One Week Old

Here is what Caleb did today....at one week old.



Followed by a bath, which he did NOT like.

All of our friends and family have been so sweet, bringing us gifts, meals and flowers. I'm going to have lots and lots of thank you notes to write.

As I'm typing this, Charles and I are watching some TV and Caleb is sleeping (he does that alot). I still can not believe how good he is, and I'm just waiting on things to change. I do realize that as he gets a little older things could change a bit, but so far...he's amazing. The pediatrician told us that for two weeks or so he would have his nights and days mixed up...well not our little man. He's got it down. He sleeps between feedings with no problem from about 6 o'clock at night until 6 o'clock in the morning, and during the day he is more awake. During the day he eats about every 2-2.5 hours, but at night he eats every 3-4 hours. Not quite sure how this happened. I guess Caleb just knows that we all need our sleep at night.

We called the doctor back this morning (he had asked us to call and let him know how Caleb's color looked) but we never heard back. We were warned that he was very busy because the other doctor in the practice is out of town. Caleb does look much better though, so I think he's fine as far as the jaundice goes...but better safe than sorry, so we'll call again in the morning and see if he wants us to bring him in. Hopefully his levels are back down to normal and he won't have to get pricked anymore.

Look at this sweet face

Caleb had his first bath last night, and he hated it! He also peed on me as soon as I took his diaper off. That's all I have to say about that. Now it's time to feed him, eat some dinner, and watch a movie with Charles. I'll post more pictures later.

Getting Back to Normal

Things are getting back to normal around here, although it's a completely new "normal" for us. We're adjusting to being parents and Caleb is adjusting to being at home. He had his first doctors appointment yesterday morning and he now weighs 7.5 lbs. The doc said he "expects" babies to loose up to 10% of their birth weight before they start gaining weight back, and Caleb has lost 6% so far so he's doing good. He was in the 50th percentile in weight and height and everything else looked good. The doc did think he looked a little orange which can mean he has jaundice so he sent us to check his bilirubin levels at the outpatient lab. Caleb did not like having his little foot pricked, but he was over it in a few minutes. His level came back at 13, which is a little higher than when we left the hospital, so the doc said to let him spend some time in the sunshine this weekend. Since it's still ridiculously hot outside, we let him hang out in his bouncy seat in his diaper in his sunny bedroom. Hopefully it'll do the trick and he'll be good to go when we take him back in on Monday.

I know I'm biased but honestly...this kid is soo cute, I just can't get over it. And he's so good. I was concerned that I might have been spoiled because the baby that I nannied for was really good, but Caleb has turned out to be just as good as she is. He sleeps great at night, and eats good and he only cries when he is hungry or needs his diaper changed. So far things are going great. We'll see how things go next week once Charles goes back to work.

We're Home!

We are home with our little man and so far it has been great. Our first night at home was last night and Caleb slept great. I fed him about every 3 hours, and he slept in between. Charles and I are still tired, but are loving every minute of this.

taking a nap with daddy on the couch


my first ride in my new swing

Hospital Pictures

Sorry it took a few days to get these up, our internet hasn't been working, but it just came back up, so here are some pictures of our little man on his birthday.

He's Here!

We came in Monday night at 8 to start an induction with Caleb. We started with cervidil and didn't get much sleep because we were nervous and excited about the next day and because we had to get up early. They started pitocin at 5AM Tuesday morning. At about 8:30 my doctor came in and broke my water, and I went ahead and got an epidural at about 8:45. For the rest of the morning and early afternoon we just hung out, watched tv, and had a few visitors. I of course was not feeling any contractions at this point which was very nice. By 4PM it was time to start pushing. This part was the hardest, but after just over 2 hours of pushing we met our little man. Overall, I would say that this whole pregnancy thing was alot easier than I expected it to be, and definitely worth it. This picture is the best I can due for now and it was taken with a cell phone, so sorry. We are supposed to go home in the morning, and I'll post some more pictures then. Thanks to everyone who was praying for us during this :)

This is it...

Hopefully, the next time I post it will be announcing the birth of Caleb Samuel Clowers. At my doctor's appointment this morning, my blood pressure was still a little high, and since I'm only 5 days from my due date, my doctor said he wanted to go ahead and induce me.

So I head to the hospital tonight at 8 where they will use cervidil first, which apparently just softens the cervix and prepares it for labor, and then Pitocin in the morning.(I think) So by sometime tomorrow, Caleb should be here.

I'm so excited, but also so nervous. I'm actually perfectly fine with being induced, because it helps me to have a plan, and with an induction, there is one. It also gives me time to get some last minute things done today at home, which is nice.

Charles is going to take off work a little early today to help me get some last minute things done, like installing the carseat, putting the swing together and getting all our stuff together for the hospital. He's so excited too!! We'll get to meet our little man soon.

A Great Song for Dad's - Happy Father's Day

My Little Girl - Tim McGraw

Gotta hold on easy as I let you go.
Gonna tell you how much I love you,
though you think you already know.
I remember I thought you looked like an angel
wrapped in pink so soft and warm.
You've had me wrapped around your finger
since the day you were born.

When you were in trouble that crooked little smile
could melt my heart of stone.
Now look at you, I've turned around
and you've almost grown.
Sometimes you're asleep I whisper "I Love You!"
in the moonlight at your door.
As I walk away, I hear you say, "Daddy Love You More!".

Someday, some boy will come and ask me for your hand.
But I won't say "yes" to him unless I know, he's the half
that makes you whole, he has a poet's soul, and the heart of a man's man.
I know he'll say that he's in love.
But between you and me. He won't be good enough!

You're beautiful baby from the outside in.
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again.
Go on, take on this whole world.
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl.

I saw this butterfly, or maybe moth, through the window,
and decided to take a picture.
It was quite difficult to get my camera to
focus on the butterfly and not
everything in the yard behind her,
but I think it turned out pretty good.
Would have been better if we didn't
have screen on the window, but oh well.

And just in case you were wondering, 7 days until my due date!!

On Becoming Babywise

I finished reading the book, "On Becoming Babywise", and I said I'd let you know what I thought about it, so here you go.

I was a little skeptical about the book because I had heard that it is controversial, but at the same time I had heard good things about it as well. After reading it, I realize there are parts I'll take and parts I'll leave, but overall, I really liked it and pretty much agreed with what it said.

The premise of the book is about developing a flexible routine for the baby in order to help things run smoothly and as stress free as possible. In doing this, the book claims that most babies will be sleeping through the night by around 10 weeks old. Sounds pretty good, right?

Some people are very concerned with this method and state that it can cause all sorts of problems, including dehydration for the baby. Well, if done correctly, that's really not a possibility.

The basic plan outlined in this book is to make sure the baby gets full feedings every time he eats. If the baby doesn't get a full feeding, then he will be hungry again shortly and you will end up with a baby that is snacking every 1 to 1.5 hours, instead of one who is eating full meals every 2 to 3 hours. Newborns tend to fall asleep when eating so it's important to keep them awake and make sure they get a full feeding, followed by some awake time, and then sleep. According to the book, if you can develop this routine the baby will eat and sleep better.

It also talks about demand feeding, hyperscheduling, and parent directed feeding. Demand feeding is essentially what it sounds like, you feed on demand. Any time the baby cries, you try and feed him, and this creates babies who feed for comfort (instead of a pacifier) or who snack all day and night, resulting in an exhausted baby and mommy. In this situation, the baby is completely in control.

Hyperscheduling is pretty much the exact opposite. The clock determines when the baby gets fed. If the baby is supposed to eat every 3 hours, then he eats every 3 hours and not a second sooner. In this approach, the clock is in control, and this could result in weight loss and dehydration for the baby.

The final approach is parent directed feeding. In this method cues from the baby, the clock and parent assessment determine when the baby is fed. If the baby seems hungry and its about time for a feeding, then you feed the baby. If its not time for a feeding, you see, if perhaps, the baby may be crying for some other reason, and if you determine that the baby is indeed hungry, you need to determine why the previous feeding wasn't very successful. Maybe the baby is going through a growth spurt and just needs to eat more frequently for a few days. Or maybe your milk supply has changed for some reason. But you always feed the baby if he is hungry.

The book states that if you make sure the baby is getting a full feeding each time then they will naturally develop a 2.5 -3 hours feeding schedule, at first. The time between feedings gradually increases as the baby gets older. This natural feeding routine will help develop healthy sleeping patterns as well, and will help the baby to sleep through the night sooner.

The parent directed feeding approach seems the best to me, and while I'm sure I'll have to tweak it to fit our lives, I think it will work fine.

There you have my thoughts on the Babywise book. Hope you enjoyed reading them, and if you have any thoughts on the book, feel free to comment.

An Interesting Morning

I went in for a doctor's appointment this morning and once again my BP was high. They aren't even really surprised by it at this point, but we had been sitting there for over an hour waiting because my doctor was delivering a baby. I hate going to the doctor and I always get nervous sitting in a doctors office so I'm sure that didn't help at all. But anyways, he finally got back and even though I told him my BP is always fine at home ( I monitor it a few times a week) he didn't like that it was still high so he said he wanted to monitor it. So he sent me to a monitoring room thing at the hospital and they hooked me up to fetal monitor, an IV drip and a BP cuff.

At first I was thinking that my BP was never gonna go down cause I was so nervous, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and eventually it went back down to 120/80 and they decided everything was fine and sent me home. We were really thinking for a little bit that we might get to meet Caleb today, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Charles' prediction of me having him on the 18th doesn't seem to be right, but you never know what may happen tonight or tomorrow.

They did do an ultrasound while we were there so we got to see him again, which was fun, and although I'm still not dilated at all, my doctor did tell me before I left that I was having a few contractions while I was there. I didn't feel anything, but at least maybe something's going on.

So, I have another appointment scheduled for Monday, which I thought was strange because all my other appointments have been on Wednesdays, but I think maybe it's so that they can decide to induce me later in the week if they want to, or if my BP isn't cooperating. It seems my doctor is going to be out of the office all next week though...isn't that great?? He won't even be there, but oh well. There was no guarantee he would be the one to do the delivery in the first place, cause it just depends who's on the rotation for that day.

Maybe I'll have him before Monday anyways, and then it won't matter :)

It was an interesting morning.

I'm not jealous...ok maybe a little

Just a few hours ago, a baby boy was born... not mine unfortunately.

Suzie was due on the 19th (I believe) so it's only fair that she have her baby before me.

And I hate to say that I'm jealous, but...

I'm jealous.

Seriously, I'm so happy for Suzie and Matt and know that they are so excited.

Hopefully we won't be too far behind!

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I spent another afternoon at the pool with a friend of mine and once again I succeeded in getting sunburned. I don't know how I manage, because once again, I PUT ON SUNSCREEN!!!!
I think maybe I should have reapplied at some point, which accounts for the sunburn on my face, shoulders, and chest, but not for the streaks of sunburn on the top left half of my legs. How in the world did only the top, left half get burned? The only thing I can figure is that maybe it was the way I was floating on a raft in the pool for several hours. I would include a picture so that you could have a visual idea of what I'm talking about, and how truly sunburned I am, but really...who wants to see a picture of my legs?? I think no one. So you'll just have to take my word for it. I am burned, and it's not fun.

Another Day At the Pool

After procrastinating all week, I woke up this morning actually wanting to clean. Nesting perhaps?? So I spent the morning cleaning the house, bathrooms and all, followed by putting together the pack-n-play that my sweet grandmother bought for us (it has a changing table, bassinet, and playpen all in one). It should come in pretty handy.

All that work, and still I have things I need to do before Caleb gets here. I still need to wash his bedding, hang the picture over his bed, put the car seat in the car, and put his swing together. Not too much, but still, I'm ready to be done with everything.

Charles and I plan on having a 'date night' tonight. Well actually, a stay at home and hang out together night. I'm making dinner and then we are going to watch a movie. Not sure which movie yet, but we'll figure that out later. It could (this is wishful thinking) be our last night as just the two of us. I could say the same thing every night, but I wanted to have one last official night together before Caleb gets here and since I don't have any idea when that'll be, I decided we better go ahead and do it while we can.


One final note: I'll be posting something in the next few days about what I think of the book "On Becoming Babywise". I had heard alot about it in the last few months and finally got around to starting it myself, now that I only have 2 weeks. I should finish it in the next couple of days and then you'll get to find out what I think about it. I know you're so exctied!!

I'm going to be pregnant forever!!

Well I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and nothing has happened. I was 50-60% effaced last week and he said I may be a little more today, but still not dilated. I know with first pregnancies sometimes nothing happens until you are actually in labor, but this not knowing when it's going to happen is driving me crazy.

I have another appointment next week, I'll be 38.5 weeks at that point. Hopefully something will have happened, so I'll feel like I'm making some progress, because at this point I feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever. I just need to keep myself busy, because 2.5 weeks is not that long and if I keep busy then maybe it'll go by really quickly.

He didn't mention anything about inducing at this appointment so I'm not sure if he's still thinking that might be an option or not. My blood pressure, which was high last week, was still a little high, but lower this week, so I guess we'll just wait and see. I'm hoping I don't have to go past 40 weeks, but who knows. I'm just ready to meet Caleb and not be pregnant anymore!

In case you were wondering...I know you were :) I got my chocolate ice cream last night. My sweet husband stopped on his way home and picked some up for me.

What will I do when I no longer have pregnancy as an excuse for late night ice cream stops??

Chocolate and sleep, two things I need

It's 9:45 PM and I want nothing more right now than chocolate. Specifically chocolate soft serve ice cream. I suppose you could call this a craving, although I don't think it has anything to do with pregnancy. I haven't really had very many cravings while pregnant, in fact, I don't think I've had any at all. I've had the occasional "I'm the mood for pizza" or something like that, but who doesn't love pizza? Anyways, tonight, I want chocolate ice cream. Thankfully Charles is out at a baseball game, so maybe, just maybe, he'll stop on his way home and get me some, and if not then I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

On another note, I'm tired. I find that I get tired much easier these days, even when I feel like I've gotten plenty of sleep. I think it's because my sleep is so interrupted by tossing and turning and getting up to go to the bathroom. On a good note, I typically only have to get up once during the night, sometimes twice, but I've heard some people get up 3 or 4 times a night. I'm glad that's not the case. I might try sleeping on the couch tonight and see if that makes a difference. As much as I love sleeping in bed with Charles, I think I'll be more comfortable on the couch because I can lay on my side and have my back leaning up against something. Maybe I'll get some good sleep tonight.

Ready to Go

As we get closer and closer to meeting Caleb it's hard for me to think about much else, so I'm sorry that so many of my posts are about him or being pregnant, but I know you don't mind. :)

So, my bags are packed ( I immediately thought of the song "Leaving on a Jet Plane" after typing that, just thought I'd share) and Caleb's room is ready. There is still one picture that needs to be hung (Charles, I hope you are reading this) and I still have some blankets and stuff to wash, but other than that, things are ready. So now it's just a waiting game that I'm not very good at.

I've had several people ask me if given the choice to be induced will I? I have no idea. I've talked to some people who were induced and it was so great, and they had no problems at all, and others prefer to go into labor naturally and spend more time at home. I like the idea of spending as much time as possible at home before going to the hospital (I hate hospitals) but I also like the idea of knowing exactly when he's coming and having a schedule that has been planned out by the doctor. This not knowing thing is tough. It could be tonight or it could be in 2 weeks, who knows?

Anyways, that's a decision we'll have to make when and if it even comes up. So for now, still getting the last few things ready, still enjoying my time off work, still trying to get the house clean, and still trying to be patient, waiting on our little man.

A Day At the Pool and Other Things

What is so complicated about applying sunscreen?

I always, very diligently, put on sunscreen when I go to the pool so that I won't get sunburned, and I always end up sunburned anyways. I don't get sunburned all over, mind you, but I miss random places that I could have SWORN I covered.

After an afternoon at the pool, I am officially sunburned on the backs of my arms (that's understandable right? I mean, you can't even see the backs of your arms), the tops of my legs (I promise I put sunscreen there) and the top of one, and only one, foot. I didn't put any sunscreen on my feet (who puts sunscreen there?) but apparently one foot is more susceptible to burning than the other. So there you have it. Hopefully it will turn tan within a few days, and next time I'll try again at something that should not be so difficult.

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On to other things...

This evening Charles and I went to a going away party for some friends of ours who are moving out of town, and the weather could not have been more perfect. I was slightly worried because I knew we would be outside all evening, and in Memphis, in June, it can be pretty hot, even at night. And for the time being, me and heat do not mix (unless I'm floating in a swimming pool). But it felt so nice outside the whole time and we had alot of fun hanging out with friends.

I am officially 37 weeks pregnant today, which means 3 more weeks and that's it. 3 weeks doesn't seem very long does it? This is what I got in my email today about Caleb's development:

Week 37 - and a full term baby

With just three more weeks to go and at about six and a half pounds (though weight and height vary from fetus to fetus), your baby is doing just fine. You can expect weight gain to be about half an ounce per day. (Boys, though, are likely to be heavier at birth than girls. And here's a bit of boy baby trivia to back that one up: Moms carrying boys tend to eat more than moms carrying girls — a foreshadowing of teenage refrigerator raids to come.) Since your little one is considered full-term at 37 weeks pregnant, if your baby was to leave the wet nest this week, he or she would likely thrive.

So what's keeping your little one busy while waiting it out until D-day? Practice, practice, practice. Your baby is simulating breathing by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, sucking on his or her thumb, blinking, and pivoting from side to side (one day you feel the tushy on the left side, another day it has swung around to the right side). All these are skills needed for his or her next gig — starring as newborn.

Bored Already??

I am already getting bored sitting at home during the day. I mean, there is only so much that needs to be done and it certainly doesn't take all day, and I'm not the kind of person who can just sit around and watch TV all day. So yes, I'm already bored, and it's only been 3 days.

I'm not crazy, and I do realize that once Caleb get's here I will not be bored. I'll have plenty to do, and will probably be wishing for more hours in the day, but until then, what am I supposed to do? Hopefully he'll come sooner rather than later, because if I have to do this for another 3 weeks, I think I might go crazy. His room is ready, his clothes are washed, and my bag is packed. So there is not much left to do, except buy a few more little things with the gift cards I've been stocking up on. I'll probably save that for sometime next week.

It'll also be better once my family gets back in town. Then I can hang out at the pool with my sister, and spend some time out there instead of sitting home alone while Charles is at work. I hate to complain because staying home is much better than working and I know some people would LOVE to be able to stay home, even for a few days, rather than go to work, but I'm just getting impatient waiting for this little guy.

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I said a while back that I would post some pictures of the paintings that my mother-in-law did for the nursery. So here they are...very cute, aren't they??

My sister-in-law did his cute name for the wall.

Doctor's Appointment - Update

Well I just got home from my doctor's appointment, and everything is still looking good. He said I'm about 50% effaced, but still not dilated. My blood pressure was a little high this time, he didn't seem too concerned, but said that because of it we won't go past 40 weeks. Yea!! I was really hoping Caleb wouldn't be late and that I wouldn't be pregnant into July. He also said that depending on whether I start dilating on my own or not, we may go early. I guess if I continue to go to appointments and am not dilating they may decide to induce. So I have another appointment scheduled for next week and then I'll officially be full term (37 weeks or later is considered full term), so Caleb may be here sooner than we thought.

On the way home, I was just thinking how excited I am that I don't have to worry about being one of those women who are still pregnant at 41 or 42 weeks, but at the same time....he might come early and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that either. I still have so much stuff to get done. I need to pack my bag for the hospital, which I am planning on doing today, and wash some of Caleb's clothes so that he has something to wear home from the hospital.

I guess this pregnancy is coming to an end. I've actually really enjoyed it, despite the annoying aspects. Only a few more weeks and we'll have our little man home with us.

Car Seat 101

Apparently 1 out of 5 people do not have their car seats installed correctly in their cars. Or they are installed correctly, but not being used correctly. Hopefully we will not fall into this category.

Charles and I were supposed to go last night to have our car seat installed as a last meeting of our childbirth class. Did we make it? Afraid not. We weren't even sure where it was we were supposed to be meeting, so we just didn't show up, which I know is horrible of us, but really. We are competent people, surely we can install a car seat without too much trouble. It came with very detailed instructions and I have to think that the 1 in 5 who install it wrong, probably didn't bother with the instructions.

Although car seat safety is much more detailed than I expected it to be. Just for your information, I'll post a few car seat tips. I'm going to assume you are all intelligent people and already know not to put your baby in the front seat or anything like that.

~ When buckling up a baby in a rear facing car seat, the harness should always be at the level, right at or below the shoulders, never above.

~You should not be able to move the car seat, once it is installed, more than 1 inch side to side, or front to back. If you can, it's not tight enough.

~ A baby should sit in a rear facing car seat until they are 20 lbs. AND 1 year old. Not one or the other, but BOTH.

Well there you have it. Those are the top car seat tips in my book, and will be followed to a T by me and Charles. After all, what's the point of getting some nice car seat if you aren't going to use it the right way. We want to keep our baby safe!

Day 1 as a Stay-At-Home Mom

I got up at 7:30 (you should be shocked) when Charles got up and fixed breakfast. I have promised Charles that I'll make him breakfast in the mornings before work. It's the least I can do with him going off to work every day and me sitting home.

This morning was eggs, strawberries and watermelon. Sounds good doesn't it?

Looks good too!

So far, I'm liking this staying home thing. I know it'll change drastically when Caleb gets here, but until then...it's fun.

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I have my next doctor's appointment on Wednesday. It really does make the time go by much faster when I have an appointment every week, so that's good. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have made some sort of progress at this point, but if not, I'm going to ask my doc what the procedure is, if I go back week after week and nothing's happening. Not too much longer now :)