Look Who is 1 Month Old!

Has it really been a month already?? Part of me feels like it has been much longer...how has this little guy not been a part of our lives forever? The other part of me feels like we just got home from the hospital. I suppose I technically lost a week of that month actually in a hospital, but still...

He has certainly lived up to his name's meaning. Matthew means "gift from God." He has truly blessed Matt's and my life.

It has been a crazy busy month to be sure. Just after we got Matty home from the hospital he got dehydrated -- and gave us a pretty big scare. We rushed off to Kennestone's ER and they transferred him to CHOA at Scottish Rite. Note: I was NOT happy that my 5 day old baby boy was in an incubator being driven down the interstate in a specialized ambulance that said "pediatric/neonatal critical transport." The doctors at Children's were pretty sure he was just dehydrated, but since the ER docs at Kennestone had done a spinal tap and blood cultures, they admitted us for observation to be proactive with antibiotics just in case something developed from the cultures. Thankfully, everything turned out to be just fine...we figure it was a combination of a few things that led to Matty's dehydration, but given the amount he's eaten this past week, I don't think it is a problem any more.

As a side note, I have to give a HUGE shoutout to Children's Hospital of Atlanta. They were thorough, kind, and treated the entire family. When we were in the ER about to be admitted, they called upstairs and told them I'd had a c-section and was breastfeeding so the nurses brought in a bed for me so I could stay with our baby while he was being observed. They got a lactation consultant in to help us out. They provided me with a pump since the baby was being hydrated via an IV. And since I was breastfeeding, they provided me meals at no extra charge to us. The doctors were excellent. And the nursing staff was incredibly helpful during for our 3am feeding. They took Matty, fed him, and stayed with him so Matt and I could get some sleep!!! I did wake up up in the middle of the night and they hadn't brought him back, so naturally I freaked out a bit. Matt found him at the nurses station...apparently the nurses were enjoying holding him, and I guess I'd rather have my little one in someone's arms rather than a cold bassinet.

In fact, it looks like Matty prefers to be in someone's arms as well.

Matty with Grandfather

 Matty with Lynnie

As you can see, holding Matty is incredibly rough on my mom...

Anyway...our little guy turns ONE MONTH OLD today!! We celebrated with a trip to the pediatrician to get the latest stats on him!

Length: 22.25" (he's grown more than an inch since he was born!!)

Weight: 10 lbs 11.5 oz

Head size 15" (it's grown 1.25" since birth!)

The pediatrician says Matty's muscle tone is excellent, and he said Matty has already reached a 2-month milestone of holding his head up while he's on his stomach. And Matty is starting to "crawl" while he's on his tummy. (I know...it isn't real crawling just yet, but the pediatrician told us we are in trouble!!!)

Here are some pictures from Matty's first month. It's crazy to see how much he's changed from birth to now! I would encourage all new parents to really take the time to see their baby over the first few weeks...they change so quickly!

Coming home at 4 days

  

1 Month Old

I'm 1 Month Old!!

I've managed to get some great pictures of our little guy asleep...

One of my favorite pictures!!

I guess labor was tough on him too.

Just after a midnight feeding...he is "milk drunk"

Such a stressful day...he had to nap in his mamaroo

And I love some of the funny faces he's making!

Most of all...I am loving his smiles! I managed to catch one on camera, but most of the time I'm too busy lovin' on him to get too many other shots.

I suppose the right thing to say is I'm looking forward to watching our little guy grow up, but truth be told I want him to stay in this stage for a bit longer (although I will be happy when he can finally tell us exactly what he wants).

That being said, I have such big dreams for this guy. I am excited to see the little person he's going to grow in to. I want him to be sweet, kind, thoughtful, trustworthy, loyal, honest and funny (I'm sure I left off a few attributes). All of these traits should come easy for him...they're all traits his Daddy has.

I am loving spending quality time with my little man. We're definitely still figuring things out, but I hope he'd say that we're getting better at it!

Until next time...

Meet Matthew Anthony

He's here!! Our Matty arrived on June 18th at 7:51pm. He is such a precious gift!

We did have an unplanned c-section. Turns out our "little" one weighed 9 lbs, 4 ozs when he was born. He was 21 inches long. He definitely wasn't a fat baby...just long!!

Unfortunately, we developed a little bit of jaundice before he left the hospital and Matty had to spend some time on a bili bed to help him process the bilirubin that was in his system (we learned a lot about that during the first few days of his life!). That also led to a bout of dehydration that weekend which landed us back in the hospital -- although this time it was Children's Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. I have to say, we were incredibly impressed with their facilities and attention to families.

Our first visitors after Matty was born were Grandfather, Lynnie and Aunt Carrie. All seemed to be taken with our little guy!

Aunt Carrie is a natural with the babies

And not to worry...it took just seconds for this little guy to steal his Daddy's heart as well!!

Matty and Daddy played "got your nose" at his first pediatrician visit

Matty got here just in time to see David Wright's 1,500th career hit. He also got to see a little bit of Zach Wheeler's major league debut here in Atlanta!! Not to worry...he is already a Mets fan! In fact, he was already wearing his very own David Wright onesie when he met Cobb.

I'm not sure Cobb is all that impressed with this tiny human that has permanently moved in.

Our first official family picture

We did take a minute to check out the pool as well -- he doesn't look impressed, does he?

I'm sure there are PLENTY more pictures to come...but to tide you over until then...

Until next time...

BabyWatch 2013

Well, it looks like we are officially on BabyWatch!

Matt and I made an exciting, and yet uneventful, trip up to the hospital yesterday after I started having regular contractions. Turns out -- just contractions. Baby isn't ready just yet -- or at least I'm not! Hopefully we'll see some progress at today's doctor's appointment since I've been having the contractions for almost 24 hours now!

In other baby news...the nursery is done!! SOO excited. We got the name letters this past week and hung them up...aren't they adorable??

The letters match the bedding that we got for Matty. Gotta love Etsy!! :-)

 

It is FINALLY warm enough to play in the pool! Water temperature got up to 85 this week, which was delightful. I just floated around...being weightless was a welcome relief!!!

 

So where do we stand??

How far along? 38 weeks

How big is baby? Watermelon (19-22 inches, 7 lbs) -- yep, I could have told you he was watermelon-sized

Sleep: Somehow I'm getting more than I think! I think I got a solid 5 hours last night!! :-)

Best Moment this Week: Thinking yesterday was the day -- but then that was kinda a disappointment

Movement: He's a very active one (not that I have anything to compare it to)

Food cravings: None

Food aversions: None

Pregnancy symptoms: Reflux is getting less -- I think it's because he's dropped. But my feet are pretty swollen to the point my flip flop straps leave indentions in them

Belly button in or out? In, but it's fighting it

What I miss: Wearing my wedding rings...it's a small thing, but they mean so much to me

What I'm looking forward to: Baby Wooley's arrival

Upcoming appointments/events: Doctor's appointment today -- hopefully we have some progress

Weekly wisdom: I wouldn't call it wisdom, just a note to everyone else...yes, life is going to change. But do we need to hear that on a daily basis? I'm not sure who thinks having another person that is completely dependent on you wouldn't change your life. But still, everyone is like -- "you know life will never be the same! Life as you know it is about to change drastically!" Ummm...I hope so!!! That's kinda why we wanted to have a baby -- to add to our family and turn the page on the next chapter of our lives!!

Milestones: We made it to June! He can come any day now!!

Coming next time: Hopefully a baby announcement??

 



Can It Be? Less than a month left?

Wow! I cannot believe we have less than a month to go before Baby Wooley is supposed to be here! I am MORE than ready to have him here!!

The one thing I will never again take for granted: bending over to pick something up off the floor!!

Matt has been WONDERFUL! He's done the dishes, since standing up makes my feet swell. He has cooked dinner pretty much since I got pregnant since some of the smells made me sick. And he has put up with a LOT of moodiness and tiredness from me.

I can't wait to see him and his son together -- I know it is going to steal my heart -- and he is going to be the BEST daddy!! :-)

Look how much he loves our Cobb

 

 

Lots has happened since my last blog update. My aunt and cousin were so sweet to throw me a baby shower! Baby Wooley got lots of great stuff!!

 

 

Loved the pictures of me as a baby as decoration

 



I adore (ADORE) this shirt!! It'll be a few years before he can wear it, but it will totally be worth the wait!

 



Props to Chaunte for putting aside her Braves allegiance to get the baby some NY Mets stuff

 

Work girls



Me and my BFF, Chaunte :-)

 

We have also almost finished the nursery. All that is left is to hang the drapes, which I think we're going to do today.

 

We did find these ADORABLE (I know, I say that word a lot) Mets pictures for the nursery...

 

 

Not to worry Mom- and Dad-in-law...Baby Wooley may be raised in Atlanta, but he will always know where his loyalty and allegiance lies with the New York Mets.





 

Finally...here's the latest details on where we stand...

How far along? 36 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a large cantaloupe (19 to 22 in, 6 lbs)

 

Sleep: FINALLY...last night I actually found a comfortable sleeping position -- and I managed to not wake up every 2 hours!!

Best Moment this Week: Finding out there's only 4 weeks left! :-)

Movement: Still moving really well. He flip flops and kicks me in the lungs every now and then, but I guess that comes with the territory.

Food cravings: I wouldn't say I'm having cravings for anything really -- other than Hibachi early last week.

Food aversions: Nope

Gender: Not sure I need to update this every time -- but he's still a boy, otherwise, we are NOT prepared!

Pregnancy symptoms: Reflux, but I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm pretty sure that will stick around until the end.

 

Belly button in or out? In, although more shallow than normal

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach

What I'm looking forward to: Baby Wooley's arrival

Upcoming appointments/events: Nothing too exciting...a doctor's appointment next week, and then we'll be down to every week.

Weekly wisdom: I have no wisdom this week...I'm too tired.

Milestones: One week away from what doctor's would say is "full term," but I've told him he needs to stay in there until the beginning of June.

Coming next time: No telling...



Down to Single Digits!!!

Can it be true? Are we really down to 9 weeks and a handful of days?

It seems like the past 6 weeks have FLOWN by!

Baby Wooley's rocker was delivered a few weeks ago (thanks Mom and Dad-in-law!). It is so comfy, and the back is high enough to lean your head back. I was told that was especially important for those feedings when you're exhausted. I'm pretty sure I could fall asleep in the chair with no trouble.

 Mickey was a great stand-in for the baby...he didn't cry or anything!

I love that this is a slipcover and we can take it off and wash it if we need to

In other Wooley news, the pool is done! And it is finally warm enough to go in!

 Well, it was warm enough for Matt to go in...I'm a baby when it comes to cold pool water



And the toys came out!!!

Here's the latest details on where we stand on Baby Wooley's impending arrival...

How far along? 30 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a head of lettuce (18 inches, 3.2 lbs) -- that is almost double what he was 6 weeks ago!

Sleep: What is sleep? I have pretty bad insomnia. I figure my not sleeping is just nature's way of going ahead and preparing me for the upcoming nightly feedings.

Best Moment this Week: Feeling Baby Wooley toss and turn -- and it was really funny last night when Matt and I were watching TV. The baby kicked harder than usual, and Matt felt my stomach jump. I said, "welcome to my world!"

Movement: He moves pretty regularly these days. He's definitely a kicker. Last night was the first night his movements kept me up though.

Food cravings: None

Food aversions: Nope

Gender: Still a boy. Otherwise, a little girl is getting a sports Mickey nursery.

Pregnancy symptoms: The reflux continues. Insomnia!! And we have now graduated to the part of the pregnancy where I cannot bend over far enough to pick up anything that I've dropped on the floor.

Belly button in or out? In, although more shallow than normal

What I miss: I'm totally missing sleep, coffee, sushi and cold cuts

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery. We've ordered a few Mets related pictures to go in the room. We're still looking for a nice cross/crucifix (we're both pretty picky about what we want for that). And then I'm still trying to convince Matt to let me hang a shelf (he's very against shelving for some reason...) Also...

Upcoming appointments/events: I'm looking forward to my baby shower in a week! My amazing cousin and aunt are throwing it for me. I can't wait!

Weekly wisdom: No matter how you mean a question about a pregnant woman's weight, she will always take it badly. For example, "you're not even showing yet!" Awesome...my clothes haven't fit in 4 months -- have I always looked this big? Or 2. Wow! You're about ready to pop! (Pretty self explanatory there)

Milestones: I'm not sure there are any "milestones" per se. Matt can feel the baby a little more now -- although the baby tends to settle down whenever Matt tries to feel him kick. However, this weekend I was lying on my side, and Matt was just nearby and the baby kicked pretty hard, and Matt was like, "are you kidding me? did that hurt?" He thought I'd been moving my stomach since he was having a hard time feeling the kicks...I told him I wasn't -- sometimes the baby just takes a leg swing into me. (We're going to have to discuss how much Mommy did NOT like that when he gets here.)

Coming next time: Definitely pictures from my upcoming shower...not sure if we get another ultrasound to estimate birth weight, but if so I'd love to see my little one again!

 

24 Week Update

We have had a REALLY busy couple of weeks! We found a pediatrician that we like, although we have one more appointment to check out a different practice today. We found and reserved a spot at a nearby daycare...they teach sign language so the baby can communicate with us before he is able to talk. We picked a name...but I haven't decided if I'm going to tell people yet! :-) I mean, we gotta have some kind of surprise, right? And we started getting furniture for the nursery!!

In addition to all the baby stuff that is going on, the pool is DONE!!

We've had a few days that have been warm enough to sit out by the pool. I'm so looking forward to this backyard feature when it gets hot!

We started getting the furniture in for the nursery -- so at least the baby has a place to sleep when he comes home from the hospital!

Matt checking out the paint supplies at The Home Depot

 

Painting -- I wasn't allowed on the ladder

 

I love the color blue that we picked -- and the crib furniture has arrived!

 

We'll be adding a glider/rocker and ottoman in this general area

 

We went with a Mickey Mouse theme -- LOVE the mobile



 

It's actually a sports Mickey theme

And Baby Wooley's first Mickey is already waiting in the crib -- a present from our next door neighbors



 

Here's the latest details on where we stand on Baby Wooley's impending arrival...

How far along? 24 weeks

How big is baby? The size of an eggplant (9 inches, 1.7 lbs)

 

Maternity clothes? Yep! Just bought some new ones for the Spring!

Sleep: Not going well. I have not mastered the art of sleeping on my side. I'm a stomach sleeper, so I've figured out a little bit of a modified side/stomach position, but if I stay on my side too long my hips are killing me! (Moms-to-be: any advice?)

Best Moment this Week: Finally Matt feeling the baby kick a little bit

Movement: Comes and goes, but my little boy seems like it when I eat. He's very active after I eat peanut butter or ice cream.

Food cravings: Not really

Food aversions: None this week

Gender: It's a boy!

Pregnancy symptoms: Still getting bad reflux...I guess that's good because Baby Wooley is getting bigger and pushing up on everything (there's only so much room in there, my little man!)

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss: 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep (yeah, yeah, I know...get used to it...I hear you)

What I'm looking forward to: Continuing to decorate the nursery!! More stuff should be here today!

Upcoming appointments/events: Ultrasound on Friday. Baby Wooley was NOT cooperative last time -- they could only get 2 of the 3 pictures they need of his heart. Nothing to worry about, but he wouldn't turn the way the ultrasound tech wanted him to. Oh well, we get to see him again before he gets here! And my cousin and aunt are so sweet to be throwing me a baby shower in a few months!! :-)

Weekly wisdom: Again, don't listen to other people's horror stories. So far this week I've heard about one woman who bruised her baby's head during delivery. And if I listen to another, I will feel like my body is being ripped apart during labor. And another told me that she had a C-section, and the doctor had trouble finding the baby after she was cut open because the baby had climbed up underneath her ribs. Why do women tell each other this stuff??

Milestones: Matt being able to feel the baby. It was irritating for awhile because he would be moving around in there a lot, and I'll call Matt over, and the baby will stop. Maybe Matt is a calming influence? (Note to self: remember that when the baby is born...)

Coming next time: More nursery pictures as we get it decorated...

Spaghetti Squash...What's That?

We've got a lot going on this week in the Wooley household. The pool is almost completely done! We filled it up this week. The builder is just making a few tweaks to the waterfall and cleaning the water, but I'm expecting it to be completely finished by the weekend! Now...if the weather will just cooperate. I am very excited about getting the pool chaise lounges out of our dining room however.

Baby Wooley is doing great. I'm starting to feel him move more and more every day. He seems to respond best to sugar and Coke. I guess unborn babies can get a sugar high too!

Here's the latest details...

How far along? 21 weeks

How big is baby? The size of a spaghetti squash

A visual aid to judge how big the baby is

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Sleep: I have my moments where I sleep well, but Matt and I had to switch sides of the bed so I'm closer to the bathroom since I get up several times a night. I don't want to step on Cobb again!

Best Moment this Week: Starting to feel the baby move more often

Movement: See above...he's an active one!

Food cravings: Nothing really big this week. I'm getting to the point where I eat and am stuffed...I don't know how much more room there is in there for him to grow!

Food aversions: None this week.

Gender: Still a boy!! :-)

Pregnancy symptoms: Reflux...yuck!

Belly button in or out? In

What I miss: Sushi...definitely the sushi

What I'm looking forward to: Buying clothes for my little man!!

Adorable swim trunks and a hat!

Cute little Mickey outfit

Upcoming appointments/events: Nothing really exciting.

Weekly wisdom: I don't know about wise...but I think I've figured out the pickles and ice cream thing. And I don't think it has anything to do with weird cravings. I've decided it has to do with the reflux. Apparently pickles help neutralize the acid, and ice cream soothes your throat and stomach. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

Milestones: Feeling more movement

Coming next time: Possibly a name...we are still in discussions. And HOPEFULLY our nursery furniture will be delivered soon!!!