Passy Thief

Sure, he looks sweet and innocent, but who would have thought that this sweet faced dog would turn out to be a passy thief? Joey has been great with baby Mills, but he wants Mills to share his passys. We've had to watch where we put them, he's gotten a hold of 3 already!

A Shower for Baby Sullivan

Last Sunday, a shower was held for Erik's sister, my sister-in-law, Whitney, and her baby girl Lainey Drew. The shower was held at the Country Club, and luckily I got to attend. Erik baby sat, and I drove the golf-cart over to the club. The Drs. said that I couldn't drive, but they didn't say that I couldn't drive a golf cart-ha! It was good to get out of the house and get some cake-hehe. Lainey Drew received some pretty cute stuff. It was very different for me. I've been drowning in a sea of blue, so seeing pink,frilly things was a whole change of scenery. We are excited and can't wait to meet Lainey! Mills has been told of his cousin who is scheduled to arrive on October 12. I'm sure he's excited too!

More on Mills

We had a better night last night. As a matter of fact, the past 2 nights have been "better." Mills still keeps us up very late, but when he finally gets to sleep he'll sleep for a while. Last night, he was VERY fussy! Erik walked the floor with him, I rocked him and fed him, and he still cried. I would lay him in his crib, he would sleep for about 5 minutes, then cry again. We finally gave in and put the baby in his bouncy seat to sleep for the night. He didn't like that either, so we have finally come to the conclusion that he simply has his days and nights mixed up. It's not his crib, or his pack n' play bassinet, nor is it his bouncy, he simply has his days and nights mixed up. Boy this trial and error thing is a bit long. but is SLOWLY getting better. I nursed him around 2:00am and put him down to sleep after that, but he is slept to 6:30am. I fed him again, and he woke up at 9:30am. Not bad! For the first time, Mills has been awake for most of the day today. He's had very small cat-naps, but has been wide-eyed most of the day and is a bit fussy now. We'll see what happens.

Mom Approved!

Mills was born with pointy sharp fingernails. Of course I can't clip them yet, and must file them. He was making a mess of his little face, and I tried the mittens. They wouldn't stay on. Ever tried to use a baby emery board on your child? Honestly? Who can do that when your baby won't keep his hands still. So, I found this gadget at Babies "R" Us before Mills was born. I thought it seemed like a neat idea, but thought it was just a little bit unnecessary. Its a Safety 1st gentle vibes file that offers a faster alternative to nail clipping. It features an easy grip handle and the file head never needs to be replaced! Add in the battery power and nail filing has never been easier! Mills wrapped his little fingers around my finger and allowed me to file his nails. I am pretty impressed.

Pacified

Thank you oh dear inventors of the vibrating bouncy seat. Mills is loving it! Mommy and Daddy do too. If only it weren't against the rules to sleep in this thing at night. We definitely don't want to start any bad habits-lol!
I was up all night with my Mills again last night, but hey, its getting to be routine. How is it that I can stay up all night and still have the wide-eyed energy to stay awake and minor housework during the day? Must be a mom thing. Oh and notice the "soothie" on the right. Yeah, well, I have a drawer full of Nuk "pappys" in the nursery and he spits them out. Of course I'm the dental hygienist with the child that chooses not to use the popular orthodontic pacifier. Guess I'll have to break him sooner than expected! No complaints here though, he's asleep and not screaming his head off. Will this day/night thing ever get reversed? Please tell me "yes!"

Been MIA

Sorry I've been MIA. Truth is, I haven't thought a thing about blogging, because I haven't had the time. I can't imagine why? LOL. It is 8:55 on Thursday night, and our Mills has FINALLY gone to sleep. It's been a very rough couple of days for us. I know that I'm not going through anything that any of you have not gone through yourselves, but golly it's hard. Our baby boy is so precious and we are so in love with him. He loves his daddy, and his daddy is totally smitten with him! I just love it! However, our precious baby boy has gotten his days and nights mixed up to total perfection. I am exhausted! If Mills is not nursing, or sleeping, he is screaming bloody murder. Literally, it just kills me. I haven't gotten much rest at all. Even during the day when we try to keep him awake (so that he will sleep at night) he just cries and cries. So, of course a zillion thoughts run through my head. I wonder if he has a tummy ache, or if he's getting enough milk...etc. We did go for a lactation consult on Tuesday, which was absolutely wonderful. I then realized that nursing can be done with a little will-power and help, and that I worry just like all of the other first time moms out there who decide to breast feed, but now, it has gotten to the point of wondering if nursing is doing the job. I hate that! I am so not throwing in the towel just yet though, but I will have a back up plan. Just please keep us in your prayers. It has been very hectic around here. I can't get a thing done without the phone ringing or visitors. Erik and I have started a nightly routine as of Tuesday night with bath time, nursing and bed. And of course I have my daily scheduled feedings during the day that MUST be done at certain times, so its hard. Right now, our little munchkin is STILL asleep in his bouncy seat. We can't believe it. He is OUT. But is that good or bad? Will he sleep tonight? Should I wake him to nurse? AAAAHHHHH! Anyway, we appreciate your prayers for being new parents. If any of you try to call and we do not answer, we apologize, but there are times when we are extremely busy and can't answer the phone, or there are times when we just need some alone time to ourselves, and don't want to talk. Sorry, but its true-lol! Also, I may be upstairs rocking, feeding, and changing a diaper, and may not be able to get to the phone or hear the door. We really appreciate your concerns and visits, just please remember that we are trying to adjust and would appreciate a phone call first so that we can plan out the visit, or decline if its not a good time. We love you ALL and hope you understand. Until then, we can't wait for you to meet our Mills. He is one special little guy!

My Reason For Smiling...

Need I say more? I LOVE my boys!...all 3 of them.

We are Home!

We are home! Actually we've been home since about 1:00ish. We are tired, but doing well. I still can't get over how in love I am with our baby boy. I just can't stop staring at him. We just finished feeding and he did pretty well. I think I've figured out that I need to let him pick the position he wants to be in before nursing. The nurses at the hospital had me doing the football hold, but I think Mills prefers another, so however he wants it, is how he'll get it! Right now his daddy has him, and he's sound asleep. He loves his swing too! As for Joey, he is not quite sure whats going on, but has been pretty good. He just gets excited and whiny with all of the newness and visitors. We are having to keep him under reign so if you will...we love and appreciate our visitors, and Mills wants to meet all of you, but we do ask that you please knock lightly on the front door, and refrain from ringing the doorbell. We don't want to excite Joey and wake up Mills too-ha! Also, remember that I am nursing our sweet little one, so I will need a little bit of privacy at times and you may have to wait to see us-he he! Come and see us soon. We love you all!

Sunday

Today I feel much better! I actually got to get out of the bed early this morning between 2 and 3 o'clock and let Erik sleep. I fed Mills, and changed his diaper too! The pain is much better. After 2 Lortab and 1 anaprox, I feel like a new person today. I can acutally shower on my own, and go to the potty on my own. Getting out of bed is easier and I can tend to my baby. He is so precious, you all should see him workin' his soothie. He gets to going so fast that he just about spits it out. We are waiting on my Dr. to see if we can leave today, hopefully so.

Baby Update

It is Saturday night, and we are still at the hospital. Mills is so perfect and we are so proud. I keep telling Erik that he's the best thing I've ever laid my eyes on. We can't believe that he is here. He has been such a good baby. Although today has been trying. He was circumcised this morning and we just now got him to sleep with out screaming his head off. He was so helpless and I felt so bad for him. I am still in allot of pain and feel like theres nothing I can do. I am walking the halls about 4 times a day, but getting out of bed is absolutely the most painful thing I've ever endured. No kidding! My baby boy is so worth it, but for those of you who told me that a C-section is the "way to go," I would have to say that I am in total disagreement! LOL I can hardly walk and can hardly help Erik with the baby and it saddens me. His "feedings" are getting better every day. It has been a total learning process, but the nurses here have been wonderful. We are coming home tomorrow. We've stayed as long as we could, because we felt like the longer we have help, the better, and yes, we have sent Mills to the nursery so that we could rest. Erik has been a wonderful nurse. In fact, he has been too good. You all should see him with Mills. It is remarkable! Having to take care of the two of us has been hard on him I'm sure, but he has done a wonderful job.

It's a BOY! Mills Oliver is here!!!!

So sorry for the late post, but as you all can imagine, I have been extremely busy and a tad bit overwhelmed. Mills Oliver arrived yesterday, August 13th at 4:22pm. He was 6lbs. 10oz. and 19.5" long, and is absolutely gorgeous!
Yesterday was a busy day. I made it to 8cm, but my contractions were making baby's heart rate drop. So, instead of causing stress, we opted to go ahead and get him out! It was all so fast. My epidural was wonderful, but the increased dosage prior to my c-section made me shake uncontrollably. I was shaking so hard that my neck started to hurt something awful before and during the surgery. I have definitely decided that not being able to feel my legs is one of the most awful feelings. I was completely numb from my stomach down which is a good thing, but still it was weird! I felt like complete dead weight, and very uncomfortable. I was so happy when I finally got the feeling back. Right now, I am very sore from my incision, but am trying to get around as much as possible. Getting out of bed is easier than getting in but I am taking it slow. Mills is feeding "okay." We had a little bit of trouble at first, but I am hoping that will be a thing of the past. I know that it just takes practice, and that I should be patient. I guess I am worried that I am starving him. He has had 3 really good feedings, and the others have been short, "okay" feedings. He gets a little mad at first, but eventually catches on. Well, some of the time. Now he is sleeping. He does that a lot too! ha!

Update #2

Well, I am still here. It is almost 12:00. The epidural wasn't that bad, but I was a little more tense than I wanted. We really liked the anesthesiologist! I am VERY numb. My blood pressure did drop a bit after the medicine was administered, so the baby's heart rate dropped, but all is good now. I am on oxygen, and I had planned to do video updates, but can't very well talk with an oxygen mask on my face- lol! I am a little over 4cm dilated and my contractions are about 3 minutes apart. Will update later!

Love,

Update 1

We are here at Methodist Germantown. We checked in at 7:30. I was put in a room at 8:00, "IV'd, etc. Dr. Williams came in and broke my water and examined me at 8:45. Wow what a gush! LOL. It didn't feel too good either, but I am fine. I have had my first contraction at 9:10, I had my next Big one 15 minutes later and...okay I'm getting my epidural- bye!

The Night Before...BABY!

Well, tonight is our last night as just Erik, Amy, and Joey. I did work today. Many call that crazy, but no work = no pay. I had plans to go to work, come home, eat supper, clean house, and make sure that I had everything ready to go. Plans did not turn out, well okay, they did, but it is 10:00 and I am just now sitting down to read my email and wind down for bed. The phone has rang off the hook since 5:00. I do appreciated every one's calls and well wishes for tomorrow!!! Thank you all for thinking of us. We need it. Right now, I am fine. I am not nervous, just a little anxious, but I guarantee that I will be a basket-case on the way to the hospital and probably beg Erik to turn the car around. Ha! Just kidding. Its hard to believe that our sweet baby boy will be here tomorrow. Right now, as I sit here typing, he is moving around like a wild man. No kidding, you should see my belly. It's quite humorous. I think he's trying to bust his way out of there! You would think that he's run out of room, but our last ultrasound revealed that he still had many fluid pockets to move around in. Maybe that means that he will be a small baby. It wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if he was under 7lbs. Dr. Williams seems to think that he will be a little over 7. We will see!
Plans for tomorrow are still the same. Erik and I are to check in at 7:30am. Please keep checking the blog. I plan on updating everyone this way, but am making no promises. My goal is to have a video on here, but we will see!! Again, I make no promises. I am just praying for a speedy and safe labor and delivery. Good night to everyone. Come see us!

Love,

Thoughts...

It seems as if summer has arrived. It kills me to even walk to the mailbox! We have been so lucky to have had nice weather in July, with the exception of raining everyday. Although, I will admit that having rain was better than being bone dry. Right now, I am sitting here contemplating on what to eat for dinner. E is at work, and I am so tired of cooking for myself every night. I'm just tired period, and its hot! I haven't had many options of food that I can eat, and right now, if I see another cucumber, turkey sandwich, bunch of grapes, egg, or loaf of wheat bread, I will more than likely pull my hair out! I don't know how real diabetics do it. I miss eating potatoes and the occasional fast food outing. I can't wait to eat some pizza and pasta, and even have a piece of cake or a brownie for that matter. I think I could eat a whole plate of Laurie's Whimsy Cookies after this baby is born! I've drank so much water in the past 9 months that I should be floating. Someone please pass the sweet tea! We are on the countdown, and in 5 days, I will get to meet our little Mills, and I am praying that I will have an easy labor and that our baby boy will be a healthy one! And please pray that my gestational diabetes will be GONE! It hasn't really been that bad at all, checking my sugar and eating a healthy diet, but now its just getting plain old!

Dr. Visit- 38 weeks

E and I just returned home from our weekly Dr. appt. I know many of you were not expecting me to come home, but we are home and relaxing this afternoon. Our appt. was at 1:45. Today I am officially 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I am still 3cm dilated, and Dr. Williams said that last week I was really between 2 & 3 cm. I am 70% effaced, so I have made progress there. Before leaving the appointment, we discussed induction, which is something that I have never wanted, but I don't want baby in there for weeks on end either. When we left the Dr's office, our plans were to induce on August 17, which is our due date. We were fine with that, but on the way home, I received a call on my cell phone telling me that Methodist Germantown was booked on that day, and that we would have to schedule on a different day. We really want Dr. Williams to deliver Mills, so if he doesn't come before Thursday, August 13, I will be admitted that morning at 7:30 for induction.

Date n' Weight Poll

Since I have been getting NUMEROUS bets on when Mills will be here and how much he is going to weigh, I though I would do a little poll. As many of you may know, when I was at the Dr. on Friday, I was 60% effaced and 3 cm dilated. Friday before last, Mills' ultrasound revealed that he was about 5lbs. 12oz. (I know that is just an estimated guess based on measurements). At that time, I was 50% effaced and 1cm dilated. So, you do the math. What do you think? Give us a date n' weight.

I Said I Wanted What?

Many of you have asked what I have missed eating the most since my diabetes "diagnosis." Some of you know that I have craved chocolate cake. Why? Well, those of you that know me best know that I like an occasional "sweet," but am not big into dessert after dinner or eating many sweets at all. Why the sudden change? Well, my diabetic nurse and dietitian told me that have diabetes will make you crave sugar. I believe it, because my behavior is totally abnormal! I will say that I had to break myself from Hostess cupcakes after E and I married in 2002. It wasn't helping with the "happy fat" that I was gaining due to being a newly married woman. Other than that, I really haven't ever wanted things like that. Okay, back to my point. For those of you who I have told that I want a piece of P.F. Chang's "Great Wall of Chocolate" after the baby is born, maybe I'd better think twice about that, unless about 10 of you want to stay and help me eat it.

ANY VOLUNTEERS?

Why did I look this up? Ugh!