of newborn thru 6 month clothing that he only wore about 40% of. I kept looking at the outfit we brought him home from the hospital in and I can hardly believe he was ever that small!
Becky and Bella Cocina came for a short visit this past week while Frank was in Japan on business. Both mommies enjoyed the much needed extra company and the kids played together very well. Every time we see them I wish we lived closer.
The next few months will bring about more of "baby's firsts": Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Although we do not have any plans to travel for the holidays (we're STILL trying to return to normalcy after our short weekend in Michigan), we're leaving our doors open and looking forward to any visitors that might make it our way.

Half way point!

Dez went in for his six month appointment today! (Is is weird that I'm already thinking about what to do for his birthday?) All went well as usual. He did have a cold for the past week but the doctor checked out his lungs and ears, etc, and he is doing just fine. He's definitely a little calorie burner. Not a big amount of growing since his last appointment. Weight is 16 lbs and height is 26.25". We're starting to experiment with some soft finger foods (he loves yogurt melts!), so hopefully that will get some more calories in him. He can now sit on his own without toppling over very often. He's also starting to scoot around in a circle on his belly and rock back and forth on his hands and knees. It's only a matter of time before he's cruising around getting into everything! I've managed to do a little bit of baby proofing but I know I still have much more do to. Teething continues. Hopefully his top teeth will come through BEFORE and not during our next trip to Michigan. He's been pretty cranky the past few days so I'm hoping they're coming soon.
In non-baby news:
We've run into a major home owner downer: foundation issues. After noticing many cracks in walls, corners, tiles, and sticky doors we called in someone to find out what the damage would be to have it repaired. All I can say is my heart stopped when we got the first estimate (basically the cost of a car). On top of that Drew had already started demolition on our master bathroom so we have that to finish too. But, we're not going to let that get us down. When we're done with this house it's going to look brand new!

Oh! Desmond is sleeping through the night now!!

Life is good.

New Mexico

Finally back from our summer travels and settled back into our house...for now. We had a great time in New Mexico (as always!)visiting Becky, Frank and Bella, and even though it was sad to leave our friends again it was nice to get back into our normal daily routine. Again we were blessed with great weather for most of our trip. Not in the 100s like it was at home, although we did experience one mild hail storm while we were there.
How we spent our time was pretty laid back like usual. We did take a short trip to the lake and the park (Dez loved the swing!). Desmond and Bella got along great, but seemed to be on opposite schedules. Whenever one would go down for a nap the other would wake up. It became a game to see if we could get both kids down at the same time...we won once! Desmond loved all of Bella's old toys, especially the bouncy activity center. He liked it so much we ordered one as soon as we got home! Hopefully he will like it as much now as he did then. We stopped at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX on our way home. I think it's kind of a creepy joint, but it was good to finally stop there since we pass it by every time. Picture link on the side.
We're getting ready to get back to work on our house: master bath update, front entry way re-tile, paint master bedroom, the list never ends! Now if my darling boy would sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time I would be able to begin one of these projects. Oh, and I suppose we better start Desmond proofing since it's only a matter of time before he starts cruising around...Oh my!! He's almost sitting up on his own and I think he's got another tooth or two working their way to the surface. Gosh, he's growing up too fast!

Trip to Michigan

Just got back a few days ago from our trip to Michigan. We initially went back to attend our 10 year high school reunion. Drew only stayed for 4 days and then had to travel to Canada for work. Dez and I stayed for 10 days! It was good to be back "home". The weather was delightful! I can hardly remember the last time we could be outside...it seems like we're always under some sort of heat advisory warning here.
During our trip Dez got to meet tons of friends and family including his great grandparents, great aunts & uncles, cousin's, and finally uncle Kevin and future aunt Savanna. He even got to go swimming in a real pool for the first time!
One more highlight...Desmond cut not just one, but two teeth while we were there!! I knew they were coming soon! Poor Grandma and Grandpa had to endure the cutting of the first tooth while Drew and I were off enjoying our high school reunion :)
Traveling wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Dez was asleep for most of the plane rides and kept fussing to a minimum. Pictures will be posted on the side bar shortly.

Time to start packing again...we leave for New Mexico in two days!!!

Meg's visit and new food!

Desmond's favorite aunt came to visit this past weekend so that Drew and I could have a well deserved night out. :) We went out to our favorite Irish pub, Sean Cummings, where our friend Elaine was celebrating her 30th birthday. We definitely had a good time!
Things were low key when Meghan was here but we did introduce some baby food to Dez. In the picture he's trying green beans. Since then he's had sweet peas and a piece of frozen mango (through a mesh feeder). He loved them all! Tomorrow we're trying squash!!!

Thank you for coming down to visit us, Meg!! We REALLY appreciated it!!

*Pictures from her visit are posted on the side*

4 month check up

Well, sorry to all of you parents out there that thought you had the perfect child. It has been confirmed by our pediatrician that we have "the most perfect kid". It's OK. You don't need to be ashamed or embarrassed...everyone thinks their children are the best. LOL, just kidding...but he seriously did say that!
Desmond will be 4 months old tomorrow! He got one shot at the doctors today and like usual he cried for a few moments and then was happy-go-lucky again :). He weighed in at 14 lbs 11 oz and 26 inches long! Still up in the 90th percentile. The doctor doesn't think he will be cutting a tooth until 6 months at the earliest but I respectfully disagree.
He told us that if we think he's ready we can start introducing baby food into his diet! That will be interesting!
After his appointment he had a date with Kinley Deterding. She made him drool...a lot!
The rest of the day went great! He was in a wonderful mood when we got home (hmm, maybe we should go to the doctor every day! NOT!)
One week until we're in Michigan!

Cloth diapering!!!

I know a lot of people are aware that we are now a cloth diapering household but I just wanted to give a quick shout out to how awesome I think it is! I had originally bought 2 cloth pocket diapers (bumGenius 3.0 one size) to "try out" before Desmond was born. Naturally he kept us so busy that I was never brave enough to actually use them until just recently. When I finally used them I realized that it was a breeze!! I immediately ordered 2 more bumGenius diapers and 2 Fuzzibunz diapers (recommended by Becky!) just to try out some more options before I fully committed. Both brands are great! I love the Fuzzibunz one size diaper for the daytime...they are slimmer fitting and a little softer. The bumGenius are a little bulkier but seem a little more absorbent and the velcro makes for a faster diaper change so we use those at night. Most people I tell usually say "What about poopy diapers? Isn't it gross?" Well...yes, but not any more than a disposable diaper. Simply shake it in the toilet to get rid of any excess and toss in a rinse cycle.
The initial investment in cloth diapers is expensive but well worth not wasting tons of money buying cases of disposables every week (or filling up a landfill with them either). We still supplement with disposables every now and then for traveling/going out or when I forget to do laundry (mainly because we don't have quite as many diapers as I would like yet *hint hint to anyone that asks what we still need* :)) Ok, that's all I have to say about that.
Going in tomorrow for our 4 month check up! And Aunt Meghan will be here tomorrow too!!!

Tired...

Things are going well on the home front. Going through a little rough phase at night. Dez will sleep well for 5-6 hours (close to "sleeping through the night") but after he wakes the first time he'll be up every 45min to an hour after that. So we're getting really poor quality sleep from 3-6am. This is making for a cranky baby and even crankier mommy. I know if he naps well during the day he'll sleep better during the night but we're having trouble getting him to nap in his crib and I don't think he sleeps as soundly in my arms or in his swing. Any suggestions out there for helping little ones nap or sleep better at night? My ears are open...but I'm not a fan of "crying it out"; it may work for some but I don't think it's for us.

I can hardly believe Dez will be 4 months old next week! That 1/3 of a year! He's getting really cute (yes, even cuter than before!). He's starting to find his voice and will sit there testing his vocal range. It looks like he's yelling at his toys. He's laughing so much more too. Counting down the days until we go to Michigan!

Vampire baby!!

Looks like we have our first tooth coming through! (that little white speck on the right) Doesn't look like a central incisor, which is normally what comes in first. Looks like either a lateral incisor or maybe even a cuspid. Either way I can't wait for it to finally push all the way through. Cute little snaggle-tooth! :)

Three Months!

Wow! Has it really been three months already? Desmond is growing so fast! We've been enjoying the past months filled with smiles, cooing, kicking, and tons of drool! Today was a vaccine appointment for Dez and he was a trooper. He had to get 2 shots this time and he only cried for about 30 seconds and after he was done he looked up at the nurse and gave her a huge smile! He slept the whole way home and woke up in a great mood. I hope all our appointments go this well! We've gotten a few giggles out of him so far but no big laughs yet. I think Drew is looking forward to that the most right now. I feel blessed to have such a happy baby :)

T minus 36 days until our trip to Michigan!!!

2 Months

Well it's been a whirlwind the past two months! We can't believe how fast time is flying by! I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with the blog as much as I know most people would like but Desmond has proven to be a handful (but a wonderful handful he is :)).
We had his 2 month check up today and he's been growing like a beanstalk! He is now 12 lbs 6 oz (75 percentile!!) and 24.5 inches tall (90 percentile!!). We definitely have some sort of athlete on our hands, those of you that have seen him recently know that he doesn't stop moving when he's awake. The doctor also said he's doing a great job holding his head up and has excellent control when he does! Dez also got his first shot today. Thankfully we chose to spread out his vaccines so he only had to get one shot today. It wasn't as horrible as I was expecting. I thought he'd be screaming forever but he only cried for less than a minute after the shot was given and he fell asleep for the entire car ride home. So far he's still in good spirits and handling the shot very well. Oh, and we may have an early teether on our hands. Doc said the bottom gums are primed and ready (plus he's drooling a ton and won't stop chewing on his fist).
My first Mother's Day was nice and peaceful. We had a full weekend of birthday parties so it was nice to stay home and relax. Drew sent me on a spa day a few weeks prior and we also got awesome pictures take of Dez and a few of the whole family. Once they are ready I will post a link so you can see them. I will also be posting links to pictures that we have taken (please be patient as I don't know how long it will take me to do this).
Well everyone is doing great and hopefully it doesn't take me another 2 months before I can write another entry!

Our new life

Well, we're still getting adjusted to having our little bundle of joy around but it's great! He's starting to get on a pretty regular schedule and although he's naturally not sleeping through the night we're managing to keep from getting too frustrated from sleep deprivation. Desmond is so wide eyed and curious about his surroundings when he's awake...it melts your heart. I'm still not able to get too much done around the house right now. I'm glad that I finally got the Moby Wrap figured out so that I can have both my hands free. Well hopefully one of these days I'll get around to writing my birth story to share with everyone. Until then...

He's Here!

Desmond Thomas Nugent has finally graced us with his presence! On March 10th at 5:19pm he came into this world at a whopping 9 lbs. 11 oz. and 21 inches long! So happy to have him with us now! More details to come later.

Twiddling my thumbs

Today is quite possibly the longest day of my life! I can't believe it's only half over so far. I woke up at 6 am managed to stay in bed until 7 am and then decided that I just better get up and stop fighting myself. The induction process will start tonight after we check in at the hospital around 7pm. Tonight they will strip my membranes and apply Cervadil to ripen my cervix and it could also trigger contractions if my body is ready. They'll allow the gel to sit overnight while I sleep (Ha! Yeah right!) and if I'm still not having contractions by the morning they will start me on pitocin.
I've been trying very hard to keep myself busy today. I've managed to clean up the house a little, do laundry and dishes, finish packing my portion of the hospital bag, and took the dog for an hour and 20 minute walk....all before noon.
I keep finding myself Googling 'birth stories' and trying to find the most positive and uplifting ones I can to help keep my nerves from taking over. I'm hoping mine goes a little something like this: I show up at the hospital, the nurse checks me and says "Oh, my! You're in active labor and almost ready to have this baby! You must be one of those lucky women who don't feel pain!" A girl can dream, right?
Earlier this week, Drew took me out to our last fancy dinner (for a while at least) to help ease my nerves and get me out of the house. We went to a really nice steakhouse, Mahogany's, where he surprised me with a gift! He had gotten a titanium ring etched with the Celtic trinity knot (similar to rings we both have) that we are going to have engraved with our son's name and we'll give it to him at some point when he's older. But for now I get to hang on to it! It was an incredibly sweet gesture and something that I really needed at this point since I was starting to fall apart from all the waiting. I honestly felt like I was being proposed to all over again. I think my reaction this time was actually better since I burst into tears in the restaurant and couldn't stop for quite a few minutes.
Well, looks like the count down is only 5 hours now....we should have a baby by sometime tomorrow!

Tik Tok

Well, here we are....week 40. I have now experienced a full term pregnancy. Had an appointment with the doc earlier today and what kind of progress have we made? None. Still dilated to 1 cm after 3 weeks. Effacement has not changed. Baby has not dropped. Mommy is frustrated. Probably doesn't help that each day I have a dozen people remind me that I "still haven't had that baby yet?!" Like maybe I forgot that's what I'm supposed to be doing? Well, regardless he will be here next week. I'm scheduled to go in for induction on the 10th if he doesn't show up before then. Let's hope he does though because I've heard pitocin magnifies the intensity of contractions and that's just not something I look forward too!
I did manage to be productive with my time and I made myself a nursing dress! Got lots of compliments and a few requests from my other mommy friends that want one too. Sure ladies...I'll whip them up in my upcoming free time! :) Well the lady that invented the Bella Band while she was a stay at home mom is now a multi-millionaire....

The waiting game

Well, I'm officially done with work (well the kind that gives me a real paycheck anyway) as of last Friday! Now I'm trying to keep the nest in order and just waiting for labor to start. I think this is worse than being a kid at school waiting for Christmas vacation to start. Probably because there is a definite date to the start of vacation but going into labor just happens whenever it feels like it. At least I'm hoping it starts on it's own! As of my last appointment on Wednesday I am 1 cm dilated and in the beginning stages of effacement. So I guess that's better than nothing! I've been going for walks, trekking up and down the stairs, doing exercises on the yoga ball, and basically chugged a cup of salsa...still nothing. I just have to be patient and know that this little guy will come when he's ready.
For now here is a picture of his new room...almost complete.

Getting Close!

I can't believe that we only have about a month left before our little man enters the world! Time is flying. Mentally and emotionally I think I'm ready but I haven't quite gotten myself organized beyond that yet. Luckily we do have the necessities for bringing a newborn home but I still feel like my nest is in disarray. I've slowly started spending all the wonderful gift cards from my showers on the bigger odds & ends that we will need soon and I feel like the "holes" are starting to get filled. I did amazingly get most of my thank you cards written and even starting filling out what I could in his baby record book this weekend! I was quite proud of myself since all I wanted to do was park my tush on the couch and watch TV (which I did, but I also managed to write during commercials).
After this week I should start seeing the doctor every week to check any progress and hopefully this little boy won't make us wait past March 4th to meet him. Although I won't be for sure until after my next appointment, I think junior is head down and facing to my left (which I think is the ideal position at this point). I can tell he's getting cramped for space since the movements have become less punchy and more rolling and fluid...like he's practicing Tai Chi instead of kickboxing now.
Well, it will be back to work tomorrow. We had a "snow storm" on Thursday that shut almost everything down for the weekend, which was nice until cabin fever set in and being 9 months pregnant and not allowed to go anywhere by myself made me a little cranky. It looks like it's supposed to get warmer this week so everything should melt pretty fast, at least off the streets. Gotta make sure that route to the hospital is free and clear!

Baby Shower!

We had the big baby shower today! I had a blast! The food theme was childhood favorites "grown-up". So we had ants on a log (celery with hummus and olives), mini grilled PB&Js, Mac-n-Cheese, and so many other delicious things. I just wish this little guy (or should I say BIG) wasn't taking up so much room so that I could fit some more food in my tummy. I was so happy that so many people were able to make it! Even Amy & Andrew ventured out with their new 3 week old, Ava! We received a ton of great gifts and I couldn't ask for a better group of friends! The girls arranged a onesie decorating contest where they each personally decorated a cute outfit for da boy! No one really ended up winning...well, I guess I did because I got to take them all home! By the end of the day I was definitely exhausted from all the excitement. Thanks everyone!

Happy New Year!

Well, here we are in 2010...only a few short months away from our little boy coming into the world! I know I've been slacking in my entries the past few weeks but the end of 2009 was a busy one. We finished renovations on our kitchen and attic (now turned media room), had most of our family down for holiday visits, and have finally started putting the nursery together. By the way, naturally I waited too long to start making the crib bedding, etc., as the fabric I wanted to use has been discontinued. This is probably for the best...I'm much too exhausted to hand make everything for the nursery. I did spend the last two days making wall art which I can't show anyone until the baby is born because it has his name on it. (And I'm not spilling the beans on this one!)
I'm feeling good. Moving a little slower than before, but still moving! I'm definitely getting to that point where I'm ready to do this...at least physically, mentally I still get nervous from time to time wondering how we're going to handle this big (but wonderful) change we're facing. Time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the remainder of the journey!