One Month (and a few days)

This precious baby is now one month old! What a month it has been. Nothing and no one can prepare you for the journey into parenthood. You read books, you talk to friends and family you watch videos but once it comes you are thrown fully in and left to figure it out on your own. It has been hard but has also been the best month of my life!
It has been hard because Liam is a bit on the fussy side. The most challenging part is not knowing what it is. Is it gas is it colic is he just mad or does he just want to be put in the wrap and walk around?? The doctor seems to think it is mostly normal infant fussiness that he will grow out of. We also think it is a small milk intolerance so I have given up milk. I have tested it twice since and I am pretty sure he is much fussier on those days but I really need to start a food journal to be sure. As the month has gone on his fussiness has gotten much less so I truly do not believe it is colic. Also he might scream at points throughout the day but it is not for hour long times like you hear with colic. Any ways enough on the fussiness now to the great parts!
Liam is now around 9 pounds 6 ounces and 22 inches long though I'm sure it is a little more because he is growing like a weed! The boy loves to eat! He eats just about every 2 hours mostly I nurse sometimes I pump a 3 ounce bottle but it is always breast milk which I am happy about, it isn't the easiest thing but it is very rewarding! He loves to be worn in a baby carrier so I am experimenting with all types because unfortunately most make my back hurt, but it is a nice way to put him on and have my hands free. Speaking of hands he is really starting to discover that he has them and feet. I love watching him lay down and kick and sway his hands. Yesterday he grabbed a toy on his play mat though I don't think he realized it. He is also gaining great neck strength though he prefers tummy time on mommy than on the mat which I love. He also loves to be outside the sun is an instant calmer and a great time to see some of those grins he has started making. I could write about him all day but I will just leave with some more pictures of my sweet man! I do need to mention our other sweet man Jack (our dog) is a great big brother! He has to know where Liam is at all times and will sit beside whoever is holding him. It is very sweet!

Liam is here!

I'm sure most of you know by now but Liam Michael Crain came into the world on March 13th at 9:35 am. He was 7 pounds 12 ounces 20 3/4 inches long. I will give the short version of my birth story if you want more just ask.
I went to the doctor on Monday the 12th for my regular scheduled appointment, I was shocked to hear that I had preeclampsia. I was so shocked because I had massive swelling the last month or more of my pregnancy but every time my blood pressure was fine. The doctor told me I needed to go into the hospital that night to start the induction process. I left the doctor went and got a manicure and pedicure and went home to get ready. We arrived at the hopsital at 6:30 that night and got placed in a room. Around 9:30 that night the nurse got me hooked up on monitors and the doctor came in to give me a medicine to soften my cervix. She also gave me a sleeping pill. Around 12:30 that night the nurse came back in and I told her I was in a lot of pain she reassured me it was just the medicine and gave me another pill that was suppose to help with pain. All that medicine did was make me feel drunk and out of it. I was awake every 15 minutes after that in insane amounts of pain. It never occured to me that I was in labor because they had not started the pitocin. By the time the nurse came back at 6:30 that mornng I was in tears I was in so much pain. No one was acknowleding my pain and I was very out if it. The rest of the morning is a bit of a blur. I remember getting very frustarted because no one would check me then being told they had to run more blood work before I could have an epiderual and start the pitocin. I honestly don't remember much from there but I ended up having a c-section at 9:30 that morning. It was not at all how I pictured my labor but the important thing is that Liam came and was perfectly healthy and wonderful. We stayed in the hospital until Friday. I did not enjoy my hospital stay and will be going to St. Francis for our next baby ( a VERY long time from now!) but that is another story.
That is a very brief recap of our birth story. I will write a blog about our first 2 weeks at home soon. Here are some pictures from the hospital.

The wait is on and on and on

The waiting game is officially on and I have a hunch it might be a long one. I'm trying so hard to be patient but it isn't easy!! I was so sure that when I went to the doctor this week they were going to tell me I was making progress and it would be any day now boy was I wrong. I had made no progress and the doctor told me they wouldn't even consider an induction if needed before 41 weeks. So my plans to make this week my last week of work have now changed unless of course Liam changes his mind and surprises me which I would be ok with!
 His two "girlfriends" that were due 2 days before him are now here! Congrats to Matt and Monica and baby Madelyn and Heather and Rick and baby Piper!
I had a paranoid mommy moment today. I hadn't felt Liam move much last night so I was hoping for some good strong movements this morning. I wasn't getting them and of course couldn't stop stressing about it so I called the doctor. They told me to come on in. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor the heartbeat was strong but they weren't seeing the movement they needed so they put a buzzer up to my stomach that woke the little guy up! I got lots of good kicks after that! They went ahead and did an ultrasound to check for fluid. The ultrasound tech has him measuring about 7 pounds 6 ounces. If he waits until 41 weeks we will have a big boy on our hands! I will leave you with some pictures of the completed nursery!

Full Term!

Well we have made it. We are officially full term. Basically that means if Liam were to decide to come into the world today he should be fully developed. His official due date is March 14th so all bets are on as to when he will come. Bags are packed and we are ready though for maternity leave reasons I would love him to stay in as long as possible!
I have also entered into the wonderful world of swelling. My feet are HUGE and it is not fun. My hands are also a little swollen but no where near my feet. The doctors have not been concerned so far. I did have to go today because of a blood pressure scare. I looked at my feet and noticed they looked worse than normal. I went down to the school nurse and she got a high blood pressure reading so I called the doctor and they told me to come after lunch. I went in and everything checked out fine so we will just keep an eye on it.
I'll leave you with a full term dropped belly picture feet and a swollen feet picture.

So Blessed

Wow Liam is such a blessed and spoiled little boy already! We have had some amazing baby showers and I wanted to recap them so I can always remember them.
Our first shower was our church shower. St. Andrews has been my church family for 14 years now and I am so glad that Dusty loves it as much as I do. I was truly overwhelmed by the generosity at our shower. Liam got a lot of adorable outfits, his bathtub, his swing, bottles, pacifiers, a diaper bag just for Dusty and lots of other great things. Here are a few pictures

Our next shower was a combined going away/baby shower and Dusty's old job at Mental Health. Dusty just recently got a new job at The Woodlands at Furman, he really loved his job at Mental Health but this new job is a much needed blessing and so far he seems happy. Everyone at Mental Health was so sweet and I was so glad I got to take the day off to go up there and see everyone. They gave us Liam's bouncer,  bottles, and a dish washing basket. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures but it was so sweet and I was sad to see Dusty leave such a great group of people.

My next shower was my friend/family shower. It was hosted by my Sister-In Law Gaby and one of my best friends Chelsea. It was a Very Hungry Caterpillar theme, which is my favorite book, and was amazing! Those two ladies need to go into party planning! Everything fit the theme and I was blown away. Liam got so many great things from so many wonderful people! He got lots of adorable outfits, his boppy pillow, his crib mobile, his bumpo, Allison made him lots of adorable blankets, hats, mittens, leg warmers, Amanda painted him a picture of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. My mom and dad, Lee and Gaby and Grandparents went in together and got the car seat and stroller. We are just beyond blessed! Here are some pictures from that shower be ready it's a lot!

* This picture is from my school shower I can't figure out how to move it!

Our last shower was my school shower. I work at an amazing school with an amazing group of people. This shower was a combined shower for me and Dusty and Matt and Monica Critell. Matt and I carpool and Monica is due just a few days before me, our babies will be staying with Andrea together. The shower was a lot of fun. We played the melted chocolate in the diaper game. Liam got a lot of giftcards and diapers and my first grade team got our monitor. It was a great shower.

Needless to say we are beyond blessed with amazing friends, family and work places! Thank you to everyone!

A great week

This was a very busy but very exciting week!
On Tuesday Dusty and I went to the Welcoming Baby class at the hospital. It was mostly things we already knew but it was still really nice to be reassured that we somewhat will know what we are doing. We practiced swaddling and changing diapers, learned about sponge baths and regular baths. I think it was really good for Dusty to hear these things from a nurse and not just from me, so I am very glad we did it.
Thursday was a day I have been looking forward to for the last 15 months. It was my last masters class at Southern Wesleyan University. I am now completely done with my Masters in Education!!! It is such an amazing feeling. I had the hardest time getting the will and motivation to start my masters, but luckily I had a great friend, Jenn, who was willing to start with me. The program ended up being not nearly as stressful as I anticipated and I met a great group of people. I am actually going to miss seeing this group every Thursday!
We also had a doctors appointment on Thursday. Everything was great. Blood pressure and iron levels were great. I'm measuring right on time and heartbeat sounded great. These appointments are so quick sometimes it seems silly to have to go so much but I never get tired of hearing his heartbeat and hearing that everything is great!
This weekend is going to be a great one as well. Dusty surprised me with an IPhone last night! I have wanted one forever and he is amazing and used his upgrade and the money he has earned reffing basketball  to get me one as a graduation present and he is just taking my old phone. That boy is a keeper for sure and sometimes I don't think I deserve him!  Tonight we are going out to dinner with my family to celebrate my masters and tomorrow is my church baby shower! I'm blessed beyond words and I just thank God everyday for all of these blessings!

Getting close

I am going to try to start keeping up with this blog as a way to keep family and friends informed of our last few weeks of pregnancy plus our lives once Liam arrives! So far my pregnancy has been great I really can't complain. I never had morning sickness, I haven't gained and insane amount of weight. There have of course been some small things like back pain, lots of pimples and exhaustion but as long as we have a healthy baby it will all be worth it!
We have started some major preparations for Liam's arrival. The nursery is just about done. It is a sports/jungle animal theme.

We had a friend take some maternity pictures this weekend and I am so happy with them. Here are a few. I'm going to try to figure out more about this blog so I can hopefully start posting some more of our preparations!