Introducing our son: Liam Andrew

Lauren and I are super proud to introduce our son, Liam Andrew. Liam was born this day, the 29th of July, 2009 at 5:55PM in Bel Air, MD.

This little outdoorsman-to-be weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz, and is 20.5" tall.

He has his father's appetite and his mother's hair (so far).




Liam is pronounced "Lee-um" and is the irish short-form of William, and means "Strong-willed Warrior". When we first moved into our house, we painted the nursery (the smallest room) my favorite shade of blue (Lauren calls it french blue) and we dubbed it Williams room. It seems almost ironic that our boy was to eventually have that name of sorts!

Lauren and baby and are both doing great, and he picked up on nursing like he's been doing it his whole life.....wait...he has!

Lauren is ready to eat a cow. I'm going to go find one. Thanks for being with us today in techo-spirit!

-Kevin, Lauren & Liam (natterbug is at gramma/grampas)

PUSHING!

TSIA!

Contractions

7 CM, still not dropped down very low, but more contractions.

Top graph is baby's heart rate, bottom is contractions. Dark vertical lines are 1 minute marks.

3:55 PM - Baby says "Heck no, I won't go!"

It is clear that 'He who has not been named' is in outright defiance of not having a name yet and is waiting for us to choose one.

Mrs. Lauren has been a real trooper today, having only liquids for food, twice, and having to endure watching me eat (as I was told I should eat or I'll pass out...advice I was more than happy to adhere to).

Mr. Nameless is taking his good old time and there has been some but little "progress" (paraphrased for the squirmy men out there) today, but the doc says everything is coming along fine, just slowly, and baby is doing well. It's just a waiting game. Lauren can't feel a thing, and is enjoying the "warm tingl[ies]" from the epidural. We tried watching a movie we picked up at the Red Box this morning; an action-hero movie called 'The Watchman', which was so completely boring and we were not able to follow it at all, that we turned it off after 30 minutes and fell asleep, (it was that bad)!

So we wish we had some great action and news to report, but alas we've nothing to tell. Our techy gadgets are allaying some of our duldrums but with batteries waning, we might actually have to resort to *gasp*... magazines!!!!!

Post-epidural glee!

Yay only had to stick her once!

Post-action footage :

11:26 AM Epidural Time

Epidural time! Lauren's nervous from bad experiences before but the doc is friendly and chit chatting to keep her mind off of it. Contractions are every 3-4 minutes but no real progress yet. They plan on breaking her water once she's all drugged up good!

UPDATE: epidural al done on the first try. Lauren is very excited!

We're at the hospital!

At the hospital awaiting check-in! Setting up a wireless network in our room so Lauren will be able to surf the Internet from her iPod and post updates! -Kevin
(Sent from my iPhone 3gs)

8 1/2 Hours

My mind is currently racing with all of the thoughts of fear, excitement, dread (for the pain), etc, etc that happen the night before you are induced. Kevin and I have to be at the hospital at 6am tomorrow morning.

6 AM! I mean, can we get any earlier?

I'm doubting right now that I sleep more than 4 hours. I know I'll need all the sleep I can get, but my brain seriously doesn't want to turn off.

So inducing definitely wasn't my first choice in having this kid, but there are few nice things about it:

• I figure if there are any complications, that this is probably the BEST way to go. Nice and controlled (well as controlled as you can be with the whole giving birth thing).


• My house is completely clean as my wonderful mother-in-law helped me clean my house cleaned my house for me today.


• I had LOTS of time leading up to this day when I COULD have been having a baby to nest my heart out. I even painted some trim work today that really needed it.

So ready or not... here comes baby. Say a prayer for me tomorrow. Words can't even begin to describe the jumble of crazy emotions in this pregnant woman's head.


41 weeks. Is there any more room left in my stomach? My bladder tells me no.

All's Quiet on the East Coast

This baby is pretty content. Pretty content to just hang out in-utero and bake a little bit more. I'm not sure we could be more ready. Our bags are packed and our lists are written. I mean, I'm sure we'll forget something, but that's going to happen regardless. I've found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands and at times a little bored. I know that free time is going to go by the wayside very quickly so I've been scrapbooking and trying to tackle projects that I've been putting off for a while.

For those of you that don't already know, we've scheduled an induction for the 29th. I don't really WANT to be induced, but my parents are coming to visit on the 30th and I figured they aren't just coming to see me. =) I'd also HAVE to be induced at some point before I hit 42 weeks so I figure I might as well give the baby a week to show up fashionably late and then just make him come out whether he likes it or not. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come from him. As for the name lists, we're still working. We started mulling over a new name just this past week. It would be interesting if it is the one we end up choosing since we didn't even think of it until after his due date had come and gone!

Keep sending names you think of. The jury is still out!

Hugs For Baby

He Who Shall Not Be Named

So maybe there's a reason that this kid is running late. We still don't have a name.

Isn't that hard to believe? Oh, it's not for lack of talking about it. It's mostly for lack of agreeing. Or lack of feeling strongly about a boys name. Girls names just seemed so much easier.

Our criteria don't seem that hard. It needs to go well with our last name. It needs to NOT be in the top 10 (or preferably the top 20) list on the Social Security website. It needs to roll off the tongue easily and be easy to yell =). It also needs to not be too outlandish. And Kevin really thinks that it shouldn't be something that labels the kid on paper as someone he's not (so that throws Miguel, Akmed and Seamus right out the window).

So with that said... anyone have any great ideas???

The Due Date Come... and Goes.

*sigh* It's been a long day. This whole week of anticipation is hard for someone who has the patience equalling that of my one year old. I could blame my husband for getting my hopes up in eager expectation that the baby was going to come last weekend, but alas, my frustration is my own. And it's on my mind that everytime I place a phone call or pick up the phone the first question on the persons mind on the other end of the phone is "has she had the baby yet?" I might just stop answering the phone until I have this kid. =)

I know that this quiet period BEFORE he arrives is the calmest time I'm going to have for a good long while so I'm trying to take advantage of it. It feels like I'm watching a pot try to boil so I've tried planning stuff throughout the week so that I can keep my mind on other things. I've been organizing our digital photos, catching up on some scrapbooking, making some cards, getting in touch with old friends and generally staying on top of the stuff that tends to pile up(meals, laundry, dirty bathrooms, etc). It will be interesting to see just how much of an explosion occurs once I do have this kid and have no energy to balance all of the stuff that's on my plate right now. I guess I have 6-8 weeks to figure that out before I add one more thing (work) into the mix.

Well, I'm off to go drown my sorrows in an O'Douls. At least I can celebrate the day - even if it is turning out to be a non-event!

3 days to go.... or less?

Kevin here ---

Its about 9pm here and I've been having 'gut' feelings (haha) since yesterday that the baby would be coming this weekend. We've been making preparations all day. And just 30 minutes ago Lauren started getting sharp pain contractions that make her yelp mid-sentence. My cousin Trisha who has 6 kids says "Sounds like you'll be in the hospital by morning", and I have a gut feeling we will maybe.

Took a snapshot of Lauren a few minutes ago to show her beach ball under the shirt.





I can't help but throw in some more gratuitous photo braggardship of my favorite daughter in her favorite blanket giving daddy her cheek for a kiss earlier today. Her blanket and the new word "cozy" are her two favorite new things this week.




If we do go in tonight, I'll definitely keep ya'll posted!

Some Days You Just Have To Turn 30

I'm a week late posting some pics from my birthday, but I've been in the middle of a computer rebuild. Kevin got some parts for a new one so I got his computer - which is SOOOO much better than what I had. It's just taken me a while to get it back up and running.

So my birthday was a really fun and relaxing day. Kevin worked from home that day and we had a leisurely breakfast together. I stumbled downstairs after sleeping in *a little* (8am is sleeping in anymore) and found this hot and ready for me:

The funny thing is, he makes this for himself EVERY SINGLE MORNING (minus the pretty garnish, that is). The guy is REALLY into his breakfast. I'm normally fine with cereal, but this was a welcome treat on my birthday.

Then at lunchtime we took Natalie to to the park at the end of our street and she played for a while. I'm not even sure if it's a mile round-trip, but that was PLENTY of walking for me. Dude...I used to be SO in shape last pregnancy. In fact, I think we walked about 4 miles the day before Natalie was born trying to induce labor. I am SO not there right now.

During her nap, I ran out to get a pedicure/manicure and then Kevin and I went out to dinner at Scotto's (on of my favorite Italian restaurants in the area). A huge crabcake (atop a bed of wilted garlic spinach) and side of pasta with vodka sauce later and I was STUFFED.


The big birthday present was an iPod touch. I was skeptical at how much I would use it, but I've really had fun playing with it the past week (even more incentive to get my new computer up and running).

Okay, so I didn't hit up a water park this year...and we didn't get away to a bed and breakfast (too close to the due date). But I did enjoy my birthday. And 30? It's not SO bad.

38 Weeks

It's hard not to get your hopes up at this point that it could be "any day now". I did that at 36 weeks with Natalie and each day was a bit of a disapointment as she didn't come and didn't come. Having her come two days late was absolute torture.

Unfortunately, I'm kinda in the same gear now. As long as I don't go into labor on my birthday (hey, a girl's gotta have her OWN birthday) then I think I'll be fine. Anytime after that would be JUST FINE though. =)

Wow... I found this 38 week picture from 2007. I'm definitely smaller in it. And younger-looking....YIKES!

End of a Decade

Today is my last day as 29.

This was not how I planned on celebrating it.

For starters, I feel huge. I'm exploring numbers on the scale I've never before seen and it's not fun. /Sigh

I also wanted to be splashing my way through a water park, but not just ANY water park...the MAC DADDY of water parks. However, I don't think that's recommended for women 2 weeks away from their due date. Hmm...that MIGHT be a good induction technique though.

I guess I thought I'd leave my 20's with a bang... but instead I feel like I'm just sort of sliding into 30, like it's just another day. Being in my 30's just sounds kinda weird. I mean, 39 is still in the 30's and I feel so far off from almost-40. But, then again, the more time I spend with people in their early 20's I realize that I'm eons away from that group too.

I wish I could say I was doing something to celebrate this last day of a decade, but alas I'm off to go make some dinner.

They say the 30's is the new 20's... maybe I should be excited.

Resolutions for this next decade: Do something EXCITING. Run a 5K. Visit more wineries. Brush up on my swing dance skills. Maybe even rekindle the Japanese I took in high school and in college?

And DEFINITELY. No matter what...make it to my water park and ride ALL the rides.

We Didn't Kill It ALL!

This year is our first attempt at a garden. Mostly, it's Kevin's garden. I like to claim ownership, but I really only helped set it up the FIRST time. It's been Kevin who replanted everything when we realized we planted too early and frost claimed a number of plants and him, also, who waters and weeds on a regular basis.

But I digress.

Monday, after being away all weekend at the beach, Kevin wandered out to water and found this full grown pepper and zucchini ready to pick and eat. YEAH! Besides the one cherry tomato and two itty bitty strawberries we've picked, this is our first REAL harvest. I'm excited now for the rest of the summer!

Down the Ocean, Hon!

This past weekend we went a place Marylanders call "Down the Ocean, Hon!", also know as Ocean City, MD. We had a blast and, fortunately, I didn't go into labor amongst all of the 4th of July partiers also at the beach. It would have been a nightmare getting out of there. I was envisioning having a baby in a crowded Ocean City emergency room right next to the drunken college students and not-so-bright firecracker newbs.

But, I didn't. And for that, I'm thankful!


Natalie had a good time playing in the sand and in the water; however, she didn't really understand the importance of not roaming the beach and checking out what other people were doing and what toys they had to play with. It seemed we were chasing her around the entire afternoon telling her to "come back" and "no, those aren't our things" and "please stop throwing sand at the neighbors". *Sigh* Maybe next year will be a little bit different.

We actually stayed near Bethany Beach, DE - which is only a few miles from Ocean City. We really enjoyed walking the boardwalks at both beaches, eating lots of junk food, playing in the water and the sand (although I got a killer burn on my back), watching movies and taking lazy naps back at the beach house. I'm sure it's the last hurrah before we have the new little guy, so it was a welcome get-away.

Kevin and I were scratching our heads at what was up with the name for the bay in the area. Click on the photo to get a closer look at the inset I highlighted. I'm not sure why anyone wouldn't want to be the woman the "little" bay was named after???

I debated putting this picture up. I thought they all were horrible of me, and alas I'm saying "cheese" in this one. I settled for cropping my bottom half out of the picture. Uggg...

Kevin on the other hand is steadily losing more and more weight. He's been swimming and doing a South Beach-ish diet for the past couple months. It's not so fun to cook for, but he's seen great results. Granted the food he isn't eating just gets gobbled down by me, but hopefully I won't keep that up for long. I mean he even LOST 2lbs on vacation AND he cheated just a little. Grrr... WHO loses weight on VACATION????

The Room is Done!

For the past few months I've been working on putting together a new room for Natalie. Moving her into a new place made more sense than making a new nursery since the nursery is already blue and also the smallest room of the house. Poor little boy... already getting the shaft! I figure he won't know the difference, though, for a couple years at least.

So I've been assembling her room piece by piece from treasures I've found at yard sales and Craigslist (trying to save a bit of $$). The inspiration for the color scheme came from a piece of scrapbook paper that I really liked and I just kind of ran with that. The fact that it really all came together was an exciting surprise - I definitely found myself at times wondering "did I make this too hard?"


This is the view from her doorway. All of the furniture is a second-hand find (except for the bookshelf, which we already had, and the beanbag cushion, from Walmart). Did I mention that I found the little table and chairs for only FIVE dollars? It was a natural color and Kevin lovingly spray painted it for me.

The wall is covered with removable vinyl clings that I cut myself using my Cricut (that Kevin got me for Christmas). I really love that thing and use it way more than I thought I did. It was definitely WORTH it.
The cubby shelf with baskets is a toybox of sorts. Obviously she's not tall enough to reach the top baskets, but it's useful for storing things with little pieces we don't want her getting out on her own. I'm excited because it means fewer toys in our living room. Maybe that means it can actually look like adults live here now!

The dresser was by far the hardest thing to find. I had a specific price I wanted to spend and nothing new was within that range. I scoured Craigslist until I came up with it.

And as for the window seat cushion, I wish I could say that I made it myself, but I'm just not that talented. That was actually a gift from a friend.

I did, however, repaint this little doll bed and make a new mattress and pillow for it to match the room. All in all, the whole thing was a fun project. I honestly can say, though, that I'm glad I'm done!