Robbie has really started talking a lot the past couple of weeks. It's really cute, unless he's saying "leave me alone I'm tired!" because that is usually followed with crying. I thought I was taking a video when we were opening Christmas gifts with Matt's mom, but, of course, I wasn't. I figured it out and took a short video, but it would have been cuter if I did it right the first time!
We had a busy day yesterday. First Robbie helped me fold laundry. It was exhausting, so he fell asleep. Then I finally got around to cleaning our oven door. I have no idea how it got so dirty! I'd like to think it was partly due to the people who lived here before us. One reason I had been putting it off was because I wasn't supposed to use oven cleaner when I was pregnant because of the fumes. Then I didn't want to use oven cleaner with Robbie around. I decided to just use baking soda, which really works. I have used it on the stove top and it helps absorb the grease. I'm sure I had to use more elbow grease with the baking soda, but there were no fumes and if there was a little left behind I wasn't going to worry about it. (I tried not to leave any behind, mind you!) That was obviously another exhausting task because Robbie fell asleep while helping me clean the oven! But now he knows what elbow grease is! :) I'll have to clean the inside of the oven another day.
Look at him pondering the many uses of elbow grease while he is sleeping! :)
Our Christmas started last weekend when my parents were in town. It continued Thursday when Matt's dad, stepmom and sister came up for a visit. We opened gifts before dinner. They gave Robbie some very cute toys that he'll be able to play with as he gets older. We also got the new Rock Band and the keyboard. We're really ready to rock now! After dinner we stopped by a house that has lights matched to music (a different one that I went to with my dad) and then we came home for a jam session.
Thursday night was the first time Robbie slept through the night. For babies, that means sleeping for 5 hours. It was wonderful! We put him to bed at 10:30, I heard him a little at 2 and then he was awake at 3:30. After getting up to feed him, he was still kind of awake, but I told him that it's still sleeping time. I heard him for about 30 minutes and then he was back asleep. Unfortunately I was so excited about it I had a hard time falling asleep!! :)
Friday morning we did a video chat with Matt's brother, sister-in-law and niece. For some reason we couldn't get sound through the computer, so we just talked with the phone on speaker. Later we all went out to brunch. Afterward we went to Costco. When we went last weekend with my parents, Costco was giving samples of their ham. It was really good, so we decided to pick one up for our Christmas dinner. Jim and Jean got one as well. They were going to try to stop at a Honey Baked Ham store, but our waitress said that she stood in line for an hour and a half the day before and I don't think that's how they wanted to spend their Christmas Eve! We came back to the house for a little while longer before they headed home. We had a good visit with them and Robbie liked meeting Aunt Brittany!
We made it to Christmas Eve service at church last night. I must be getting old, but I thought the music was kind of loud. Maybe I was just worried about Robbie. He did get a little fussy, but luckily it was when we were singing, not during the sermon. I think he was just tired of being in his car seat. We left a little early. Robbie was still fussing and I didn't mind leaving and beating the crowd.
We didn't get up too early this morning, but we've already opened our presents. We'll get lunch going in a little while and just relax the rest of the day. Matt's mom is coming up tomorrow, so Christmas will last a little longer for us this year! :)
Robbie had a big day today. He got to spend the morning with Matt and I got to sleep in. It was great for me! After lunch we gave him a bath and got ready to take him to the doctor. Of course, the doctor said that he looks great! He is doing all of the things that is expected of a 2 month old (coo, smile, and follow objects with his eyes) and he is able to stand up when you hold him. Here are his stats: Weight: 15 lbs, 6 oz (96th percentile) Height: 23 inches (31st percentile) Head Circumference (30th percentile)
He also had to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine. I was very proud of him for not spitting out the oral vaccine. The first time we gave him liquid vitamins it ended up all over me and him. Of course, as soon as the nurse gave him his first shot he started crying, but stopped after I was able to pick him up. I hate to say it, but I think it was the first time I saw him cry tears. :( We got home about 4:30, he ate and has been sleeping ever since.
It's hard to believe that it has only been 2 months since Robbie was born. He is the cutest addition to our family so far! :) Robbie has been sleeping in his crib for 2 weeks and has done very well with it. I think he would take better naps if I would swaddle him and put him in his crib, but he usually just naps in the swing. He loves the swing! He is getting very good at holding his head up and look at his surroundings. He will sometimes look at you when he hears you talking. I'm not good at doing tummy time with him because he usually starts crying after a minute or so of being on his tummy. I know that it's good to do to get him ready for crawling, but I don't like hearing him cry.
Robbie and Shamu:
Another cute picture:
My parents drove up Friday afternoon for a weekend visit. It gave them a chance to see Robbie again and we exchanged Christmas presents. We just hung out at the house Friday. Saturday morning we opened presents. My parents got us a Costco membership so we headed up there in the afternoon. First we walked around trying all of the free samples. We all agreed the ham we tried was really good. We got some lobster dip and crab dip that we tried. My favorite sample was the cappuccino ice cream truffle. YUM! I had more than one sample of that. After dinner Saturday night we all walked around for a little bit looking at Christmas lights. It got very cold outside, though. After walking around for a little while my dad and I drove to look at 3 different houses that have lights that blink to music. Two of the houses were really good. The 3rd house is getting better compared to last year. Today Matt and I left Robbie with my parents and went to Wal-Mart for diapers and Lowe's for a new kitchen faucet. It was about 12:30 when we got home so we decided to go to Rosy's Mexican Restaurant for lunch. We took 2 cars and mom and dad headed out when we were finished. It was a fun weekend and we are looking forward to seeing them when we go down for a visit next year.
Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.
Yesterday Robbie turned 6 weeks old. Matt and I have talked about Robbie starting to sleep in his crib for a couple of weeks, and we decided to finally do it last night. I have been letting Robbie nap in his crib for a while, but it seemed like such a big step letting him sleep all night in his crib. It went very well, though he did get up earlier than usual this morning. Maybe he slept so well he was just ready to get up? Juliet and Simba were thrilled that Robbie is now sleeping in his own room so they can rejoin us in our room at night. We also slept without a light on. We have been keeping Matt's closet light on so I could see in the middle of the night getting up with Robbie.
Since Robbie is now sleeping in the nursery, I decided it's time to post pictures of the nursery.
Putting together the crib and changing table. (I'm so glad we got the changing table!)
The tree and decals:
The finished product:
Many people know that I have cross stitched a picture for each of my nieces and nephews. Matt's mom made one for Robbie. I got to see it partially finished at the baby shower she threw me. When she came up with Mimi and Gramps she brought the final product. We haven't hung it up yet, but I think it will go above the crib or by the door.
Today I had my 6 week appointment, which also means that Robbie is 6 weeks old! The doctor said that everything looks fine, and I feel fine, so I didn't expect anything else. Matt left work early to come along. I wasn't sure if Robbie was going to be able to go with me or not. I wish I had done it 6 weeks ago, but I wanted Robbie to come along so we could get a picture of him with Dr. Jason who delivered him. We both agree that he did a great job and let him know that. I even told the doctor we might do it again sometime! :)
We had a very low key Thanksgiving this year. Instead of driving down south and having 3 Thanksgiving meals with our families we stayed home with Robbie. Matt was in charge of the turkey and I took care of the mashed potatoes. I think we both did great! We also had cranberry sauce (straight from the can), peas and rolls and sparkling grape juice. It was a pretty big meal for us!
Friday morning Matt's mom and grandparents drove up for a visit. It was Mimi and Gramps's first time meeting Robbie. Mimi kept saying how cute Robbie is and everyone said that Robbie looks like Matt. I don't think Robbie looks like adult Matt, but they did bring a picture of baby Matt and Robbie sure does look like him! Friday night I fed Robbie and then Matt and I headed out for a night on the town while Barbara, Mimi and Gramps babysat Robbie. We went to Kan Ki, my favorite Japanese steakhouse. Apparently very few people want Japanese the day after Thanksgiving, so we were seated and eating quickly. We went to Target to walk around a bit and then went to Cold Stone for dessert. When we got back they were just giving Robbie his bottle, so I imagine he did well.
Saturday Matt, Barbara and Gramps hung lights on the house and put up the outside decorations. The Christmas tree was also put up, but we haven't decorated it yet. We'll probably do it tonight. We took advantage of the 3 visitors and again left Robbie while Matt and I got lunch and went shopping. Robbie needed more pj's and sleep sacks, so we were thinking about him while we were out. We still had a Babies R Us gift card and I had a 10% off coupon for Target, so even though we didn't go shopping on Black Friday (yes, we went to Target, but not with the intent to buy anything Friday), we still got some good deals!
I made dinner Saturday night and our guests left a little while later. Barbara was hoping there wouldn't be much traffic if they left later in the evening. It was a nice visit and we look forward to seeing even more family after Christmas!
It's hard to believe that Robbie is one month old today. The month sure has gone by quick! I weighed Robbie this morning and he is 11.4 lbs! I can tell he's growing, but I didn't think that much! He still fits into newborn onesies, we haven't had to go up to the next size. We did start using size 1 diapers because we didn't want to keep buying newborn diapers. Last week we started giving Robbie a pacifier to help him sleep. He was very gassy at the time and the pacifier helped calm him. He doesn't always want it and we don't try to force it on him, but it is nice to have something to soothe him at night. Robbie's smiled big a couple of times, but he doesn't like the red eye flash and I'm not quick enough with the camera to catch it. I would also like to video him sneezing because I think it's cute. He will sneeze a bunch of times, just like his mommy! A few nights ago he started only waking up twice, which is really nice. I would like to time it better so Matt has the opportunity to change Robbie's diaper before he goes to work, but Robbie's usually up too early or too late and I have to do it. Robbie and I have started going out on walks in the afternoon. It's nice to be able to get out of the house for a little bit. He pretty much sleeps the whole time. Unfortunately, our sidewalks and streets aren't very smooth, so that wakes him up. I do my best to avoid what I can. The cats are doing much better at night. If they are going to whine, it's usually right when we go to bed or when they hear Matt getting ready for work, not in the middle of the night any more. Last night was the first time I have cooked dinner in a month. After my mom left, we had meals brought to us for 2 weeks from people in our Sunday School class, so we would have that or leftovers or Matt would make something. I will say that I prefer to have someone else bring me dinner than make it myself, but it looks like we'll have to have another baby for that to happen!!
We don't go to the pediatrician again until Robbie is 2 months old. Unfortunately he'll be getting a bunch of shots. I'm not looking forward to that, but it does give me a little peace of mind knowing that he won't remember it.
Without going into too much detail, Matt and I were very confident in Robbie's due date. Let's just say that it might have been off by a couple of days, but I don't even think it would have been a week off, much less a month! Plus I always measured right on time at my doctor appointments. Since we were so sure that Robbie would be born on or around November 14th, I kept putting off doing things because I didn't want them to get done too early and then have nothing to do but wait for his arrival. We all know how wrong I was! Here are 5 things that didn't get done:
1. I know I said this in another post, but I was hoping to meet all of the doctors in the office so that I would have seen them face to face before the big day. My 36 week appointment was scheduled for Friday, October 22nd and I specifically made it with one of the 2 doctors I hadn't met before. Of course, I went into labor Monday and the doctor who delivered Robbie was one of the two I had not yet met.
2. I wore my last pair of contacts the last week of the school year. I didn't want to go to the optometrist because I have heard that your vision can change during pregnancy. At the end of the summer I was starting to want to have contacts again, but then I thought I would wait until the back to school rush was over and then I was asked to go back and teach while they found a new teacher. After I stopped working I found a coupon for contacts and was going to make an appointment and then I went into labor. I still don't have contacts.
3. The teachers that I worked with threw a baby shower for me at the beginning of October. October 25th was parent-teacher conference day at school and I was planning on going to lunch with them. Since I was planning on seeing them then, I was going to use the week before to write thank you notes for all of the gifts and take the thank you notes up to school that day. That plan was ruined when I went into labor. I'm still working on their thank you notes.
4. Matt had already been me asking for weeks when I was going to start washing Robbie's sheets and clothes. I wanted to wait until the beginning of November so that everything was freshly laundered and smelling good. Had I listened to Matt it would have gotten started and Lisa wouldn't have had to do it for us.
5. This one is special, which is why I saved it for last. My niece, Caroline, was 5 days early and Nick and Robyn were packing their bag the morning that Robyn went into labor. I made the comment that I will have my bag packed before I go into labor and head to the hospital. While it is true that I had my bag packed before I went to the hospital, I was packing that morning. To Nick and Robyn's credit, neither of them have rubbed it in that I did not do what I said I was going to do!
Lisa, Erik and the kids came over for the weekend so Erik, Kayleigh and Brian could meet Robbie. Friday was Erik's day off, so they were able to get here in the late afternoon. Kayleigh was excited about getting to hold Robbie and it was the first thing she asked to do when she got here. Lisa did get to hold him while Kayleigh washed her hands. We talked about how Lisa thought Matt was joking when he told her that she couldn't see Robbie in the NICU. I know she was worried she wouldn't get to hold him after making sure she was there for his birth.
One of my friends brought dinner over Friday afternoon. I warned her that there were going to be a bunch of extra mouths to feed, but she was up for the challenge! Maria made a very good roast, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes. There weren't any leftovers! After dinner we all played Rock Band. For a while we had Kayleigh playing a guitar that wasn't plugged in, but she really wanted to play the drums. I'm sure she might have hit some of the beats, but I really don't think she was concerned about that as much as she was just banging away with the drumsticks. It was cute watching her, though.
Warning: I am singing in this video, so you might want to watch it without the sound on!!
After breakfast Saturday morning Erik took the kids to a nearby park to get out some of their energy. They seemed to enjoy their time at the park. After lunch Lisa and I headed to the post office to mail my mom's shoes back to her. I'm still not sure why my mom brought 4 pairs of shoes to hang out at the house, but I guess she didn't know what she was in for when she volunteered to come up for the week. It was nice to get out of the house for a little while. Unfortunately, Robbie got a little cranky while we were gone, but we were home shortly after it began.
Lisa requested Matt's wings for dinner Saturday night. He does make good wings! When we were eating dinner Friday night Kayleigh was told that she couldn't hold Robbie until she finished her dinner. Lisa cut some chicken off the bone for Kayleigh, but Lisa had only done it for 2 wings and I know she intended for Kayleigh to eat more than that little bit. Kayleigh had another idea. After she finished that little bit of chicken she asked if she could wash her hands and hold Robbie. Not yet! She was good and ate a lot more before it was time to hold Robbie again. We did get a few cute pictures of the 3 cousins together.
It was a short Sunday morning before they headed home. We enjoy their company and look forward to seeing the cousins grow up and become friends.
We gave Robbie his first bath last night. Like most babies, he wasn't thrilled with it, though he did calm down after a bit. He smelled so good when we were done it almost makes me want to give him a bath every day. Matt was more intent on taking a video than pictures, and the one picture we have of him in the bath is not PG, so we'll keep it to ourselves. We did get some cute ones after his bath.
We had a busy afternoon yesterday. Matt had to take a half day so he could take me and Robbie to our two week appointments. Robbie's was first and the doctor said he looks perfect. Of course we think he is, but it's nice to hear it from a professional. :) She also said that he looks like Matt. That just proves how weak Villacampa genes are - all of my nieces and nephews look more like the in-law rather than the Villacampa parent. Robbie weighs 7 lbs 4.5 oz and is 20.5 inches long. Both Matt and I can tell that he's getting bigger. The doctor told us last week that they want him back up to his birth weight by the 2 week appointment, which we weren't worried about, I'm just sad that he's getting bigger. I want to keep him my baby as long as possible!
We went from Robbie's appointment to my appointment. They checked my iron level, which is good, and then my incision, which also looks good. I still haven't looked at my incision. I'm waiting until it's not sore any more. I did ask the doctor how many staples he used and he said between 15-20 is the average, but they didn't write it down. A lot of people have heard this story, but I had specifically made my 36 week appointment with the doctor that delivered Robbie because I hadn't met him yet. The appointment was scheduled for Friday, October 22nd, and I went into labor Monday the 18th. I was just trying to meet all of the doctors in the practice because the one that delivers the baby is the one that is on call that day. Now that I have met him a few times he's really nice and I like him a lot, I was just hoping for a face to face meeting before going into labor. (I'm still thinking about doing a post of all of the things that were supposed to happen before Robbie was born but didn't.)
Over the weekend Matt and I got Robbie's footprint and handprint for frames that we bought. It was easy getting his footprint, but his handprint was a different story. Mom had been taking pictures while Matt and I were working on getting Robbie's handprint and Matt made mom switch places with him. The end results look good and I'm glad we did it.
I can't believe that a week (and a day) have gone by already! I know half of the time we were in the hospital (we were discharged Friday afternoon), and it is so much nicer now that we are home. I admit I was nervous about coming home, but it has been fine. The cats have been great around Robbie and Simba hasn't jumped on me, which I did worry about. Matt's mom came up Thursday and stayed with us until Sunday. My mom came back up Saturday and is here until Sunday. My dad is coming up Friday afternoon for the weekend as well. It's been great having so much help around here. I only have to worry about healing and feeding Robbie. Everything else is taken care of! Saturday people from our Sunday School class will start bringing us dinner and that will last for 2 weeks, so I'm off the hook there as well. Unfortunately mom won't be here any longer to do the dishes! I guess Matt will have to start doing them.
Monday was a big day for us. Matt took me to the doctor in the morning to have my staples removed. I started counting how many she took out and I think I made it to 8 and then she pinched me and I couldn't count any more. Matt thinks there were between 25-30 staples. I should have asked the nurse when she was finished, but I was trying to think about other things. In the afternoon we took Robbie to his first check up with the pediatrician. He weighs 6 lbs 14 oz, so he is definitely on track to gain back his birth weight by his appointment next week. The nurse said he is 19.5 inches. I know babies "shrink" because their cone heads round out, but I don't think he would have shrunk by 2 inches if we go by the initial length of 21.5 inches. On Robbie's bassinet in the hospital it said he was 20.5 inches, so maybe we should go with that number. Monday night was the first time I slept in bed rather than the recliner. It is so much nicer to be in bed, but I was worried about getting up and down because our bed is pretty high off the ground. It hasn't been bad, though.
Matt goes back to work tomorrow. His work has been great about giving him so much time off. They also sent a cute flower arrangement. I know he isn't looking forward to going back, but I'm able to get around much better and have even started doing night time diaper changes so he can rest. Matt is going to try to go to bed early tonight. Neither of us are looking forward to hearing his alarm go off tomorrow morning!
I find it funny that the day after I post that we only have 4 weeks left until Robbie's due date he decides to start his journey into this world. It all started 2:30 Monday morning when my water broke. Of course, I didn't know that's what it was, especially since it was so early. It happened again at 3:30 and I started thinking that it could be the real deal, but tried not to get too excited, so I went back to sleep. When it happened a 3rd time at 5:45, I decided I should call the doctor just to get things checked out. I wanted to wait until the office was open, because I didn't want to have to go to the hospital and get sent home. I went back to bed until Matt got up about an hour later and went ahead and called. (I kept all of this from Matt because I didn't want to worry him.) While Matt was in the shower, I talked to the on call nurse and she said if I suspect that my water broke I need to go to the hospital. I started to get stuff together, just in case, and Matt started wondering what was going on. (I know it's common for pregnant women to get up a lot of times at night, but I was definitely up and down more than usual and Matt knew something was up.) I told Matt what had happened during the night, but told him just to go to work and I'll call him and let him know what the doctor said. He would have none of that and said he would be the one driving me to the hospital, so we left and checked in about 7:30 am.
The nurse checked and it definitely was my water that broke, but I wasn't dilated or effaced, so the doctor decided to get me started on pitocin to get things moving along. I was not thrilled that I was going to have pitocin, because I know it can cause contractions to start coming quickly and very strong. While we were waiting to get a room, I started making phone calls. Here is how I remember them: Lisa, when she answered the phone: Don't tell me today's the day. Me: Ok, but it is!
Mom: Nick is just about to leave for work, so let me say good bye to him and then I'll call you back. Me: You can tell him before he leaves that my water broke and I'm in the hospital.
Jonathan: Are they sure your water broke? Me: Yes.
(You have to be careful what you say to me, because I have a very good memory!!)
I got hooked up to an IV and they started giving me fluids and pitocin, as well as an antibiotic because I tested positive for Group B Strep, which isn't a big deal for me, but Robbie could catch it during delivery. Lisa was able to have her neighbor, Jenna, to watch the kids for a while before Jim and Shirley took over until Erik got home from work in the evening so she could come over. Things were going well, but they had to put me on oxygen for a while because Robbie's heart rate would drop after a contraction, which means he wasn't tolerating them well. After a while things got better, so I was allowed off of the oxygen, which I was glad about because the mask was really starting to bother me.
My parents were able to change their flight, so rather than going home from their visit with Nick and Robyn they came here. Apparently the airline called to verify their story and didn't charge them any fees to change their flight. Matt's dad and Jean also drove up to be with us.
The contractions didn't start bothering me until 4:30, after they hooked me up to an internal monitor. I'm sure that was just a coincidence. I held off getting the epidural for as long as I could, but ended up getting it around 9. Life was much better then!!
The doctor and nurses checked my progress a few times during the day. About 12:30 Tuesday morning, the doctor checked again and nothing had changed. I was only 4 cm dilated and everything was going very slowly. He said it wasn't an emergency to get a c-section, but if it was ok it would be better to go ahead and do it rather than wait several more hours, have nothing else happen, and have Robbie be in real distress. I can't say that I was surprised that the labor ended in a c-section, because I knew things weren't moving along like they should, but that doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed. Matt and I have always said that we would do whatever is best for Robbie, and a c-section was best. They were quick to get the OR ready and the anesthesiologist came and upped my medicine so I wouldn't feel anything (well, not too much anyway!). I will say he upped my meds twice during the procedure. Thank you!! It only took about 15 minutes for them to have Robbie out, and Matt got to be with him as he was getting checked out by the nurses. I was stuck on the table waiting to be stitched back up. I finally got to see him around 2, but they had to take him to NICU because he still had fluid in his lungs, which isn't uncommon for c-section babies. Other than that he looked great!
I think it was about 2:30 when I was finally brought back to the room. Lisa was with me because only parents and grandparents are allowed in the NICU. That started October 1st because of the beginning of cold and flu season. Lisa was worried that she wouldn't get to hold him before she headed home, but he was discharged from NICU at 12:30 Wednesday afternoon, so she did get to hold him before she left!
I know this is long already, and I could post a ton more, but I'll leave it for later. For now, here are a few pictures that you may or may not already have been emailed.
I can't believe we only have 4 more weeks until Robbie's due date. He'll be here before we know it! Matt thinks Robbie coming sooner than the 14th. He is predicting the 6th. I think he'll be pretty close to his due date, but I'd much rather have him come sooner than later!
We got a coupon in the mail from Target for 10% off items on our registry, so we went yesterday with our gift cards to buy stuff. I wanted to add more to our registry so we could get other things 10% off, but Matt said I was not allowed to register for candy corn. Party pooper!! We also had a 20% off one item coupon for Babies R Us, so we went over there and bought the bouncy seat we like. We grabbed a few more 20% off coupons that we can use next week, so we'll get more things that we need. It's so fun to shop for Robbie!
Here are a couple of pictures of me and Robbie. The first one was taken at my parent's house in August. I think I was 28 weeks then. The second one was taken by Matt today. I think Robbie's been doing some growing!
Monday was my baby shower at work. It's so nice that they were still throwing me one even though I no longer work with them. Monday was a planning day, so we didn't have to worry about wandering kids. I was surprised that some of the new teachers came, but that was very nice of them. There were even 2 former teachers that came. It was very fast, but I know that at the end of the day people don't want to just be sitting around. We had cake and punch and I opened presents and then most people left, though some of us stuck around to chat. I brought my camera, but didn't take any pictures. I did save the sock and mitten flower that was on one of my gifts. A very cute idea! We got a few more outfits, more diapers and lots of gift cards which I'm sure will be used soon!
I didn't want to post a bunch of pictures from the baby shower of me opening gifts, because I'm sure no one wants to look at 50 pictures of me and all of my gifts. (There really weren't that many.) As I was looking back at the pictures, I saw this one and I'm pretty sure it was taken right after I realized that I called the teethers chew toys. Maybe I'm not ready to be a mom!! Or, as Amber said, babies are just like puppies.
