Month 4

Happy 4 Months Bryce

Again…sorry for the late posting.  He is already almost 5 months!! 

Someday I'll trade in this red stroller....

This month we took our first family vacation. There is a little place called Celebration Florida that Daddy and I have become very fond of.  They host a yearly exotic car show which we have traveled to in the past.  We were there exactly one year ago and had no idea how our lives were about to change!  In fact Bryce was with us then too, we just didn’t know it yet!! I must admit I was a little anxious as this was our first flight and first time away from home, but Bryce was such an easy going little guy. We certainly won’t hesitate to travel with him again!! (We did feel a little bit like "rednecks" though as we had to put Bryce in a drawer to sleep!! lol

Bryce is still growing like a weed.  He weighs 18lbs 8oz and measures 31.5” in length.  He is going to be a BIG boy!  We were actually at a play date recently with several babies, some who were older, but all were much smaller. (Weight wise anyways)  I figure that’s why he still doesn’t sleep through the whole night as he is just a hungry baby bird!!

Speaking of hungry, we have started him on solid food.  The first week was very messy as he couldn’t quite coordinate his tongue. Therefore, most food ended up on his chin!  Now he LOVES  is yummy nummy big boy food.  He has tried and loves Rice and Oatmeal cereal.  He has also tried Carrots, Squash, and Sweet Potato – as well as Blueberries and Apple Sauce.  It’s only been a couple of weeks but I notice that he IS sleeping better.  He usually goes to bed at 7pm, and will often wake once or twice for a quick feed…but then sleeps till about 6am.  

Bryce also just cut his first tooth - at four months and 22 days.  He has been a little bit fussy these last days, with periods of unprovoked, inconsolable crying.  Also a couple of days ago, I noticed a little blood tinged saliva in his mouth and thought maybe he had gummed his tongue.  So I looked today and saw an opening and felt a sharp little tooth poking through! Not quite as early as his papa Wayne…but I’d say about 2 months ahead of what’s considered “average”!

Well that’s about all the update I have time for.  I promise to try and get month 5 posted when Bryce is STILL actually 5 months!! :)

Month 3

Happy Month 3 Big Boy Bryce

Sorry to my followers...that I’m late with my post this month.  It feels like I never have enough time to just sit and write when there is so much else to do.  And at night time when he finally falls asleep, I’m too exhausted to be creative!  

Unfortunately, we haven’t made much progress in terms of sleeping through the night.  But that’s my fault.  I realize that I have created a `trained night feeder’.  Instead of being able to self soothe when he wakes, he demands a bottle for comfort which he really only sips on –never really drinks.  So painful as it is, I’ve taken away the “in bed bottle”.  And I’m also trying to stretch out the hours between bottles to condition his little tummy to sleep through the night. Apparently babies at his age should be able to go 6-8 hours between feeds. Today is the first day of this new game plan.  He’s done well but not without a lot of crying at bedtime/naptime.  It was hard not to cave and just give him the bottle – knowing it would be the magic soother.  But I figure short term pain, long term gain…and much more sleep for everyone!  *At the time of this post, I CAVED!  This game plan was an epic fail! :s *

Bryce loves to swim in the big tub at bath time.  He is definitely a water baby just like his mommy.  He loves to float on his back and kicks his arms and legs like a crazy person.  There is typically a lot of water to clean up after he is done.  Knowing that he loved to play in the tub so much, I took him swimming which was not much of a hit.  I think because the water was much colder than the tub, it was a bit of a shock.  Plus he had to wear a “swim diaper” with was too big and scrunchy.  We’ll try again in a week or two.  Eventually I’d like to put him in swimming lessons, as he will be spending a lot of time around Nana’s pool.

Bryce had another vaccination at his 3 month appointment -this time for Rotavirus.  Thankfully not a needle but an oral suspension.  However, it really made him “off” for about a week. (Irritable and spitting up) Apparently a small price to pay to avoid getting the real deal!  And, he is still growing like a weed - weighing in at 16lbs 10oz. (Maybe it’s from all those ‘night time’ bottles that he didn’t need!)

He is really growing into a little boy with a big personality.  He LOVES getting naked (typical boy) and loves to be tickled. And yes, he is definitely teething which has created a new game called “Bitey face”.  He scrunches up his face and lunches for my cheek, chin, or nose…even growls for added effect!  Poor wee boy.  Being an infant is really for the birds! (Not sure where that saying came from) No mobility-completely dependent-poked with needles-teething….it’s a good thing we don’t remember our infancy!

We also had Bryce’s Baptism last month.  Thank you to all who helped to create such a wonderful celebration.  I was afraid the gown wasn’t going to fit my little “chub-a-lub” but it did…JUST!  If we had waited much longer, we might have needed a shoe horn.  And of course he was good as gold, even smiling at Canon Christine as she performed the ceremony.  I can’t say it enough…that we really lucked out to get such a happy baby!  He is just full of pure joy...unless his bottle is slow to be made!!

Still can't believe he's here.  I wonder when the shock will wear off!?  lol

Month 2

Happy 2 Months Baby Bryce!

Well another month has come and gone.  Seems like a lifetime ago that I was pregnant and anxiously awaiting his arrival.  (Dare I say it…I actually miss being pregnant!)

So things seem to be less chaotic this month as Bryce and I work out a schedule. Basically he makes the rules and I follow!  Actually, I’ve been reading “The Baby Whisperer” by Tracy Hogg.  She is an English Nanny and Midwife who wrote a book to help parents connect, communicate, and establish a routine with their baby.  What I love best is that she says to treat your infant with respect.  You should talk to them and explain things as you are doing them…just like you would an adult you were caring for.  And she says to remember that babies are not really “ours” but a separate person –a gift that we’ve been given to take care of.   

I’ve noticed a big difference in Bryce over the last couple of weeks.  He is really developing a little personality and is so much more interactive.  For the most part, as soon as he opens his eyes, he will smile and coo…sometimes even laugh out loud.  He his rarely demanding and is happy to sit back and watch the household activity.  He has just recently noticed Madigan and stares at her with a very puzzled look.  He must think he has a really ugly, hairy sister!?  I do feel blessed to have such a good little boy.  Now if only he would sleep a little more!

Bryce received his first vaccinations at his 2 month Doctors visit.  I hold to hold his pudgy little legs while the Doctor jabbed him with not one but TWO needles.  For the first he was very brave…hardly even flinched.  But she warned me that the 2^nd one would sting and sure enough, he howled inconsolably for 15 minutes.  I felt terrible!  I was supposed to protect him from the bad lady with the owie needles!  Otherwise, everything else was fine at the visit.  He weighs a hefty 14lbs 10oz….which puts him in the 97^th percentile!  Little chubalub! 

Is it possible that Bryce is teething already?  He has been irritable for several days, which I originally attributed to the needles, but he is also drooling and sticking out his tongue a lot?!  I read that teething usually occurs between 3-7months but can happen early in some cases.  And according to Great Grandma ,  Poppa Wayne had 2 teeth by 3 months!  He’ll be even more adorable with a couple little teeth in that wide gummy grin of his!

Can’t wait to see what milestones Month 3 will bring.

Month 1

I’m back…

Well it’s been a little over a month...where has the time gone?!  I guess that’s something I need to get used to now that I have a baby.  Before I know it, he’ll be grown and leaving the nest.  So where do I start to catch y’all up?

The Birth 

It all began on a cold winter morning, Dec 13^th at 4am to be exact, when I went downstairs to let the dog out.  As I was standing there, I felt an odd trickle sensation – just the tiniest bit.  Now being enormously pregnant at the time, I brushed it off as any number of un-pleasantries that befall a women in my state and went back to bed.  About an hour later, I felt more of the same but in greater quantity and finally realized that it was probably amniotic fluid.  Duh…not too smart for a Paramedic.  I guess I just assumed it would happen with a little more DRAMA!  I decided to wake “Daddy” but told him not to panic.  I wasn’t having contractions and knew that I had up to 24hrs before there was risk of infection etc.  I even told “Daddy” to go on about his day as normal and I would call him if anything changed.  Around 8am, I called the hospital for some advice and they suggested I come in at 10am for an assessment.  I was put in a room and was asked many standard questions about the pregnancy and the events leading up to my arrival at the hospital.  Without any kind of exam, she stated that they would probably just discharge me home to await contractions.  However the doctor who took my case, decided that since Bryce was expected to be a big boy, he recommended staying  to be monitored.  It was then that the Nurse did an exam and discovered I was already 4cm - which required that I be admitted anyways.  I thought great…I’m already at 4cm and had no pain.  This is going to be a piece of cake.  What’s all this labour fuss about?  Well I was about to find out!  The nurse decided to get the ball rolling and started a Pitocin drip at 1pm.  For some time, they kept asking me if I felt any pain/contractions, and I cheerily said no.  So they dialed me up again and again to maximum dose.

It was then that they figured something must be impeding my contractions and sure enough, my partially broken “amniotic sac” was providing too much cushion to progress.  They manually ruptured the membrane and that’s when the fun began.  And by fun, I mean the complete opposite of fun.  It’s strange though because in hindsight, it’s hard to actually remember or describe the pain.  When I was pregnant, I would always ask friends or search online for a description of what it felt like and could never get a satisfying answer.  And that’s because you really do forget the pain!  I remember (especially during the final transition phase) that it was an intense, all encompassing, make you leave your body kinda pain…but I can’t really describe it exactly.  And yes, as with my Mother and Sister, I turned down the epidural.  (Which I think I would have traded all my vital organs for at the time!)  And don’t believe them when they say a warm bath will help with the pain!  All it did was make you cold, wet, and then have the indignity to streak naked from the bathroom back to the hospital bed!  Here’s an interesting fact - at the Queensway Carelton Hospital, 80% of patients opt for an epidural!  We should get a plaque...posted on the wall of pain!  :)  Anyways after about 4 hours of labour, I was ready to push.  Unfortunately for me..and Bryce, he was sunny side up which made for a difficult delivery.  After some very uncomfortable manual manipulation, he was turned lateral (sideways) which was a better but not ideal position. 2 long hours later at 18:59, he was born weighing an impressive 8lbs 14oz 

Now what makes the day of his birth even extra special is that he arrived on his great Grandma's 98^th birthday!  Throughout the pregnancy, there was discussion about how neat it would be to have him on that day and as chance would have it, Bryce decided to make his grand appearance!!  Unfortunately the birth was a little stressful on Bryce and he was immediately whisked away to the attentive care of the delivery team.  His initial APGAR was only 6/10 and he required some aggressive suctioning and positive pressure ventilation.  After some time, he came back to me for some skin to skin contact and bonding…although they were on the fence whether he should go to the nursery for further medical attention.  His second APGAR improved to 8 and although he still had some minor breathing difficulties, they allowed him to remain with me for the duration of my stay.

Going Home

After 2 agonizingly long nights at the hospital, I was discharged home with this new little bundle.  No instruction manual...which I assumed would be delivered along with the placenta.  I couldn’t believe that they just let people take home other new little people without any formal instruction.  I mean they should have a required college course or something.  Exams and scenarios should be mandatory!!  But no, they said we were good to go and we would just have to figure things out like all the other parents before us.  First lesson was learned by Daddy who went out to retrieve the car seat.  With all the commotion , he had forgotten how to unlatch the car seat from the base and ended up having to remove the whole contraption and lug it into the hospital. ..big old base and all! I’m sure that clearly indicated to all who saw, that we were definitely first time parents. :)

Once home…it was like O.K, now what?   There was no structure, no routine, and definitely no sleep.  I can say with absolute certainty that this is the hardest (but most rewarding) thing I have ever done.  And Bryce is an amazing baby! I can't imagine how I would have coped with a colicky version! He's so good. Rarely fusses except in 3 instances. 1)Hungry-which is ALL the time 2) Bubbles in his tummy 3) Wet diaper.  I am truly blessed to have such a happy, easy going little boy!  We did however run into difficulty breastfeeding.  He was a great "latcher" from the beginning but come his first doctor’s appointment, I was informed that he had barely gained back any of his birth weight.  In fact he had only gained 1 ounce in 5 days of exclusive breast feeding.  Poor little hungry boy.  She recommended supplementing with formula until my milk “came in”.  Well, I don’t think it ever really came in. Not in quantities that would ever satisfy this constant hungry baby bird.  So I pumped and fed home bottles for the next 3 days until a follow Doctor's appointment.  He steadily gained weight, 8lbs 5oz, 8lbs 10oz, 9lbs 2oz, until his one month appointment where he weighed a whopping 11lbs 8oz!  While I feel disappointed that I haven’t been able to exclusively breastfeed, he seems to be thriving on formula. Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses and move on to the next challenge.  Otherwise, things have been going really well.  It has been a very steep learning curve, and there have been many tears shed…especially at the beginning. But when I look at him now and he gives me a little smile, all the worry and sleepless nights have been worth it.  At times, I still find myself in shock that I have a baby. I guess because I spent so many years without one!  Sometimes I’ll be pushing the grocery cart through a store, look down to see the car seat, and say to myself “who put this baby in my cart?!”  Ha-Ha You’d think after giving birth to him,  his presence in my life would be very believable and hard to forget!!! lol

I’ve been taking pictures of him every week and documenting his days in a baby book.  It’s incredible to see how he changes from week to week, not only in appearance but also in development.  One day he goes from smiling randomly (gas) to smiling when he see's our face. And now he focuses on his crib mobile and has little discussions with the dangling objects, kicking his feet and cooing with delight. 

So I think as with the pregnancy, I'd like to continue adding to this baby blog on a monthly basis.  It’s a neat way to document his milestones with stories and photos…and will be a great memento for Bryce to read in the future!

39th Week

Well the stork arrived and brought me the most wonderful gift.

Bryce Anthony Fritz

Born 11/12/13 @ 18:59
8lbs 14oz, and 22.5" long

Stay tuned for an update...my hands are a little full at the moment while I figure out this "mommy" thing.  :)

Thanks to all of you for your support!!!

38th Week

Another week has passed… welcome Week 39  (I’m nervous and excited!)

I wonder if this will be my last weekly pregnant photo?

Week 38 was a busy one in terms of medical appointments.  At my weekly OB check-up, my BP was once again elevated so Dr. A sent me to the Queensway Birthing Centre for some tests and blood work.  I was hooked up to a fetal monitor where I listened to Bryce’s heart rate for the duration of my visit.  It ranged from 134 when he was quiet to 180 when he was moving around.  I was also attached to a “contraction” monitor and had 4 episodes of painless “uterine activity” in 20 minutes.  After speaking with the on duty physician, she had me come back 2 days later for follow-up tests.  Apparently one of the blood test results came back with a high result (indicating my Kidney’s are stressed) but they were not concerned enough to keep or induce me.  Dr. A. also had me book an ultrasound for Dec. 20^th (just in case I go past my due date).  She will then schedule an induction.  (I can’t imagine waiting another 2 weeks!!)

This week was full of pampering.  I figure it might be a long time before I can get back to a spa in the coming months.  So I had a pedicure done (thanks to “Daddy"),  and painted my toenails BLUE in anticipation of the arrival of our baby boy!  I also managed to get my hair cut and add some highlights to freshen up my tired look.  

These last couple of weeks have been the longest I think.  I’m always on high alert for any little “sign” that labour is imminent.  I have been feeling a little crampy for probably 5 days now but nothing has come of it.  Secretly I hope that means I’m dilating a tiny bit so that I will have less work to do on the actual day! 

What’s happening with Baby this week? “Only two more weeks (or plus two more, max) before your baby makes his or her appearance. And what an adorable appearance that will be! Your little one isn't so little anymore — weighing in at close to seven pounds and hitting the height charts at the 21-inch mark (or less). As you prepare (best you can) for baby's ETA, he or she is also getting ready, big time. Vernix and lanugo continue to shed from your baby's body into the amniotic fluid. Your baby swallows that amniotic fluid (yum yum?) and some of it winds up in his or her intestines where it — along with other shed cells, bile, and other waste products (triple yum) — will turn into your baby's first bowel movement (meconium) and perhaps your first diaper change.  Your baby's lungs continue to mature as more and more surfactant is secreted (remember — it helps prevent the lungs from sticking to each other when your baby begins to breathe…definitely a good thing).  At 38 weeks pregnant, all systems are go!

7 days to go…plus or minus!  Yikes!!

37th Week

13 days to go?!  That gives me butterflies in my tummy!!!

Had my weekly check-up with the Doctor and she finally "wrote" me off one day shy of 38weeks.  Apparently because my BP has been elevated x 2 weeks, and with the swelling in my legs and feet, plus the higher than average weight gain (fluid) plus some other symptoms...she is concerned about Pre-eclampsia.  She has arranged an appointment at the Queensway Carleton Birthing Centre for today (Friday Dec 2nd) to have blood work drawn and run other test to determine the next course of action.  Perhaps they will recommend induction which I'm not keen on....but whatever is necessary for the safety of all.

My workplace seemed shocked that I was leaving even though they've had 8+ months to prepare.  In fact as I was leaving at 11am on my last day...they were STILL trying to task me with projects.  It was so ridiculous, I had to laugh.  I'm sure they think that I will be logging on to work from home...which I did actually do yesterday.  But that was just a one time thing...;)

While I'm still in awe over my body's ability to allow my tummy to stretch so much....I also can't believe how much my legs have swollen.  Even after a night with them "elevated" I still end up with pitted dents from where my other knee was resting.  A deep enough dent that I could use it as a bowl!  lol   Obviously just a temporary condition...but amazing what the body goes through during pregnancy.  And even more amazing that we all go back to normal....well sort of!! :)

What's happening with baby this week? "If you haven't yet delivered, you've reached the calm before the storm. You're probably monitoring your body for those first Early Labor symptoms and wondering what you've forgotten. Your smooshed-up baby is weighing in at around 6.3 lbs and 19 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). As far as their internal organs go, your adorable baby has reached "term" - a medical term that means your sweet little bun is birth-ready and labor is welcome and normal at this point. Despite being physically ready to land on planet Earth, your baby's immune system is quite weak and will continue to be that way for their first years of life.  Thankfully, your breast milk (aka "boob medicine") protects your child via protective antibodies that are present in your milk."

He could come any day!!  How exciting!! :)