Saturday, August 3, 2013

My Babys Birthday

My son's first birthday is on Wednesday.

Wait, what? That can't be right. I can't possibly have a one year old....

But it's true. This time last year I was still pregnant. Still pregnant and terrified of what the future would hold since I was single, had just moved back in with my mother, and was not at all sure that I would be able to return to work when my maternity leave was up.

I can remember everything about the day my son was born. I went to bed around 10pm on Monday night (late for me, haha) and woke up around 2am with some serious back pain. I thought it was from the weird position I was in, since one of my cats had claimed the bed for himself and I was trying to sleep around him, so I readjusted and tried to go back to sleep. But the back pain was not getting any better, so just for fun I went to one of the baby sites I had been reading and starting timing waves (which I finally realized were contractions). According to the site, I should have headed in to the hospital then - they were 4-5 minutes apart but only lasting about 30 seconds. I called my doctors office - they have a 24 hotline for the OB/GYN department, which I think is brilliant - and the nurse on duty said if they were only 30 seconds long I could wait a little while. So I went back to bed with a heating pad on my back - this was around 4am.

*Let me just say as a side note: My mom was supposed to work on Tuesday, but her car had died the night before. So she was home, with no working vehicle. And I was in active labor. Yup.

When I got up the next morning around 7:30 or 8, I was still having back pain. So I went and told my mom that it was a good thing she was home, since I was pretty sure I was in labor. She panicked, and said she had to take a shower - I assured her that I wasn't having the baby RIGHT THEN, so showering was fine. While she showered, I texted my aunt who lives one town over and asked her what she was up to that day. She said not much, so I asked her how she felt about giving us a ride to the hospital. Her response: "I'm on my way!"

Being a Type-A person, my bags were already packed with everything I would need to get through labor and my stay in the hospital. So there I was, waiting around for my aunt, when suddenly I got really nauseous. I got sick, and remembered thinking, "I don't think I can go through this without pain meds" (my birth plan was to go all natural - no meds, very little intervention). After the fact I realized that this was probably transition, but at the time I was just nervous.

My aunt showed up and off we went to the hospital - after calling my doctor's office, who told me to come into their office to get checked; while that conversation was happening I was busy getting sick in the back of my aunt's car. She made the decision to go straight to the hospital, which in hindsight was a good decision!

We got to the hospital, and apparently I didn't look too distressed because the admitting nurses asked if I would mind sitting in the waiting room. I didn't mind, so we waited. Then they asked if I would be okay to fill out some paper work. Sure! I was finally led into one of the rooms to get checked out, but since I wasn't complaining - we were all, in fact, joking around with the nurses - there was no hurry. Until the nurse checked me and said I was 8cm. What?! Yup, we're having a baby!

So off we went to Labor & Delivery where I had a FANTASTIC nurse, and found out that my midwife just happened to be on duty at the hospital that day. They got me settled in the nice Jacuzzi tub, and I labored there for about an hour, maybe 90 minutes. I finally asked to be checked, because I knew I was ready. And sure enough I was just about 10cm; my midwife said that once she broke my water I could start pushing. So she did, and three pushes later (no joke, the first time I pushed I brought him all the way down. One more to deliver the head, the next to deliver my munchkin) my sweet boy was born at 12:57pm! 8lbs 2 oz, 20 inches long - and roughly 2 hours after I got to the hospital.

Unfortunately, because there had been meconium in the water, he was not immediately put on my chest. Instead they took him across the room to get checked out - he was fine, and angry about the whole situation! But they wrapped him up and brought him over, and he nursed right away. The hospital I delivered at believes in Mommy-Baby bonding, so he spent his nights in my room (which really means he spent his first nights in my bed with me - and so began our Attachment Parenting journey, though I didn't know it at the time!)

I can't believe that was a year ago. My itty-bitty baby has gone from a little snuggly bundle to a big, smart, curious, rambunctious, silly little boy - who still loves snuggling with his Momma. I don't regret being a single parent. He was not a planned baby, but the only option for me when I found out I was pregnant was to have him and love him. And love him I do! My regret is that he is going to grow up without a father figure... But even that regret is usually short lived, when I do have it, because I have been blessed with a supportive family who adores my little man. So instead of a father, he has two uncles and a Grampa that he has wrapped completely around his little finger. And I don't think that is a bad thing :)

What a journey, from birth...
 To my itty-bitty Christmas love...
 To a silly boy (who grossed his Momma out by picking up a worm and then laughing about it)...
 To my smart little man!
 
Happy (early) birthday, Matthew. Mommy loves you more than you could ever know :)

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Nice to Meet You!

Hello! How are you doing today? Enjoying the first day of August, the last rush before back to school and the end of yet another summer vacation? I hope so!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Jessica, and I am a single, stay at home (for the moment) mom of a wonderful soon-to-be one year old named Matthew. My background is in Special Education and Psychology, and that is truly where my passions lie. But basically I am a sucker for kids of all ages, especially the little ones - and now that I have a little monkey of my own, my artsy-craftsy teacher self has fully emerged. My poor son is going to go to preschool with a "been there done that" attitude that I am sure is going to bother his teachers down the line! And while being a single, stay at home mom doesn't lend itself to extravagant spending, we do eat healthy - enough so that one of Matthew's favorite lunchtime meals is toasted whole wheat bread smeared with hummus and topped with a slice of cheese. Yup, I'm turning him into "that kid". You know, "that kid" at school who doesn't eat white bread, candy or soda and actually plays outdoors instead of on a computer or gadget. Don't let your kids pick on him, 'kay? Haha, okay, thanks!

So what is the point of this blog? I wanted a place where I can vent about the difficulties of raising a very smart, strong willed, independent little boy all by myself. But I also wanted a place where I can share my ideas - crafts, recipes, activities - with like-minded people. And let's be honest, sometimes I just want to talk to other grown ups!

So that's that. I hope you keep coming back, because I know this journey is going to be a blast!
Until then, please take a look at a jewelry site I manage: Le Beau Papillon I have reasonable prices, trendy styles, and a constantly changing catalog of pieces for me to pick from. So if there are items you really like, or ones you don't, just give me a heads up and I will tailor the site to you, my buying audience! Thanks so much :-D