. . . and baby makes three

Full time vs Full life

2007-04-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

He is risen indeed.... Happy Easter everyone.

Living a holiday through a child's eye brings it all home. What a wonderful time of year. We're filled with newness and rebirth. Last year, we watched Maia in her newness, seeing life anew. This year, it's about discovery. Everything has a smell, a feel, a sound.

Maia's greatest love right now, besides books, is crackers. She's always asking for crackers and when she becomes a little too insistant, I stop and tell her that I need her to ask nicely. She looks at me and says, "Peas?" with a small smile.

Everyday I'm surprised by a new word, a new gesture, a new comprehension that she has grasped. It seems that my little girl has become a sponge, soaking up every bit of the world around her.

My job, is to make sure that world remains safe and fun to explore.

Speaking of jobs, I think I have found the perfect mix of work and play. Over the past 9 months, I've developed a good network of clients that pay and friends to confide in. I work a few days a week, when it fits into my schedule. When I was approached about a full time position, I didn't even hesitate to accept. No thank you. You could not pay me enough to return to the corporate world. I'm quite happy spending my days doling out crackers to a little girl who says, "Peas!".

My name is Mimi

2007-02-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

Most children call their parents Mom, Mama, Mommy, Ma - but not mine. This week, it's become very clear that my name is Mimi. I keep thinking of Mimi from the Drew Carey show. Nice, huh'?

This is the face she makes when I say, "Who are you talking to? I'm not Mimi. I'm your Mommy." Her response: huge grin and a side splitting laugh.

I have a feeling that this is just the start.

In other news, we're celebrating Maia's first birthday on Saturday. I don't know what is crazier, the fact that Maia is almost a year old, or that we've been parents for a full year.

11 months?

2007-01-25T07:23:00.000-06:00

Here is Maia's 11 month portrait. She's such a big girl.

The first Christmas - McD style

2006-12-29T07:11:00.000-06:00

Gone are the days of relaxing holidays... It seemed like it was just last year that we sat around the dinner table and ate our meal with the family, the proceeded to open gifts and finish off the evening with a Krumkaka and a glass of egg nog.

Oh wait - that was last year.

This year, we spent Chrismas eve with my family. Lunch, present for the kids, nap time (which didn't happen) then church, dinner, more presents and off to bed. Maia made it halfway through dinner before making it obvious that she was in dire need of sleep. So, I left dinner to bathe her and put her down for the night. By the time I came back to the table, the meal had been cleared. Oh well. Not like I haven't been trying to take off the excess baby-weight. We spent the night at my parents house. Which meant that Maia, Bri and I slept in one room. Sleeping 3 feet from baby is not conducive to a good nights rest. Especially when she snores like a trucker.

The next morning we got up - did the stocking thing and took off for the other side of the family. We stopped home briefly to drop off gifts that had been recieved and pick up presents that we were giving. We didn't even turn off the car (Maia was sleeping - thank goodness). We arrived at Bri's sister's house sometime after 10am and started a whole new set of family/cousin/present excitement. All the kids were wonderful. They played nicely, enjoyed themselves, etc... but it was obvious that the parents were exhausted. We sat on the couch like zombies.

After presents, the babies went down for naps and the adults had some time to relax/eat. By the time Maia woke up from her nap, we were feeling slightly better. (Brian said that he was so tired, he was actually feeling sick at one point) We drove home early that afternoon and went to bed early.

It was wonderful to have Maia and the other cousins around this year. It truly reminds you how much fun Christmas was as a child and all the excitement/wonder that this season brings. However, I must reccomend coffee, sleep aids and a possible vacation planned for post holiday. You will thank me.

the first thanksgiving - McD style

2006-11-30T07:03:00.000-06:00

Ah..... much like the first Thanksgiving so many year ago, our's was filled with good food and family/friends. However, Maia's first Thanksgiving had a poo-tastic, barf-o-rama bonus.

Lesson #1: In the event of a poo-out, it is just as important to bring a change of clothes for the adults as it is to bring a change for the baby.

Lesson #2: Naps in the car never happen when you really need them to.

Lesson #3: By the second family gathering of the day, baby may be more interested in throwing food than actually eating. In this case, just give her toys. Toys are easier to clean up.

Lesson #4: If you *think* your child has been exposed to the stomach flu, do not bring them to THanksgiving dinner. Even if it means you have to stay home and miss the "fun".

Lesson #5: If said baby starts to vomit at the dinner table, it's best to pick up your perfectly healthy baby and leave IMMEDIATELY. Do not wait for vomit #2, or #3 before deciding to leave.

Please people, learn from our mistakes.

show us a sign

2006-11-20T16:05:00.000-06:00

We started ASL with Maia when she was pretty little. It's been months of us tapping our finger tips together and saying, "More? Maia would you like some more?" No response. Then we would raise our hands and twist them and ask, "Are you all done?" No response.

Again we would ask, "Would you like more?" fingertips tap, tap, tap, "or are you all done?" hands shake, shake, shake.

After what seems like months of endless talking to a human smiling blob of a child, we have a sign that there is conscious thought in that huge noggin.

This afternoon as we were nearing naptime Maia started to squeeze her fist open and then closed. (MILK!!) Then she put her fingers together tap, tap, tap. (MORE!!) Ah Ha!!! My daughter can form thoughts. She wants more milk. She wants a bottle!

Today mark a huge leap forward for mother and daughter. The beginnings of communication. Real communication of needs, not just Mama or Dada.

And, clearly this is my daughter. Her first request of me - MORE MILK!

All I want to Thanksgiving is my two front teeth

2006-11-15T10:28:00.000-06:00

Big news from Maia - She finally got her first tooth. Her upper right tooth FINALLY broke through. I have to say it's the most beautiful tooth I've ever seen. It looks like the left upper will be making an appearance any day.

The past few weeks have been a blur. She's no longer content to sit and play toys with mom. We're on the move constantly.

We went to the doctor on Monday and she weighed in at 23 pounds and 30 inches long. That means that she's in the 98/99 percentile. (aka big girl) Both Doctor Maxwell and his nurse commented on Maia's lovely disposition. (who doesn't love to hear that their kids are charming?) It was the best doctors appointment we've had yet. Maia didn't even cry when she got her shot or had blood drawn. What a superstar.

As Dr. Maxwell said, "She's the kind of kid that makes you want to have 10 or 12."

Picture perfect?

2006-10-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

A few pictures from our last couple outings with Maia. Let's see if you can spot a trend...

Maia and I love to go meet daddy for lunch.

Here is a perfect family day at the apple orchard.

Two examples.... I could post more. Anyone see what's missing? I'll give you a hint. The missing "thing" gave birth to Maia. That would be... ME!

Hello, I'm Maia's mother. Let me introduce myself. You may remember me from picture taken BY MYSELF a year ago. They were featuring a camera phone, a bathroom mirror and a pregnant belly. Remember?

We have ONE family picture of us in the past 8 months and that was taken at Maia's party when she was a few weeks old. I was still wearing maternity clothes and Brian's hair was just growing back after radiation. We made quite a pair.

Rock Star !

2006-10-23T13:43:00.000-05:00

Today marks a VERY important milestone in the McDougall household. Pull up into a standing position, clapping hands, calling for mama and dada are all small cookies to this...

Today I successfully transferred a sleeping Maia from carseat to bed without her waking.

Three cheers for mom!!!

Oh, but cheer quietly please. :)

No teeth...

2006-10-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Last night, for the first time, Maia woke up for an extended period of time after we put her down for the night. Around 11:00 she began crying and ended up alternating between mom and dad, crying, whining and arching her back, and eating, getting changed etc. for the next two hours. I know we have been extremely lucky, and some people deal with this and worse every night. We are hoping it is teeth related, because Maia turns eight months today and still is flashing an all-gums smile :)

Other things we have learned:

We have an outdoors baby. She loves being outside as much as possible taking walks, playing in the back yard, watching the kitty, eating grass when she can sneak it.
She has four words for sure: mama, daddy, kitty and "hi". We think at times we hear many other words, but it is just a random sound.
She loves her tub. She even gets excited when she hears the bathtub being filled.
She loves riding like a "big girl" in the cart at Target, Home Depot or wherever. She is up higher than usual, and everyone talks to her.

She is obviously the most intelligent, cutest baby ever....

Yes, I'm baised but I'm okay with that.

2006-09-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

Seven months?

Really?

When did that happen?

And, how did I end up with such a cute little girl?

Does every parent think their kid is the cutest thing in the whole world?

Do they know that they're wrong?

Current Popularity Standings

2006-09-22T14:12:00.000-05:00

The current baby popularity standings in our house....

1. Phone
2. TV remote
3. Kitty...kitty...kitty
4. Dad/Mom
169. Nose sucker

She has a cold right now...or it could be newly arriving teeth. The nose sucker has to sneak up on her. The phone and TV remote are new discoveries. We are happy to see that she is our child after all :)

Tough little girl...

2006-09-22T14:01:00.000-05:00

The thing that I am probably most happy about in the first seven months that Maia has been in our lives is how unphased she is by minor accidents. While laying her down on the changing table, her head accidentally hit the window sill. For a few seconds she looked like she was going to cry, and then she went back to trying to get the tube of Desetin.

She has an incredibly strong core (maybe it is the baby Pilates) and has been able to sit up and stand up for months already. However her enormously large head (that is my doing), sometimes causes her to shift her weight unnaturally and tip over. Rather than whining about it, she just sees it as an opportunity to roll her way across the room.

The number 1 thing I didn't want her to be afraid of was the water. Tubs, showers, pools, lakes...when you live in Minnesota you are constantly confronted by water in some manner. She is going to start swimming lessons soon, and will continue regularly until she can swim on her own. In the tub we have been prepping her by pouring water directly over her head from a little dish. She would sputter and spit when we first started, but now it doesn't even interrupt her play time.

I am really happy that I was blessed with a good-natured, tough little girl. She is going to need to be that way....she currently has four boy cousins.

thump thump thump

2006-09-05T15:59:00.000-05:00

My friend Jenn had the following quote on her blog:

"a big heart is both a clunky and a delicate thing; it doesn't protect itself and it doesn't hide. it stands out, like a baby's fontanel, where you can see the soul pulse through." - anne lamott

I love the image of the soul pulsing. Considering I'm the only one in my house that does not currently have a soft spot in their head, it's an image that I'm surrounded by.

I watch Maia's beautiful round head and see her heart beating away. It's amazing to think that I am responsible for that thump-thump-thump. I created that heart. It grew inside of me. I wonder where that heart will take her and what it will experience. I think about how much my heart loves her and wonder if she's capable of loving me back.

I watch Bri's soft spot pulse from time to time and thank God for every beat.... every minute that we have together. Last year at this time, when the surgeon came to tell us that they almost lost Brian in surgery, my stomach dropped and life as I knew it changed. I can't remember anything from those moments and yet they replay in slow motion, the doctors words, the blood on his blue booties. The realization that the blood that I was looking at was my beloved Bri. The sudden panic that this can't be happening and repeating to myself, "no no no... I haven't had enough time. I need more time." Then as the panic subsided and his condition stabilized, this calm coming over me as I came to an understanding that nothing matters. I'm never going to have enough time with Brian. I'm always going to be wanting one more minute, one more day, one more year. It's never enough and regardless of when it ends, I'll feel the same. I'll be left there wondering where all the time went and wishing for more.

Dinner Party - New Parent Style

2006-08-25T10:54:00.000-05:00

BYOB now means Bring Your Own Baby.

The other night our good friends Amanda and Bryan were over for dinner. We grilled some steaks, threw together a salad, opened a bottle of wine and called it a meal. Evan (15 mths) sat at the table so nice and politely dropped his EasyMac on the floor piece by piece. Maia sat in her highchair and made continuous buzzing/spitting noises. (Pbbbbtttthhhh - pbbbthhhhhh-ba ba ba- pbbbbth) The meal ended when Evan started throwing the EasyMac against the wall (SPLAT) and Maia's shirt was soaked with spit.

We then moved to the living room where we let the kids have free reign with toys. The best toy, is clearly Sophie Kitty. Poor Soph couldn't walk past the room without Evan yelling, "Kitty!" and Maia making her "ah ah ah - I'm so excited" noise.

Later that evening, we decided to give both the kids a bath. Bryan was pleased that his son was finally having a bath with a girl (apparently, Evan's only bathed with boys in the past). Brian/Doogie was mildly concerned that Evan would get the wrong idea about Maia and think that she's easy. Evan learned quickly why you don't bend over in the tub in front of a girl. No worries folks, we took pictures. We now have blackmail pictures of our children.

Ba

2006-08-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

The grandparents love this short little video.

Cha-cha-cha-changes

2006-08-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

When I was younger and thought about my life as an adult, I always pictured myself as a stay at home mom. Maybe working part time at church or helping out with preschool but beyond that, I would just be mom. I had this vision of play groups, long walks around the neighborhood, long naps during the afternoon so I could do some housework or catch up on my reading. When Maia was born, I made the decision to go back to work for awhile to "try it out". Well, the trial period is officially over. As of August 31st, I will no longer be on staff at RB. Priority one will be Maia; priority two will be school. Oh and Brian is in there somewhere too, but his place in the line-up has never changed.
I'm excited and scared to be making this change, but it's time. I do have a couple part-time job offers pending. One is strictly work from home, the other is 20 hours a week at an office. My mom would cover care for Maia during the time that I would need to be working, so still no daycare.
Right now, I see Maia awake for maybe an hour in the morning and 3 hours at night. That's a mere 4 hours a day I get to spend with my infant daughter. Not nearly enough time as far as I'm concerned. I'm eager for that to change.

Right side up

2006-08-04T08:39:00.000-05:00

Notice anything special? Beside the drool .... ?

She's sitting up!

We've been working on it for a few weeks now and she's finally mastered it. Now, play time is so much more fun. She loves to sit on a blanket and play with her toys. I still put pillows behind her in case she gets overly excited and throws herself back, but for the most part, she's upright.

Sit, Stay, Roll Over .... Good Girl!

2006-07-27T21:30:00.000-05:00

I've always smiled when people refer to their pets as their kids. It's true that we love our animals like they are one of us. Brian and I use to refer to our cat, Sophie, as our baby.... even though she was three years old and weighed 14 pounds. Every evening, Sophie would snuggle up with Brian and I would ask him if he was enjoying his daddy-kitty time. Sophie would purchase Fathers Day cards for Brian from her kitty-allowance. (Oh yes, you read that right)

Once you have a real baby, your fur-baby takes a bit of a back seat. It's not intentional, it's just that suddenly, you have a live human baby to care for and your pet becomes, well, your pet. I've seen it happen to everyone of my friends and family. I've even seen it happen to a coworker who had show dogs.

I'll admit that Sophie has taken a backseat in the McDougall house. Her basic needs of food, shelter and love are met, but utter and complete adoration is sorely lacking. She no longer has free reign of the house at night for fear that she'll decide to make Maia's crib her bed. Every fuzzy blanket in the house does not immediately become Sophie's. And, I've even noticed Brian pushing Soph off Maia's clean clothes/blankets/etc. where as in the past he would just give her a scratch and commend her on finding the softest spot in the house.

This past week or so, Sophie has re-entered the spotlight. Maia has taken serious notice and decided that Sophie is her new favorite toy. When Sophie walks by Maia, there are squeals and coos and arms wave like crazy. Sophie seems to tolerate Maia. She likes to walk just out of reach, but on occasion has been patient enough to let Maia touch her. So far, there have been no incidents of hissing or clawing reported. Just a lot of eye rolling and sighing by Sophie. I'm sure she's missing the good old days... before this non-fur baby came to live with us.

Happy 4th of July?

2006-07-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

We've vacated our house/neighborhood for the week. St Paul is home to "Taste of Minnesota" this week and every night starting at 10:20 pm, theres a terrific fireworks display.

I say "terrific" but if you're almost 5 months old and scared of really loud noises, I should say "terrifying". So, for Maia's sake and the sake of my sanity, we've moved into my parents house for the week. It's really been pretty enjoyable. We take walks during the day and play with Nona and Papa. In the evening, Maia goes to bed and I sit out on my parents patio and read a little or have some -gasp- adult conversation.

Not bad, not bad at all.

All smiles

2006-06-27T21:22:00.000-05:00

This is why I rush home every day at 4pm.

This is why I go in late to work every morning and promise to make it up the next day.

This is why I don't mind getting up at 3am, or changing a smelly diaper, or wipe spit-up/drool off my clothes that are fresh from the cleaners.

It's all about these sparkling blue eyes and this smile.

Reasons to keep a baby away from the waterfront

2006-06-26T16:09:00.000-05:00

Other than the obvious reasons to keep your baby away from the waterfront....men wearing too much wool, unions and seagulls.....we came up with another one on Saturday.

In Duluth, MN there is a lovely little area called Canal Park, and it surrounds the Lift Bridge which serves as the entry to the harbor. The Lift Bridge is a cool thing, because the bridge literally goes straight up as opposed to splitting like a draw bridge. My family was staying at a condo (thanks Larry and Val) north of Duluth and we came down to eat some dinner and because two large drilling ships were coming into the harbor.

We had three children with us....my nephews Jack (2 yrs) and Andrew (4 months) along with Maia. The ships were delayed, so the kids were getting tired, and Lesley wanted to take Maia home. My mother talked her into staying, saying "Maia wants to see the big ship". Maia's greatest joy in life right now is a stuffed frog, so I really don't think she cared.

As we were waiting for the larger ships to come through a couple of smaller boats caused the bridge to go up. My mom comments "I thought the bridge and the ship used to make more noise as they came through." We laughed at her and didn't think much of it.

So it is time for the big ship to come through and the bridge starts to raise. The ship blows its horn, but because it was still a decent way out in Lake Superior, there wasn't a reaction from the kids. However, then the bridge blew its horn, and because we were standing so close and it was so loud, Maia and Andrew immediately burst into tears and Maia wet her pants on the spot.

Lesson learned.....sometimes it is not wise to listen to grandma.

My life revolves around poop

2006-06-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

I realized the other day that my life has permanently changed. I actually found myself calling Lesley into the room to show her that Maia's poop was a different color. It was a very lovely shade of green, which we attributed to her recent consumption of bananas. I don't know how bananas turn poop green...it is one of those eternal questions.

I do know that it is another way that Maia has changed my life.

2006-06-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, I head to Augsburg to register for classes in the fall. Momma's going back to school.... again. Brian finished his MBA in June, so now it's my turn. I can't wait. I made the appointment on Monday and I haven't been able to concentrate since. Do you think I'm just a wee bit excited?

Speaking of exciting... Maia's starting to roll over. It's fun to watch her learn how to get her body to move around, but this whole rolling over thing means that we have a mobile child. The days of letting Maia lay on the bed while I get dressed/put the laundry away/etc... are over.

Only 4 months old and I'm already longing for the good old days of newborn-ness.

Tastes so good

2006-06-06T18:56:00.000-05:00

What a week. Maia is rolling over, making new sounds, and turning pages in her books. Her personal favorite seems to be Mirror Me.

We've also introduced Maia to solid foods. Well, mushy, runny rice cereal to be exact. Nothing too exciting to us, but she seems to think it's the best thing since.... well, milk.

Naked Baby Monkey Time

2006-06-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

My daughter is a funny one. She loves having her pants off (which makes her daddy shudder at the future), especially when it is leading to a bath. She has now learned that when the water is running and she is in her crib getting undressed she is headed for the tub. She was born in February however, and for the first few months I would get her undressed and pick her up to bring her to the bathroom and she would tuck her legs up underneath her and make herself as small as possible. The few seconds it took to walk her to the bathroom became "Naked Baby Monkey Time" also known as "My Favorite Few Seconds of the Day". I realize that these moments are going to end soon (they already have lessened with the warm weather), and I am hoping they will be replaced by other little things for me to look forward to.

oh what a feeling...

2006-05-30T12:55:00.000-05:00

They fit!

Maybe only mothers can relate to the feeling you get when you slide on your pre-pregnancy jeans and they fit. It's this feeling of victory that is unmatched. It's not like any other weight loss I've had. Wearing your pre-pregnancy jeans is like finally having a piece of the old you back.

Daddy's POV

2006-05-23T12:11:00.000-05:00

My lovely wife asked me to blog a little from time to time, so I will be adding my occasionally witty brand of writing to the site as events unfold.

I think a father's point of view is completely different than a mother, and obviously that difference starts during pregnancy. Fathers can have as much sympathy as they can muster for the mother's heartburn, insomnia, back pain etc. but we can never have empathy. As Maia's due date came and went and we moved into the 42nd week, I had run out of things to say and do to make my wife feel better. Originally we had been worried that we were going to run into the pack of family birthdays in the middle of January, and Maia was going to forever have to share her birthday with her grandfather or aunts. As we moved into February, we were sure that "today was the day" as day after day after day came and went.

When the actual event actually came it wasn't like they show you in class, or you see in the movies or on TV. We calmly ate dinner and then left for the hospital arriving in plenty of time for our 7:00 appointment to be induced. No water breaking, no waking up at 3:00 a.m. with contractions five minutes apart, no driving through red lights. We got to the hospital and it turned into a slow march towards birth. They put the "tape" in her for 12 hours to "ripen" her up. Then they gave her the serious drugs: the epidural/pitosin combo. She then proceeded to sleep for the next five hours, while I read and had a good hospital cheeseburger. Shifts of nurses of doctors came and went, I joke that I should have been selling tickets at the door.

Finally, they decided that she wasn't moving along fast enough, and all of a sudden there were six doctors in the room, all staring between her legs, and trying to decide what to do. Then she was gone....off to have a c-section. The decision literally was made and they had a gurney in to get her. I had some scrubs tossed at me and was told that someone would come back for me.

When I got into the operating room, the two things I remember most was that it was all female doctors, and that my wife was shaking like a leaf. Having had a couple of seizures, I imagine the shaking to be similar to that, but apparently it was "normal". I sat behind the drape with mom's head, and the anesthesiologist gave play-by-play. So they get the incision made, and the anesthesiologist says to me "the head is out, you should see this" and I stand up, and see that indeed the head is out, however none of the rest of the baby is, so it is like a scene from "Alien" with the baby's head protruding from my wife's stomach. Didn't need to see that.

They soon got the rest of Maia out though, and as I saw the baby being lifted I knew that it was a girl, but I didn't want to sound like an idiot if it wasn't, so I waited for the doctor to say it, and then I repeated it to my still shaking wife. Maia pooped twice before they weighed her and showed her impressive lungs off. Because they had to sew my wife back up, I got to spend some quality time with Maia, including cutting her cord, and carrying her back for pictures with mom.

This has gotten long enough....more on the immediate aftermath, and learning how to be a good daddy later.

.... for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these

2006-05-23T10:59:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, May 28th, we will be celebrating Maia's baptism. I know some disagree with infant baptism because an infant isn't making the choice (etc...). The way I see it, this baptism is more about those of us that are caring for Maia. By submitting her to baptism, we are saying that we will raise her to know Christ. We will educate her in the ways of the Christian church. We will love her and care for her spiritual needs as we do her other needs. We will challenge her and raise her to be able to think for herself . defend her faith and know that the foundation of her faith is solid. When she is older, she will have the opportunity to confirm her baptism and accept Christ on her own. But, for now, we will do it on her behalf.

I've chosen to have her baptized on Founder's day at our church. It's a celebration of our church and it's history. We'll be worshipping in the original one room country church that still sits out on the a dirt road. It's surrounded by a beautiful cemetery and shaded by huge old oak trees. The service will start when the bell tolls in the bell tower. Hymns will be played on the pump organ. If it's a nice day out, they will probably open the front and the back door. I don't believe the stained glass windows on the side open. Any bathroom break (or diaper change?) will have to be accommodated by the outhouse in back. When it comes time for her to come forward and have water pour over her, it will be water from the Jordan River (a gift from some family friends that were recently in Israel).

Growing up, our church family was it. We moved a lot, so the way that our family made friends in a new town was to meet them at church. We always became heavily involved in church activities. Often, those activities would end and we'd have everyone over to our house for a bbq, or pie, or a game of capture the flag.

Knowing that Maia is now going through the same ritual that both Brian and I went through excites me. I can't help but dream of all the wonderful things that lay ahead for Maia. All the friends she'll meet at bible school and camp. All the fun she'll have singing around a campfire or hiking through the woods. Canoe trips, service missions, church choir, etc... It will be interesting to see what she decides to take part in. I hope she tries it all.

My name is mom

2006-05-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

I love being mom. I love the way Maia looks at me. She sees my face and smiles. Her arms start waving and her eyes sparkle.

Back to work

2006-05-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe how quickly the past 12 weeks have flown since Maia was born. I've been out of work almost 5 months total... but the first 5 weeks were a drag.

I've had the oddest experience. I was struggling with the decision to go back to work. I didn't want to put Maia in daycare. I was also I was wishing I could work a reduced schedule. I just kept waiting it out, thinking that something would happen to help me make my decision. I just waited and prayed for things to come clear and sure enough they did.

My mom is watching Maia on Monday and Tuesdays, I'm home with Maia on Wednesdays, and my mother-in-law is watching Maia on Thursdays and Fridays. Both grandmothers offered.... free daycare.... which means Maia gets to spend two days a week with each grandmother and mom gets to relax knowing that she's well cared for. My work called ME and asked what I wanted. I was given my reduced schedule and have been able to keep my full-time status so I have full benefits/leave options available.

It's amazing how things work out. You just have to wait and trust that they will.

In the meantime, I'm leaving this precious little face. Maia will be well cared for by mothers that I respect, just not her mother.

It's a . . .

2006-04-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

a. . a. . another BOY!

Kai Dunham was born tonight. We have another nephew (for a grand total of 4) and Maia has another little cousin. She's the only girl. I hope she learns how to play nice with the boys.

Maia the amazing

2006-04-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Long over due update....

I'm not sure what we've done to end up with such a lovely little girl. At 3-4 weeks, she started smiling and laughing. At 6 weeks, she started sleeping through the night. (?!?) She's full of smiles, giggles, and lots of cooing. She's an absolute joy.

I'll write more later... but for now, here's a picture.

It's a . . .

2006-02-19T20:56:00.000-06:00

BOY!

Andrew Michael Barnes was born this afternoon. We have another nephew, Maia has a new little cousin and we have a new godson! So exciting!

It's a . . .

2006-02-15T21:42:00.000-06:00

GIRL!

After 5 weeks of bedrest, 3 days of induction, 24 hours of labor and one lovely c-section... she finally arrived.

And, I'd do it all again.

She's perfect. 8 pounds, 15 ounces of God's perfection. Brian and I are thrilled in a way that we can't even begin to explain.

I'm not going to go into my labor story because I really don't remember a lot of it. All I know is that there was a lot of sleeping, very little pain, and it ended with a baby in my arms. I ended up having a c-section because I broke a fever and stopped producing urine. Semi-scary for those around me, but I was oblivious.

We named her Maia Frances. Maia was Brian's first choice for a girls name and Frances was my grandma Sackreiter's name. She spent the first 48 hours in the NICU because of my fever/infection. They wanted to make sure she was okay. We came home from the hospital on February 13th.

I'll post some pictures later.

Bed Rest

2005-12-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

I'm retaining water and my blood pressure is up. I'm officially out of work and on bed rest. Yee haw. -whatever-

I'm off to research our short-term disability leave policy.

35 weeks down - 5 to go

2005-12-16T09:15:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a drive by post... Here I am at 34 weeks and 6 days. I rounded up to 35 weeks. Shoot me.

Notice the fabulous sway back....

Sick and tired

2005-11-21T16:53:00.000-06:00

I'm sick... and tired... but not sick and tired of being pregnant. I have 9 or so more weeks until my due date. Not nearly enough.

I've been battling cold/flu/ear infection/strep for the past week. I went to the doc for the first time for something other than baby since being pregnant. It was odd to be there and not have her asking about kick counts and measuring my belly.

Happy Birthday to me

2005-11-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

Ah - the joys of turning 31 and being 28 weeks pregnant. I woke up this morning early as usual to the kicks and flips of the baby. Brian and I laid in bed for awhile and he kept his hand on my tummy, waiting for the next good kick. "Oohhh... did you feel that one? That one was big!" he'd say. Uh, yeah, I felt it buddy.... no need to tell me that it was a big one.

This is my last birthday before I become a mom. Crazy to think that next year, I'll be turning 32 and we'll be sitting around the table, THREE of us.

Brian and I went out to breakfast this morning and then he headed to work, while I headed to the doctors office for my 28 week check up. I measured exactly 28 weeks and the heartbeat was in the 140's. She said that the heartbeat will stay in this range until the end.

After I was done with my exam, she sent me over to the lab for the glucose tolerance screening. This is where they test to see if you could have gestational diabetes. Wow, talk about unpleasant. I had to drink 12+ ounces of this sugary mixture and then wait an hour to have blood drawn. Imagine drinking a bottle of Karo Syrup and then having to sit in a waiting room ... patiently. I don't even drink soda, so I'm not use to that much sugar at once. I ended up going home after my appointment to sleep off the sugar rush. When I was little, my mom wouldn't let me drink more than a half a can of 7-up. And, that was only on special occasions. She said that I was sensitive to sugar and it was easier for both of us, if she limited my intake. I thought she was just being a mean old mom, but maybe she knew what she was doing after all...

Baby McD in 4-D

2005-10-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

When I called to make my last ultrasound appointment the woman asked if I would "mind" if they did a 4-D ultrasound because they were training the techs on their new machine. Uh, would I mind? Let me think for a minute - No - I would not mind at all.

So you are looking at one of the few pictures of our baby, age -14 weeks (or so). You use to only have real pictures of the baby on it's actual birthday. And, now look here, pictures pre-birth of the actual baby in utero.

I love how it already has chubby cheeks and a little smile playing at it's mouth. I can't wait to meet him/her.

Wake up and kick your daddy

2005-10-11T08:17:00.000-05:00

Around 9pm everynight, I head upstairs and get ready for bed. Brian usually reclines on the bed and watches the news with me. Lately, I've been asking him if he wants to feel the baby. I'll push on my stomach and find where it is then place his hand on top. If it's not doing anything, I'll push around some more and try to wake it up. "Come on baby, it's time to wake up and kick your daddy." I'll say. Yes, I realize just how obnoxious this is. Aren't you suppose to never wake a sleeping baby? Regardless, every night I'm poking around my stomach and finding the little bugger. "Come on baby, kick your dady... you kick mommy all day. Now it's time to kick daddy."

Brian patiently waits for the baby to kick and then apologizes for it's mothers obnoxious behavior. "Sorry baby." He says, "Mommy's bugging you again."

24 weeks down.... 16 to go

2005-10-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

You never know when the urge to take a picture will strike. Alas - the invention of the camera phone. Poor quality, but oh so convenient.

This weekend, I'm heading to the spa with 4 girlfriends. It's our yearly girl's weekend getaway. I'm excited to relax at the spa - nervous that the robes will not fit around my ever expanding belly, but excited nonetheless.

I debated going due to Brian's illness, but in the end decided that I needed the break. Brian's words of wisdom, "Go! This is your last chance to do this sort of thing before the baby comes."

Ack! Last chance? He makes it sound like I'm going to be spending the next 18-20 years in some sort of parent jail. I reminded him that I can go next year - and he can take care of baby McD while I'm gone with the girls. That's one of the benefits of having two parents.

Making room for baby - externally

2005-10-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my mom came down and helped me sort, clean and organize our second floor. I sent four bags of clothes to the Goodwill and threw out a whole garbage can full of junk. I'm am pleased to announce that we have plenty of room for a cradle, changing table and rocker in our "master suite".

We also decided on a crib. (see pic) My mother-in-law actually found it in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and showed us. It's great to have someone keeping their eye out for nice simple/classic baby gear. Let me tell you, there are a lot of ugly, overpriced cribs out there. It's almost as if the crib makers are playing into a pregnant woman's surging hormones by making these obnoxious carved, curvy cribs for a mere $1200. And, you can't forget the $600 conversion kit to change your crib into a full size bed when your baby gets big. I swear it's almost as ridiculous as the wedding market.

Making room for baby - internally

2005-09-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Flip -- Kick, Kick, Punch -- Flop

It's like the baby is trying to get comfy in bed. Rolling from one side to the other, kicking off the blankets to make room for it's toes, punching the pillow a few times to fluff it up... The only problem is all this is going on in the midst of my internal organs. Flopping around by my belly button, pushing my stomach out of the way. (kind of like a rollercoaster ride effect) Kicking my lungs so that I can't get a deep breathe. (ever had a side ache from running?) Punching my bladder to remind me that I need to empty it out and make more room for the next round of flipping, flopping, punching and kicking.

I'm not fat - I'm pregnant

2005-08-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

The other night I was out shopping with a girlfriend. Somewhere in our conversation she asked how far along I was and when I told her the response was, "Oh my, you're going to get HUGE!"

Granted this woman has never been pregnant but even the men I know are smart enough to know that the last thing you say to a woman is anything in reference to her and HUGE.

I let the comment fester for a few days before I finally decided that I was done guessing how HUGE I was and I needed to take a picture. Proof is the the picture, right?

I most certainly am not HUGE. I'm pregnant. I'm a smidge short of halfway done and as of this morning, only up 8 pounds. Pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

So, this afternoon I decided to email my friend and share the picture, pointing out the fact that I am not huge and am indeed showing a small belly. Her response was, "Maybe your tummy just looks bigger because your chest is so small."

I give up.

My how you've grown

2005-08-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

We're now at 18 weeks and counting. We got to see little baby McD on Tuesday. Here you can see our little one kickin' back and relaxing. (ankles crossed and hand up by it's eyes) It wouldn't give us a decent profile, but at the very end, it finally turned toward us and we got to see the face. Well, we got to see the skeletal structure of the face. Very cool - but freaky at the same time. Of course, I thought it was a beautiful face - but I'm sure that this is where the saying, "A face only a mother could love" comes from.

The ultrasound tech said that everything looked good. It was amazing to see how much they can spot just from the grainy little picture on the screen. She looked at the chambers of the heart, the spine, the cord, etc.

At one point, Brian began talking and the baby started kicking it's feet and waving it's arms. Not sure if the kicking was in response to Daddy's voice, but I like to think so.

These little glimpse's of baby McD are wonderful, but sad at the same time. A friend of mine said that it's like unwrapping a Christmas present, looking inside and then having to wrap it back up without getting to play with it. I can relate. Everytime I see the baby I want to hold it and kiss is and love it. But, for now, we wait.

Welcome to Second Trimester Baby McD!

2005-07-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on starting, but isn't the saying, “Better late than never”?

For those of you that are not in-the-know, we're pregnant! That little smudge is the newest McDougall. Baby McD is due to arrive sometime towards the end of January. We've been given an estimated due date of January 22nd, but, what's the likelyhood that any child of ours will make an appearance on time?

So, if you're just getting the news now, what have you missed? Nothing that you couldn't live without hearing. All-day-sickness, extended naps, heartburn and all the normal nastiness of pregnancy that nobody really talks about. (at least, they didn't talk loud enough when I was around) I haven't had horrible mood swings or random emotional breakdowns that some have experienced, but I also haven't been awake long enough to experience such things. Now that second trimester is here, things could get interesting.

We had an ultrasound at 6 weeks, to make sure the embryo had positioned itself correctly. A few weeks later, the embryo graduated into fetus stage and we got to hear the heartbeat. For those of you that believe that gender can be determined by the heart rate - our baby was smack in the middle of average. Neither fast, nor slow.

That's all for now. We'll stop in later to update.