Poppy Predictions

Here's a post I never posted that we did before "Poppy" arrived... we'll see how the rest of them turn out!

Here are our predictions for Poppy's baby book ... (can you tell we're bored and getting very impatient?)

{Gender}
Grace - Boy
Benny - Boy

{Hair Color}
Grace - Brown
Benny - Brown

{Eye Color}
Grace - Brown
Benny - Brown

{Weight at Birth}
Grace - 8lbs 2oz
Benny - 7lbs 8oz

{Length at Birth}
Grace - 21 inches
Benny - 22 inches

{First Word}
Grace - "Mama"
Benny - "Mama"

{Favorite Color}
Grace - Red
Benny - Red

{Favorite Sport}
Grace - Tennis
Benny - Basketball

{Future Profession}
Grace - Teacher
Benny - Engineer

2 Weeks.. 3 Weeks.. Time is Flying!

Before I had time to post about Trice's 2nd week in this big world, he was suddenly 3 weeks old. Time is not my friend these days .. I want little man to slooowwww down. I promise once he turns a month old, I will stop with the weekly updates. He just changes so much in a short amount of time.

Week 2

• Loves mommy and daddy's voices!
• Mr. Crinkle Monkey is still his best friend
• LOVES when daddy sings to him
• More alert - looks around at toys and the world around him!
• Started blowing little bubbles
• Weighs 9lbs, 1 oz
• Had his first "unscheduled" doctor visit -- mommy and daddy were worried about him not eating enough .. turns out, he eats TOO much and doesn't know he's full. Little Piggy!
• Enjoys his new piano toy 
• Made his first trip to Hy-Vee and grandpa showed him off to everyone
• Loves walks with mommy and daddy (and loves getting in a snooze)
• Lost his little umbilical stump .. tummy time here we come! 
• He pulled mommy's hair and daddy's chest hair (ha!) for the first time... ouch! He's got quite the grip!

Week 3

• Trice discovered his swing this week - and he LOVES it. He just stares at the mobile in awe.
• Discovered bright lights and could stare toward the light all day. He's also tracking objects and is even more alert.
• Tummy Time is a HIT! I think he likes it better than his back! He's lifting his head up for brief seconds. We're pretty proud. ;)
• Is most wide awake from 8-11 and mommy and daddy can't get enough of his big blue eyes .. if only it was from like 4-6pm. ;)
• He's now been to 4 counties and 2 states (future world traveler)
• Experienced his first tub bath (in his PUJ tub..love!) He was pretty indifferent about it and just stared at us. He looked so cute wrapped up in his duck towel.

• Developed a shrieking loud cry this week .. let me tell you folks, it hurts my ear drums. I heard it A LOT last night and it broke my heart. 
• Dad says he looks like a grumpy old man .. he often appears not amused by how silly we are.

• LOVES lullabies ... thinks mom could add a little variety to her repertoire, but Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and You are My Sunshine will work for now. 
• Visited daddy at work 
• Discovered his own hair and pulls on it - ouch! 
 

3 Weeks as a Family of 3!

 

Hospital Bag Checklist

I packed and re-packed my hospital bags a good 40 times before Trice was born. I asked friends who had babies for suggestions and went from there! I thought I'd fill you in on what I packed - if it's crossed out, we didn't use/need it for any of you expecting moms who read this blog. I'm sure I don't remember some of the things we took, but this will get you started. And obviously everyone is different and every situation/hospital is different, so don't by any means think this is a comprehensive list of what you might need! :)

Mom

• Robe (Did not wear once .. I wore the hospitals!)
• Nightgown (Did not wear once ... I wore the hospital gown because I was not destroying my cute little nightie!)
• Maternity Underwear (Not going to lie - I was perfectly fine destroying the hospital's icky mesh panties rather than my own and due to swelling, mine wouldn't have fit over my swollen tummy anyway!)
• Hair Ties/Headbands (I thought I would pull my hair back when I was in labor, but it was short enough I didn't even think about it. However, I would suggest NOT having bobby pins in your hair since trying to find them before you go in for a c-section is not very convenient)
• Nursing Bras (These were definitely used & very convenient - I wore a nursing sports bra (sooo comfy) all during labor/csection -- you can't have any metal during c-section, so this was perfect)
• Yoga Pants (I wore these the day before we went home and when we left - probably would have worn them more had I not had a C-section, but they went over my tummy so that was nice) 
• Nursing Tops (Once again, I wore the hospital gown most of the time so I only wore one of these once) 
• Outfit to wear home (We chose to wear Cyclone gear home .. go figure .. but my t-shirt barely fit)
• SLIPPER SOCKS (I honestly think these were the most valuable item I took.. I packed my favorite pair knowing they would probably be ruined, but they were awesome for walking the halls all day while in labor and for wearing the rest of the time. They were super easy for other people to slip on and off my feet since I couldn't put them on myself after the c-section)
• Toiletries (I packed very minimal makeup, my tiny straightener and the usuals. The hospital did provide body wash/shampoo, but I used my own travel sized ones ... next time I will pack my waterless shampoo!)
• I had a couple towels in the car before I knew I was going to be induced just in case my water would break .. I was thankful for these when we headed home and I could hold the towel up against my incision while Benny drove .. every bump felt like a mountain. 

Baby

• Boy Sleep Sack
• Girl Sleep Sack
• Headband for girl (didn't use for obvious reasons)
• Boy Onesie
• Girl Onesie
• Mittens
• Socks
• Receiving Blankets (Hospital provided)
• Hats (Hospital provided hats, but it was fun to have our own as well!)
• Coming Home outfit (you may want to pack two - he peed all over his as soon as it was on, but we were able to get a picture so we called it good)

**The hospital provided little shirts/onesies for him each day we were there, so we didn't need our own and I didn't feel the need to "dress him up" while we were there since he was always in a blanket anyway, but if you want to - you can pack some outfits!**

Dad

• Two t-shirts
• Comfy Shorts
• Nice Shorts for going home
• Pajama Pants
• Slippers (He really appreciated these while walking 13 miles around the hospital)
• Pillow and Blanket (I was SO hot the whole time so we kept our room freezing so he really appreciated the extra blanket)
• ..and of course, socks and underwear and deoderant .. oh, and a toothbrush!

**I did not anticipate a C-section/5 days in the hospital so I didn't have enough clothes packed for Benny, but he survived!**

Misc.

• Lanolin Cream (Hospital provided this)
• CHAPSTICK (My lips got terribly dry while in labor so I loved having this)
• Baby Book (I took this to get his footprints in it, but it didn't get done)
• Calling List (Okay, so everyone called me crazy, but I had a list of people we needed to call/text after baby was born so we wouldn't forget - and we did use it!) 
• Snacks (I was on a liquid diet, but it was nice to have snacks around for Benny/company. Hospital also had a fridge just outside the room we could keep cold snacks in)
• Magazines (Since I was induced, it was a bit of a slow process .. Benny and I both read magazines to pass the time - and also watched the Olympics)
• Notebook (I wrote down every detail of the day until I was in too much pain and then I'd tell Benny what to write .. I'm glad I have it because a lot of it is fuzzy at this point. I also planned on using it to write down any gifts/visitors so I wouldn't forget to send thank yous, but this didn't happen) .. speaking of thank yous...
• Games/Cards (We played cards while I was in labor to keep my mind off the pain and our families had something to do while they waited)
• Prenatal Vitamins (the hospital provided these while I was there so I did not need them)
• Boppy Pillow (Didn't use due to incision being sensitive, but was nice for pictures)
• Phone and Charger 
• Camera and extra batteries/charger
• Back Massager - This felt really great when the contractions got bad
• Gum - packed this for after delivery, but didn't use and definitely should have
• Sugar free hard candies - Had these to suck on during labor but did not even think about it
• Change - This was handy for Benny so he could get pop/snacks out of vending machines

**Hospital also "provided" (aka my insurance provided) diapers, wipes, water jug, baby soap/lotion, pads, towels, and lots of goodies to take home!

Things We Needed But Didn't Have:
- More clothes for Benny
- Cash or check for birth certificate (Benny had to run to an ATM at a gas station before we could leave the hospital to pay for this!)

I chose to go the breastfeeding route, so I'm not sure what the protocol is on bottle feeding and what you need to bring! 


***I had 3 different bags. My bag had all my clothes and baby's clothes. I had another bag with just Benny's clothes (which we left in the car and he went out and got later) and a couple extra baby outfits. The third bag was my diaper bag and I had everything I would possibly need while in labor in it so that we could throw everything else in the closet***

All Ready to Go!

Any other mamas out there have suggestions?! 

Upcoming Posts: Trice's Birth Story, Things I Wish I'd Known as a First Time Mom, My C-Section Recovery, Trice's Second Week!

Our Newest Addition

Meet Mr. Trice Steven Edwards; formerly known as "Poppy." He made his grand entrance at 12:15 PM on August 1st. (Birth story to be posted soon!) Born weighing 7 lbs 9 oz and measuring a whopping 22 inches long. With a head circumference of 14 inches, he has to have his daddy's brain.

Favorite Things: Swaddle Pods, Milk, Boppy Pillow, Snuggles, Resting my head on my arm, Mommy and Daddy, Lullabies, Rocking, and the Cyclones (of course!)

Dislikes: Waiting on mommy, Daddy going to work, Socks, Loud Noises, and the Hawkeyes

Current Activities Include: Eating, Sleeping, Pooping, Peeing on mommy and daddy's bed, Gripping mommy and daddy's fingers, Napping on grandpa, Making lots of silly faces, and Being awake all night!

Our Family of Three

The Day Before Poppy

***This post was done the day before I went in for my induction. Since I didn't share with everyone that I was being induced for a few different reasons, I waited until now to post it!***

I woke up around 6am this morning when Benny got up for work. My boss threw in the towel yesterday and told me to be done working. At first I wanted to tell her that I'd work one more day - I don't want to spend any days without my baby - but in the end, I'm glad I had today off just to relax and prepare myself the best I can for tomorrow.

I cleaned the microwave, organized underneath the TV (husband throwing video games everywhere..ugh), put away the dishes, cleaned out the food pantry, and watched last week's episode of SYTYCD all before the doctor called.

My nurse called around 9 am. I was a little disappointed as I was expecting it to be my doctor, but my nurse is really cool (and happens to be my neighbor) so I was okay with it. She knew that I didn't want to hear about the induction but at this point I had accepted that Poppy was not about to come without a little help and when I had left the doctor on Friday, he had said I'd be coming in Tuesday morning at 6am if no baby came over the weekend.

But when we ACTUALLY made the plan ... it was too real for me. I got a little shaky, a little emotional, and started running around like a chicken with my head cut off. A baby? Tomorrow? For real? I've only had .. oh, 9 months .. to prepare for this. Although, I know you can't really prepare for what lies ahead.

I had this vision of having a baby that looked like this. In the middle of the night my water would break all over. I'd wake Benny up screaming and we'd speed to the hospital - both looking like hell. We'd forget to grab the hospital bags. We'd bust through the emergency room doors and I'd have to be taken by wheelchair to the OB department where there'd be lots of chaos and pain and more pain and more chaos and then after several hours, out would come Poppy and we'd live happily ever after. (This could have been a movie!)

Now I was suddenly faced with being able to have clothes all set out to wear to the hospital (because that's important since I'll be changing immediately into a gown), our bags will be in the car, there will be no rushing to call family or friends to let them know we're on our way (or the hospital for that matter), my legs will be shaved (also, because that's important and anyone will notice). We'll get to the hospital and walk through the front entrance and check-in and then walk to the OB department where my doctor will calmly explain everything and we'll start the induction. And then hopefully sometime tomorrow we will finally be a mommy and daddy to this little Poppy we've been dying to meet.

I think I might have handled scenario one better because it would have left me no time to think about it. However, from the very beginning of this being pregnant thing, I knew that I'd have to have an open mind when it got to this point so I'm going in with the most positive attitude that it will go smoothly and we'll be holding our baby in no time.

It feels a lot like the night before our wedding (although, I wasn't about to experience a tramatic amount of pain then) - you knwo you're getting married, yet it doesn't seem real. I know I'm having a baby tomorrow, but it still hasn't hit me that I'll be holding this real live human being.

I just keep thinking .. this will be our last night at home just the two of us, our last supper as the two of us.. it's very surreal. And I mean this all in the best of ways. Sure, I'm slightly completely terrified for tomorrows events, but the thought of seeing this tiny little baby we have created for the very first time and seeing the look on my very best friend's face as he becomes a daddy will be enough to take away all the pain in the world. I am certain it will be love at first sight and it will only get better from there.

I keep telling myself God has prepared me for this day. He wouldn't have put this miracle in my tummy if he didn't think I could handle it. I know it won't be easy - I know it'll hurt - I know I'll be scared, but this is what God made our bodies for and somehow I'll push through it and Poppy will arrive. We pray that our baby has grown to be a healthy little one in my tummy over the last nine months and will have an easy entrance into this big world.


So here's to my last blog as a pregnant woman... Bring it on, motherhood!