4 Months and Growing

Rhett is the most amazing little boy! I know, I know! Every parent feels that way about their child. But I'm not kidding you, he rocks! He had his 4 month check-up. Dude likes to eat! He weighed in at 15 pounds 13 ounces (up 3 pounds exactly in two months)!!! He was 24 inches long. He seems to be on schedule developmentally. He learned how to roll from his tummy to his back. Which is great, except when it's time for him to go to sleep and he's a bit fussy and he rolls himself onto his back...then he doesn't want to go to sleep cause he's on his back. We have to go flip him back over. Speaking of sleep, he's super good at it! He sleeps about 12 hours a night. Sometimes it's a little less, but for the most part that's about what he gets. I'm afraid to even think about having another child. We're completely spoiled with Rhett.

 

His latest thing is his oral development. He loves his tongue. He is a drool factory. We are constantly wiping his mouth. He loves to blow spit bubbles. It is so much fun watching him grow. He loves to smile and coo and giggle. We discovered that when the dog barks, he thinks it's absolutely hilarious! I'm hoping to get a video of that. It's really funny. He can sit for about a half second before he topples over, but he's working on it. He pushes up on his elbows when he's on his tummy. Just this last week he starting rolling onto his side from his back. So I'm sure that the rolling over and over is not far away. It's just about time to do some baby proofing. I think our neighbor is going to help us build some sort of cabinet for our tv. Right now all of the wires and Brandon's games are exposed and ready for baby to put them in his mouth!

 

Things are going well at work. It re-certification time so it's a little extra busy. But that should be over this week. Thankfully! Brandon is LOVING being a stay-at-home dad. He's starting to get his routine. He takes Rhett for walks to the park every night. I have to be honest and say that I'm completely jealous. But I know that one day things will be different. I'm just Brandon's sugar mamma right now! LOL But things are good. We are definitely a very happy family. 

We have a few trips planned for this summer that we are looking forward to. The first is at the end of July. It's Brandon's family reunion that we go to every year. It's in North Texas this year, just before the Oklahoma border. That should be fun. We'll get to show off Rhett to all of that family and his Nana and Grandpa (Dedecek and Babička if I have my way, Czech for Grandpa and Grandma). Then in August we are going home to WA!!! I am so extremely excited for this. Rhett will get to meet his great-grandparents and the rest of my siblings, not to mention see his Grandma and Grandpa Burton! I can't wait. Then in October we are going to NY for our friends wedding. Should be a very exciting summer! I'm a little nervous to fly with Rhett but I think he'll do great. Well that's about it for us for now! 

The Joy of Motherhood

I have been meaning to post another blog for quite some time now. I guess I have just been busy with other things. Like my 7 week old baby boy! So now that I have a few moments, I thought I'd give you a little bit about how motherhood has been for me.



To be honest, it has been a bit surreal...especially at first. Its strange how one moment you're pregnant and the next you have this little person that depends on you for everything. I love being a mom and wouldn't change it for the world. I try to remember what life was like before "mom" became a part of my vocabulary and honestly, it's a bit difficult. As you all probably know, pregnancy was a bit difficult for me. While I was pregnant, becoming pregnant again was the farthest thing from my mind. But now that I have Rhett, I think I could suffer through another pregnancy if my next baby is to be anything like him. He's wonderful.

The first few weeks were rough. I was extremely sore from breastfeeding and up a lot during the night. Brandon was working and going to school. During the week it was only me up with him at night. Needless to say, I was sleep deprived. But we made it through. Rhett sleeps pretty well these days. There have been a few occasions where he has slept 7 hours. Granted, those nights are sparse. But on average he sleeps a good 4 hours, wakes up to eat and goes back to sleep for another 4 hours. He is so precious. I just can't get over the feeling of how blessed we are.



Things are about to change in the Simek household. Today was Brandon's last day at work. He is now officially a stay-at-home dad! I'm very proud of him for this. He will still be going to school. Right now, he only has school 2 days a week. This is good because it makes working for me much easier. I start back to work on Tuesday March 10th. I'm pretty nervous about the transition. Part of me worries that I've forgotten how to be a nurse. I know that I'll be fine but will most likely ask a lot of dumb questions. I'm also nervous about having to pump at work. How will I have time? Will my milk supply decrease? I bought a pump when Rhett was about 3 weeks old and have been pumping and freezing milk. I am also able to have enough to feed him a bottle every night. So right now, we're okay. I'm just paranoid. I never thought I was a worry-wart...then I became a mom! Going back to work is going to be tough and I will cry...shoot I already have! However, I'm very thankful that I have a job to go back to and that we are able to keep Rhett out of daycare! I'm just going to miss him so much!



In other news, Rhett is 7 weeks old today! He has reached a few milestones already in his short little life. He began smiling a ton. I love making him smile. He likes it when you clap his hands. He is also much more aware of his hands and feet. He waves them all around. He has his 2 month well-baby visit scheduled for the 20th. I know he has to get shots. I just feel so bad for him, but it has to be done. He's a strong boy, he'll survive! (But will I?)



I think that's about it for now. We're just enjoying the time that we have together as a new little family. We've enjoyed having the multiple visitors that we've had. Rhett is a much loved little man. My parents and sister Emily were here when he was born. Then Brandon's mother was here for a weekend and then his father the next. Rhett met his Uncle Russell and (someday officially) Aunt Lindsey. Just last week his Uncle Jeremiah and Aunt Madi were here from Washington for a visit! That was extremely special for me. I am trying to convince them to move to Texas. Jeremiah was down with the idea but Madi was a bit skeptical. My family in Washington wasn't too thrilled with the idea either! Rhett made his first road trip while they were here. We went to San Antonio! He is officially a Texan now...he saw the Alamo!



He did really well but ended up with a nasty diaper rash (his first!) It was so sad. We hated changing his diaper because he would just scream. It was even so raw at one point that he was bleeding...talk about a heart breaker! Thank goodness for Butt Paste! That stuff is a miracle worker! His rash is all healed up now and he is a much happier boy!

Okay, that's really all for now. Until next time! Check out his videos on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/user/jennaloree

Rhett James Simek

On January 16 2009 at 9:58 am, Brandon and I were blessed with a precious baby boy. It was an uncomplicated, very fast delivery. I went in Thursday evening for an elective induction that would take place Friday morning. However, my body had different plans in mind. I had been contracting all day Thursday but they weren't consistent and not very painful. By 3am the contractions were really starting to hurt and by 7 I was asking for an epidural. I spontaneously broke my bag of water shortly after 7. That is when the real pain started. The contractions before this hurt, but these were really intense and coming one right on top of the other. The anesthesiologist finally showed up to start my epidural. Waiting for him felt like forever. I was also shaking really bad. My mind was telling me that I was cold. By the time the doctor got there it was probably 80 degrees in the delivery room. Sorry Dr. Monteiro! :) After all the education and warnings about the epidural were read, it was finally placed shortly after 8. I received about 30 minutes of relief before the contractions really started hurting again. At one point my nurse was asking me if my nose ring could come out and if I had any other jewelery on in case they needed to do a c-section. She wasn't sure because I was having so much pain despite the epidural. Also Rhett's heart rate kept dropping. Some time around 915, my doctor showed up to say hello. He had a few comical remarks about how he thought he would be delivering me later on that afternoon. Nobody thought I would go so fast, especially since it was my first time. It was then that the nurse checked me . She soon realized why I was having so much discomfort. From the time just before my epidural was placed, probably around 730, to now, I had gone from 3cm to 9 1/2 (about an hour and a half). She said I just had a little bit of cervix left and then it would be time to push. I did a few practices pushes with the nurse when she told me to stop pushing. Rhett was about to enter this world and I guess she wanted the doctor there to deliver him. :) My doctor showed up just in time. I pushed through one more contraction and then Rhett was here! I pushed for a total of 8 minutes! When he came out, he had the cord wrapped around his neck twice. Thus the reason that his heart rate had dropped the whole time I was trying to get him out. It's a miracle that my labor went as quickly as it did. Otherwise I'm sure he would have been delivered in a crash c-section because of his heart rate. As the doctor and nurses were trying to get the cord cut or flipped over his head, he decided to propel the rest of the way out of the birthing canal. He somersaulted out and the doctor nearly dropped him!!! NO JOKE!!! I couldn't really see, but I remember hearing my doctor say, "I got him, I got him! I haven't dropped one yet!" Rhett was pretty slippery. His name does mean "fiery". What were we thinking naming him that? There was some laughter over all of this. Once the cord was taken off of his neck, his color improved tremendously. He was just a little gray at first. He is absolutely amazing! We are in love and feel truly blessed!

Per hospital policy we had to stay two nights. I was pretty bummed about this. I was just anxious to get my little guy home. My blood pressure had crept up slightly on my last few prenatal visits. It remained slightly elevated during the delivery and after. It was still higher than my norm when I was discharged. I guess it's not too high because nobody was too alarmed by it. Being a cardiac nurse, see a systolic blood pressure in the 130's isn't bad! I see much higher! Other than that, I really have had no complications. Rhett took to breast feeding like a champ! It's been a little painful for me, but it's slowly getting better. Our first night home was really rough. Rhett was awake and wanting to nurse every hour. But after that he must have set his schedule because he's been sleeping great at night. He nurses frequently throughout the day and then sleeps for a good 3-4 hour block at night. I am so thankful! Shoot, who knows, he could be sleeping through the night by 6 weeks.

Rhett was 6 pounds 9 ounces at birth. At discharge, he had dropped 9% of his birth weight and was only 6 pounds. The pediatrician that discharged him was a little concerned about this and told us to follow-up with his pediatrician the next day. We did and he maintained his weight. He was still 6 pounds, in grams he had actually gone up slightly. We had another weight check when he was 6 days old. His weight had gone up 4 ounces in 3 days and the doctor was very pleased. He last weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces. His 2 week well-baby check is today (1/29). Hopefully he's back up to his birth weight or more.

We are so blessed by this little boy. I can't believe how much your life changes in just an instant. It's no longer about me, but about this perfect little person. I can't stop starring at him. I kiss him all the time. He is just too precious for words. Thank you Lord for giving us this beautiful, precious boy. He truly is a miracle.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Holy Smokes I'm 28!

Yes another year has come and gone. This birthday was a little different from the last. I guess for the obvious reason that I'm knocked up! I was just a whole lot more mellow. I think it's exhausting growing a baby! Brandon had a party for me and all my friends came over. It was a lot of fun and so great to know that I'm so loved. Thanks guys! It's just weird how much things change as you get older. I'm feeling pretty old! :) It's okay though because the majority of my friends will always be older. ha ha love you guys! You're amazing. Thanks for a wonderful birthday!

IT'S A BOY!!!

I figured it was high time I got on here and posted about the news we received this week. Brandon and I are going to have a son. I have to be honest is saying that I've been in somewhat of a state of shock these past couple days. I swore and totally had myself convinced that it was a girl...even to the extent that I was really calling him a her in my head whenever I thought about the baby. When the sonographer said it was a boy, I could not believe it. But the shock has begun to set in and I'm looking forward to having a little boy in the house. I know Brandon is going to LOVE being a daddy to a little boy. We have surprisingly already settled on a name. This too was surprising for me. But we've had this name picked out for quite some time, even before talking about having kids. Our son will be named Rhett James Simek. Once we found out it was a boy and it all became real, I kinda didn't like the name anymore. But now I'm using it a lot and talking to him using his name (my book says he can already recognize my voice). And well, it's all setting in. I have a son named Rhett James Simek. How crazy is that!

As far as my appointment went, all looks grand. I'm still having nausea and my doctor is now saying that some women suffer the entire time...lucky me! I guess he's giving up on giving me false hope that this will dissipate. Because of all the nausea and zero, actually I gained 8/10 of a pound, weight gain I was concerned about Rhett. I hoped he was growing and getting all he needed but was so unsure. He is. All of his measurements came back great. He's exactly where he should be. He weighs 10 ounces already!!! I couldn't believe it. Last Sunday I began feeling him move. At first I thought I was feeling him move to which my husband plainly told me was gas! It kept happening and I now know it's him moving. Now that I know what I'm feeling it's so amazing to have that reassurance of him moving around in my belly. He was very active for the ultrasound too.

So all is well with our baby. Just growing right along. My belly is getting a little bigger too. :)
Have a great weekend. We're off to register for baby stuff! I'm so excited!

Ahhh Life

Wow, where do I begin? It seems like so much has happened since my last blog. For starters, I am 18 weeks today. I guess I should take a picture of my rapidly growing tummy and put it on here for ya. I may just do that. It's odd, I feel like my tummy is getting bigger but I haven't gained a pound. I'm still about (it fluctuates) 6-8 pounds under my starting weight. This makes me a little nervous. But I swear to you, I eat. I think I just have a massively fast metabolism these days. Next week at my 19th week appointment we will have an ultrasound to check the baby out. They do a full exam of the baby and take measurements and all that. Hopefully we'll be able to see if it's a boy or a girl. I can hardly wait. So that's my baby update. Still about the same there. Not sick as much but still sick. Last week I had the worst day of my entire pregnancy...it was miserable. I pray that it was the last. I do pretty well now as long as I eat and pretty much keep food in my belly 24/7.

This picture was taken last week (17 weeks). I'm about the same.

Next? Brandon is all registered for school. He'll be taking classes this fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's taking 13 credits, which counts as full time, so he'll be a busy boy. He's taking Physics II plus the lab, English Comp II, Intro to Psych, and US Government. BLAH!!! That's my opinion of those classes, but he's so stinking smart it won't even phase him. We've been talking a lot about our plans for after the baby is born. I really want him to finish school. It's imperative that he does, at least in my opinion. So (yes this was his idea) we have decided that he's going to be a stay-at-home-daddy! I'm a little bummed about the prospect because it was always something that I had wanted for myself. In all honesty it's the best idea we've had. If he was working, the money he would be making would just be going to pay for childcare anyway. I would much rather my child be with their daddy than some stranger. So that is our plan. I'll just make my schedule so that I'm home the days he has school. I'm hopeful that it will work out well.

MY BABY BROTHER IS GETTING MARRIED!!!

That's right! Jeremiah! I could not be more excited for him. It's all happening fast and not for any other reason than they want to be together and live together. He just moved into a duplex that they're going to rent in the Tumwater area (of WA). The wedding is set for September 27, I believe at 3 pm. I am so excited for him and his fiancee. Madi has been a part of Jeremiah's life for the past year. She has made him such a better person and we all just love her! I'm so excited to have another sister-in-law! So now I get the joy of buying plane tickets. Yay! The last time we flew was not so much fun, I was so sick. I'm praying for a better experience this time. Plus I'll have a cute little belly to show off to friends and family at home that would otherwise not be able to experience this part of my pregnancy. That's fun for me. I may even get a baby shower while I'm there...talk about a busy weekend.

Well I think that's all on the updates for now. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week.

15 weeks almost over!

Yep, only two more days of week 15! I can't believe how fast time is going when I look back. I will be the first one to admit that the last 3 months have been trying and a bit miserable. I really am hopeful that the sickness is in it's last days. Shoot, it's been like 4 days since I've thrown up. (Knock on wood)! I still feel queasy at times but I hope it's tapering off.

We had our 15 week appointment last Friday. It went great. Everything is in order and just where it needs to be. The baby is growing. I'm even starting to show a bit! We were able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler device this time. I have a voice recorder on my nifty new phone. I was able to record the heartbeat, play it for friends and also send it via text message to my parents and grandparents. That was exciting for them since they're not close by and can't really be a part of the process much.

Things are good. I'm still exhausted from working and being pregnant, but they're good. Brandon is going to register for school next week. Summer is seriously winding down. I can't believe it's my birthday in just over two weeks. Well that's the update for this week. Preggo pics coming soon!