Dianthe’s Blog

Sydney’s First Professional Photo Shoot 

THE GOOD

Sydney Jane!!!! duh - being a mom is the best thing EVER!!! i love Sydney so much i just want to eat her up - she is super sweet and a total snuggle bunny - she already has so much of my personality - it’s hilarious - she knows exactly what she likes and what she doesn’t - and she has no problem telling you! i have NO idea where she gets that from

Daddy - practically perfect, of course - would he be any other way? Sydney did not waste anytime wrapping Daddy around her little finger - i tried to warn him that he would be in trouble if Spike turned out to be a girl - and as usual, i was right! he cannot get enough of her - he even tries to wake up in the middle of the night to sit up with us when i feed her - then he’ll hold her the rest of the night so that Mommy can get some sleep (or try at least!) - he immediately goes to check her out if she’s crying and volunteers to change diapers - what could be better than that?

cloth diapers - going much better than i expected - i though t there would be a learning curve, but it’s so easy! even Daddy has it down - we’ve had a couple of blowouts but no leaks - YAY!!!! and doing laundry every night isn’t that much fun - but is laundry ever fun? for those of you in the CD world - we’re currently using Kissaluvs fitteds, size 0 with Proraps covers -Sydney is going through our entire stash of 12 every day - i just bought 6 more though, so that will help a ton!

showers - the day after Sydney’s umbilical cord fell off, i took her into the shower with me - Kelley thought i was crazy but she was fussy and i was desperate - she loved it! i don’t know if it was the sound of the water or if it was because it was warm in the shower - but she immediately calmed down and then decided she was ready to eat - so i nursed her in the shower - desperate times call for desperate measures - everyone was right - you’ll do whatever you have to and your instincts will tell you what to do ***DISCLAMER - i didn’t put her directly under the water and i wrapped her in a towel so that she didn’t slip out of my arms

THE BAD

breastfeeding - like my friend Penny said, “it’s hard - people think because it’s natural, it’s easy - but it’s hard” - Penny was right - we haven’t had major problems, but it has not been easy - i thought it would be because she latched on immediately after delivery - and she nursed really well while we were in the hospital - and then we got home … i followed the instructions i was given at the hospital - nurse her every 3-4 hours - that got me an extremely frustrated and fussy baby (not to mention mom) and breasts that were completely engorged - nothing like having boobs filled with boulders! but a visit from my doula and we were all better - she showed me how to nurse sideline and how to read Sydney’s hunger cues - now we’re feeding every 2-2 1/2 hours and she’s gained 1 lb and 2 oz since we left the hospital - YAY!!!! plus we’re all sleeping a little better - Kelley and i are still exhausted, but it’s better than last week!

tummy sleeper - Sydney HATES to sleep on her back - really, she hates to be on her back period - we spent the first week with her sleeping on my or Kelley’s chest - that doesn’t make for a very restful night - i’ve been letting her sleep on her tummy during naptime if i’m awake but she refuses to sleep on her back - we tried everything - swaddling, the car seat, the sleep positioner, the pack n play, the bouncy chair, the swing - yeah, she hates all of that - in addition to that - we’ve unwillingly become cosleepers - i asked the pedi about it and he said some babies are just not back sleepers - he said as long as she’s sleeping with us and we can keep an eye on her, she can sleep on her tummy - so for now, she’s on her tummy in the sleep positioner and hopefully we can transition her to the bassinet in the next few weeks

THE UGLY

sleep deprivation - everyone tells you that you’ll be sleep deprived, so you’re ready for it - right?? not so much - there is no way to truly understand how tired you will be until you are so completely exhausted that you have no idea what time it is - even when you’re looking at the clock - and forget about knowing what day it is! even Kelley admitted that he didn’t think it would be this bad - i don’t think he’s ever taken this many naps - we’ve gotten pretty good atthe daytime sleeping - now we have to figure out this nighttime thing

the poopy diaper blowout - i’ll never understand how so much poo can come out of one little body - but it does - and only as a parent can one become so fascinated with poo

being peed on - see, i thought that only boys did this - but clearly Sydney has already learned that “anything boys can do, girls can do better!” - she peed on me minutes after she was born - then last week while i was changing her, she peed all over the changing pad - then this week when we took pictures with Mike and ReJana, she peed on me again - is this a sign of things to come??

NO bladder control - no one told me that my Kegel muscles would be completely shot - after almost 2 weeks, they are slowly returning - but it’s still a shock - if i’ve been sitting for any length of time, i have to pee the minute i stand up - and i don’t know it until i stand up - SO crazy!! and sneezing when you pee or cough - hello incontinence! but it’s gotta get better, right?

Colace - without going into too much detail - start taking it before you go into labor - they give it to you at the hospital, but you’ll need it before then! ’nuff said!

overall, this has been the greatest experience of my life - not only do i love my baby girl more than i thought possible - i love my husband even more too!! we are having so much fun with Sydney and i can’t believe we made another person - and that she came out of me!!! and speaking of coming out of me - i’m still working on the birth story - a lot of the details are still a little fuzzy, so it’s taking a little longer to write it than i thought - but trust me - it will be worth the wait!

Sydney Jane Hall!!!

she arrived Thursday afternoon (February 7th) at 1:19pm - she weighed 7 lbs and 9 oz (not 8 oz as previously reported) and has lots of hair!  she came into the world extremely alert and ready to go - she nursed for a good 40 minutes immediately and opened her eyes the first day!

it has been pretty chaotic around here - my mom has been a huge help and Sydney’s daddy has been nothing less than wonderful (he is practically perfect, after all!) - it was a rough start but we’re all starting to adjust - i even got 3 uninterrupted hours of sleep today!!!

i’ll try and post my birth story sometime this week - i will say that it was hard - WAY hard!  but like everyone says, you really do “forget” it all as soon as the baby is born and it was worth every second!

in the meantime - here are a few teaser pictures

Sydney’s first official headshot!

our first family photo

here Spike comes - he’s not here yet but he will be today or tomorrow

at yesterday’s appointment she did a non-stress test and while the baby’s heartbeat was nice and strong, she was concerned because Spike wasn’t really moving - i wasn’t concerned because he had been moving earlier in the day and he usually sleeps from about 11am to 4pm - but by the time i saw the doctor, it was about 11:30-11:45 and Spike was fast asleep - and even after drinking some juice and me poking and prodding, he still wasn’t moving - and again, i wasn’t alarmed because i knew it was naptime but the doctor sent me to Labor & Delivery anyway just to be sure - so off to L&D for 4 hours - oh, the joy of being hooked up to machines and being immobilized - what a beating!!  anyway, just like i thought he would - Spike woke up around 3-3:30pm and my OB said things were all good and i was sprung!  but not until we had a conversation about inducing - UGH!!!  normally by this point she recommends inducing anyway but she’s been trying not to mention it because she knows that’s not what i wanted - but she was concerned about 1) the size of the baby - according to the ultrasound, this kid is huge - he measured 7 lbs 11oz last thursday and 8 lbs 14 oz yesterday - and while we know the ultrasound could be off, she thinks if we wait til next week, he’s going to be too big - 2) she’s worried that the placenta is getting “old” - so we decided to give Spike a few more days to show up on his own and try and schedule an induction for Friday - so i decided that i would officially start my maternity leave today and just hang out and wait for Spike the next couple of days

fast forward to this morning - the nurse called me at 8:30am to let me know that they want to admit me today at 4pm to start the Cervidil and to plan to stay overnight - WHAT??  that’s not part of the plan - today is Wednesday - did someone get the days confused??  well apparently i wasn’t the only one who wanted to have a baby on Friday because the hospital was booked for the next 2 days and that bumped me up til today - she thinks that if we go into next week, it will be too late - so we are at T-5 hours til we start the official countdown to Spike’s big arrival!

i started off the morning in tears and in a total panic - i really, really did not want to be induced - i don’t want to be hooked up to monitors and machines - i want to be able to move around - and all things induction tend to go against that - but as of yesterday, i was 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated -so hopefully the Cervidil will do the trick and we won’t have to move on to the Pitocin - of course, i’ll do whatever it takes to get Spike here safely, but i’m hoping he’ll get into gear with some gentle motivation instead of the full blown “get your tush in motion” motivation - but clearly Spike is as stubborn as his mom, so you never know  **shaking head** you know what they say about payback …

so i’ve spent the morning making phone calls and sending emails and trying to make sure everything is good to go - i’ve made a thousand lists and i’ve checked them all twice (who the hell am i? Santa Claus?) and whatever isn’t done by 3pm just won’t get done - and true to diva form, what did i add to the list this morning?  pick up the new MAC lip glass - i’m going to need something to feel extra pretty while pushing out this kid - but i think i’ll have Kelley go pick it up for me - i’m sure he’ll be thrilled!

anyway - say a prayer or send good thoughts or whatever it is you do -hopefully Spike will come safely and quickly!  i’m not sure if i’ll have internet access at the hospital - but i’ll try and update you as soon as i can 

this morning i got up on time, took a shower, had cute hair and knew exactly what i was going to wear - too bad my sweater didn’t fit when i put it on over my leggings - UGH!!!!  you know that scene in Steel Magnolias where they’re at the wedding and Truvy and Clairee are watching Janice Van Meter dance and Clairee says “Looks like two pigs fightin’ under a blanket” - that’s exactly what i looked like - and there wasn’t a girdle in the world that could have helped me!  a reference to Truvy saying she hadn’t left the house without Lycra on her thighs since she was 14 - Clairee responds “that’s because you were brought up right” - oh how i love that movie - but i digress … anyway, it’s time for Spike to make an appearance because  i’m no longer able to dress like the fabulous pregnant woman that i am - it took 40 1/2 weeks, but it’s over - i no longer have the energy to put on heels - i’ve given up - but not without a fight - i still have on full makeup!!!

and speaking of being to fat - yesterday i went to Babies R Us to use my completion coupon - yay for saving 10%!!!!  i’m lucky that i live close to Babies R Us, i have a feeling i’m going to be spending a LOT of time there - anyway, BRU has a good number of parking spots - and when you’re 300 months pregnant, you appreciate them - so i park in the second spot making sure to leave plenty of room on either side of Tahiti - i try to be a courteous parker in my big rig - plus i need the space to get in and out of the car - i was in BRU for about an hour - so imagine how pissed i was when i get to my car and realize that the car parked on the driver’s side is WAY to close to me - i could barely open my car door - i contemplated going to the passenger side and climbing over the seat but looking at my enormous belly, i realized that would never work - at that point, i had to resist the urge to slam my door open and leave a nice ding in the maroon car next to me - instead, i took a deep breath and realized the car had a break away mirror that gave me exactly the 3 inches i needed to squeeze into my car - i bet that person wasn’t even pregnant!

so in my “this baby will never get here funk”, i ate entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food last night - i had every intention of only eating half - but it was so good - plus i got distracted while searching for more cloth diapers on diaperswappers.com - i promised myself that i wouldn’t buy any more until Spike gets here - Kelley thinks i’m obsessed - and maybe i am - but they are so dang cute - cute diapers and covers - maybe when i get adjusted to Spike being here (if he ever gets here), i’ll learn to make my own covers - so freaking cute!  anyway, my last 3 visits, i haven’t gained any weight - which must mean that Spike is getting bigger and i’m getting smaller - so the ice cream balances out, right - that’s my story and i’m sticking to it!

before i forget - i just wanted to thank all of you for all of your encouragement and funny stories - even the ones where you were pregnant for a 1000 months - in my head i know i’m not the only person to ever be pregnant but it helps to hear real life stories - they always make me laugh and at this point - i REALLY need that!  keep them coming though - who knows when this kid will make an appearance!

D-O-N-E, DONE!!!! i am bitchier and grumpier (if that’s possible) than i have ever been and i am over EVERYONE - i am tired of the phone calls, i am tired of the text messages - no, the baby is not here yet and yes, i will call you when he is - until then … LEAVE ME ALONE!!!! i know everyone is excited and i really am grateful for that - but NO ONE is more ready than me - and i am running out of polite replies - all i’ve got left is rude and sarcastic comments

“is that baby here yet?” yes, he’s a month old - did you not get my message?

“how are you feeling” i feel like punching everyone in the face

“so what is the doctor saying?” that i’m having a baby

“when are you going to have that baby” um, i was thinking about 3 months from now

UGH!!!! why can’t Spike just hurry up and get here??? pretty much everyone and everything is annoying the crap out of me - even my fabulous husband who surprised me with the super cool diaper bag i wanted, is driving me nuts - Friday night was great - we went to see Charlie Wilson’s War (which i thought was really good) - Saturday we ran errands and watched Knocked Up (which i found to be dull and stupid - but that could be because i can’t stand Katherine Heigl) - and then yesterday, i hit a wall - i didn’t sleep well and i wasn’t feeling that great and my mood worsened as the day went on - Kelley left his dishes in the sink - i snapped at him for that - he keeps turning off the light when i leave it on - it’s driving me crazy - Kelley went to watch the Super Bowl at his friend’s house - and i was a little annoyed by that - i’m not sure why - he invited me but i declined and i had absolutely no interest in the game - so there was no reason for him to stay home and watch it - but i was still annoyed for no reason at all - i went grocery shopping during the game - and was annoyed when i had to carry all the groceries in myself - again, not his fault - but i was still annoyed - i picked up Rosa’s for dinner - and was annoyed when they gave me unsweetened tea instead of sweet tea - i had to go back - again, not a big deal but when you’re in a crappy mood, every thing seems magnified by 1000 - and i have insomnia - yeah, i love that! i slept about an hour last night - gee, why am i not in a better mood today?

i’m hoping that a little retail therapy and a nap will make me feel better - if not, look out world!!! there’s a psycho hormonal pregnant woman on the loose! if Spike really loved me, he would show up today!

oh, i forgot - i have more pictures … maternity pics

no - not Spike - my husband - i swear Kelley thinks he’s a comedian - i just hope he doesn’t decide to quit his day job - we will definitely starve!!  so last night Kelley calls me from Walmart to see if i need anything before he comes home -and we’re about to get off the phone and Kelley says “alright, i’ll see you in a few, Yo” - huh??  “um, when did you start using the word “yo”and when did you start using it in reference to me?” “what are you talking about yo?”and then he started laughing - he couldn’t even get it out good before he started cracking up - “yeah, i gotta go …” clearly we’ve been watching WAY too much of The Wire!!

so now that it’s February - Spike has totally thrown everything off - if i have a baby born in February, i need it to be a girl so she can have a purple birthstone - my birthstone is a ruby and while it’s great that it’s one of the “precious” gem stones, i’m not a fan of the color red - but purple?  i’ve spent my entire life wishing my birthstone was amethyst - and now this … what do you think the chances are that Spike is a girl?

ok, so how long are you supposed to sit on the toilet?  i’ve been sitting on the birthing ball like crazy but this whole toilet thing has me confused - so like a crazy person, i sat on the toilet yesterday waiting for labor to start - but after sitting there for 10 minutes, fully clothed, with the computer on my lap - i just started to feel oogey -i don;t know - but there was something that was just not quite right about that!

so the goal for this weekend (besides have a baby) is to finish up the decor items for the nursery - for some reason i just can’t get motivated to do that stuff - and it doesn’t make sense because i bought everything i needed - it’s just sitting in a big Michael’s bag - maybe some inspiration will hit me - in the meantime, i’m taking everyone’s advice about spending time with Kelley before Spike gets here - we have a hot date to go see a movie this afternoon (yay for movie popcorn) and maybe we’ll walk the mall - we probably have a few Netflix movies to watch and then there’s that whole Super bowl thing - yesterday i asked him who was playing - he didn’t even look up but he did say “you’re kidding, right?” - i guess i won’t be going on the road with Chris Rock anytime soon either … speaking of Chris Rock - i sent Kelley an email telling him i wanted to go see Chris Rock and he told me he has a big surprise planned for that - that’s exciting!!  you know i love surprises!  but it’s not until March - oh well, i’ll probably be needing a good surprise around then!  

and you know what would be a real surprise - if i went into labor during the Super Bowl - Spike would HAVE to be a girl to do that …