1 month

 1 month as of July 26, 2013

Weight: 9.7 lbs.

Length: 21 inches

Clothes: For his 1st 3 weeks Trace was wearing 5-8 lb. baby clothes from Gymboree, but I'm happy to report that he is finally in newborn clothes. Yay! My little peanut...

Health: He's had a blocked tear duct in his right eye since birth that I continue to put breast milk in, rub and clean out. As each day goes by it drains more and more normally.

Diet: We started off 100% breast milk, but as his intake increased I just wasn't producing enough to keep up, so I've been forced to supplement him with formula for a couple of bottles daily. When we first brought him home he dropped to 6 lbs. 1 oz. and looked so tiny and skeleton/alien-like. Over the past month I've beefed him up a bit... into the 8 lb. range, woo hoo ;) Trace is currently taking 4oz/feeding, but 5oz his last feeding of the night at 9:30pm.

Sleep:  Trace is an angel! He sleeps in his pack-n-play napper next to our bed and naps from 10:00-noon, 1:00-3:00pm and 4:00-6:00pm. Trace goes to bed at 9:30pm and wakes up between 1:00-2:00am - he's up for 30 mins to eat and goes right back to bed. He then wakes again around 4:00am-ish - up for another 30 mins and goes back to bed until I wake up in the morning... usually between 7:00-8:00am. Then we start it all over! I'm not going to lie though, adjusting to a newborns schedule or lack-there-of is haaaaard. With Mom's On Call's help, I've done my best to start transitioning Trace onto a fairly strict schedule that will hopefully shape his sleeps habits in a positive way. I really hope it pays off and that he ends up a good sleeper because we are constantly at battle with him to ensure that he sleeps at the times I mentioned above. I'm really only getting 2-3 of continuous sleep throughout the night before I have to wake up to feed Trace, but I'm thankful for the sleep I am getting and know that this is how it goes when you have a newborn in the house. 

 Baby Gear Love: pack-n-play, swing, monitor, stroller

Likes: looking up (usually at the sky or the fan), eating, sleeping on mommy or daddy, his swing, pacifiers, tummy time, middle of the night feedings, the sound of water

Dislikes: his morning nap, getting his eyes cleaned after every nap, putting onesies over his head

Crying: Trace isn't a big crier, and when he does, it's completely manageable and for obvious reasons

Milestones: car ride, walk in the stroller, bath, babysitters, outtings to Nanny and Papa's, baby acne diminishing, gripping our finger/hand/hair/shirts

Social/Visitors: Lucky for us, the visitors keep coming and coming. The first 2 weeks we were given a meal by friends or my parents nearly every night and friends continue to trickle in to meet Trace and visit us. All 4 grand parents (Bryan's and my parents) are over often and thankfully my mom makes lunch or cooks us dinner every time she comes, which is pretty much daily!

 Postpartum: Labor is for the birds and c section recovery is no joke! I was down and out for what felt like eternity and am just now starting to walk around the house without lots of pain. I haven't gotten out much, but overall I feel okay. My incision isn't healing as quickly as I'd like it too, so I still feel a lot of discomfort and have to take it easy, but I get up each morning and try to feel as normal as possible, putting on make up and getting myself dressed. Bryan and I have been out on 2 date nights so far, my mom provides me with a great amount of socialization and I welcome every friends that wants to come visit. I still have about 12 lbs. to lose. I'm cleared to start working out at 6 weeks postpartum, but must keep my calories up to continue producing milk. I'm in no hurry to lose the remainder of the baby weight just yet, as I feel like I look good enough for just having a baby 1 month ago. Once my c section incision feels healed, I plan to hit the gym daily, as we put all equipment and machines that Bryan and I need in our garage while I was pregnant. 

weekend review

Date night at Epic Chophouse in historic downtown Mooresville

In honor of the weekends US Open of Surfing, Trace channeled his inner southern Californian

Family walk and stroller dance party

Cali came and laid on her brothers burp cloth while I fed Trace

aunt bef and sweet sandi visit for the day

Beth and Sandi came up from Greenville to see little Trace last weekend.

We spent some time at home and then headed off to The Rudder for lunch on the lake.

Thanks for making the trip for us, ladies... means the world!

real life // 1 //

time flies

Trace is 4 weeks old today!

a special visitor

The day I was leaving the hospital I got the most amazing text from my best friend.

Her and her boyfriend, Eric, were going to make a 2 day drive to come see Trace.

I really thought I had died and gone to heaven!

So the day after we got home from the hospital, our first visitors were Renee and Eric.

We had lunch, oogled over Trace, couldn't believe I had a kid and cried when we left each other.

She is the best and I know that Trace will be so lucky to always have Aunt Nae in his life!

* Trace is 3 days old

they will be the best of friends... one day

Cali meeting Trace for the first time

... and 3 weeks later :)

Cali and Trace are not quite best friends yet, but they've come a long way.

When we first brought Trace home Cali went into a 2 day depression.

She hid upstairs, never wanted to be around us and always looked sad.

We continued to give her lots of love, attention and walks.

She still sleeps in bed with us, cuddles on the couch with us and gets plenty of treats.

She came around quickly and realized that we weren't replacing her with Trace.

She knows that she is part of our family and has really calmed down since those first couple of days.

"They" say that your love for your pet changes once you have a child... and I agree.

Our love for Cali has grown! 

Now that Trace is here, Bryan and I love Cali even more than we thought possible...

guard dog

trace's birth story

Monday afternoon I met my parents for lunch. While enjoying our chips and salsa, I happened to mention that I was feeling cramping in my stomach. Cramping that felt like period cramping... and I hadn't felt that since last September! I knew this was the beginnings of the labor process, but didn't know how long it would take for things to progress.

After lunch my mom and I got ourselves a pedicure. The women doing mine rubbed a pressure point in my foot for a very long time, saying that it helps to induce labor and that I should have my baby in the next day or so.

That night Maran came over for a little girl talk. I was increasingly feeling cramping, but overall fine.

I woke up the next morning not feeling like myself. Just in case we needed to head to the hospital, Bryan worked from home that day while I took it easy.

That afternoon my parents came over to our house. My dad took Cali to her yearly vet check-up. Bryan and I headed to my ob. She told us that I was 1-2 centimeters dilated and 90% efaced. My ob told us that his head was very low... to go home, grab our bags and head to the hospital.

Once at the hospital we were sent to triage -- I was checked in at 5:15pm, put on my hospital gown, got hooked up to monitors and was checked by the on-call ob from my practice. At 8:30pm they had me walk the halls for an hour. By 8:50pm my back labor pain was so strong that I felt like I was dying. After being monitored for 5 hours in triage, we were sent home. I felt defeated. I was in excrutiating pain, but wasn't progressing. The ob wanted me to labor at home and come back when my contractions were even more intense and more close together.

We got home at 10:45pm Tuesday night. It took everything in me just to crawl into our downstairs guest bedroom bed and fall asleep. I didn't change clothes or wash my face... I brushed my teeth and attempted to get some sleep through all of my pain. Every hour I would wake up to an extremely painful contraction, I'd moan and groan and then it'd pass. I had several contractions in between, but for some reason once/hour I had a horribly painful one. Bryan slept on the family room couch and was right there if I needed him.

I woke up at around 5:00am and decided that I couldn't go back to sleep. I threw up quite a bit. We sat on the couch Bryan helped me get through my contractions until he finally said that we had to go to the hospital. He didn't want me to wait any longer. Bry helped me into the car and off we went.

We were leaving home just the 2 of us, knowing that the next time we came home, we'd be a family of 3!

We got back to the hospital at 6:45am. As we pulled into the parking garage, I threw up. Once in the Women's Center, the nurse who helped us in triage the night before was still on. She welcomed us back and checked me. I had progressed quite a bit and was officially admitted. June 26th would be the day our son was born...

I feel like so much happened from 6:45am until I had Trace at 4:34pm that same day, but mostly I was transferred to my labor and delivery room and spent the afternoon there. Thankfully my ob, Dr. Crosland, was on call, so I had her to deliver Trace. I had been throwing up all morning and after seeing the pain I was in she quickly ordered me an epidural at 10:00am... it's the most life changing drug in the history of drugs. I was so calm once I had the epidural. I wasn't in pain, but I could slightly feel my contractions, of which were terribly irregular. My parents and Bryan's parents had arrived and had come to see us in my room. I was 9cm dilated at 1:30pm, but my contractions were all over the place so Dr. Crosland decided to start me on petocin and an internal monitor (which is never a good sign) and told me I'd be pushing soon.

At 2:00pm Dr. Crosland told me that I would start pushing at 2:15pm. I pushed for 1 hour. It was one of the longest hours of my life. I tried so hard, but Trace just wasn't budging. She used the suction to no avail. After quite a while Dr. Crosland said that Trace was face up and that, based on his erratic heart rate, she thought the umbilical cord was around his neck. She told me that I "had 2 options, both of which you're not going to like - forceps or c-section." She quickly took the forceps option away from me, so before I knew it my room was swarmed with nurses and hospital staff. They were prepping for c-section.

Through my tears, I remember being wheeled out of my labor and delivery room, through the halls and into the operating room. Bryan was told to put on scrubs while they prepped me for surgery.

I. Was. Balling! I was terribly afraid. Afraid that something was wrong with my baby and afraid of this surgery. I hadn't planned on a c-section and never thought I'd need one. This was the first surgery I'd ever had. Bryan stayed strong for me -- he faked his strength so well, as I knew he was just as afraid as I was.

Before they cut me they put an instrument on my belly and asked if I could feel it. I should have been 100% numb, but I felt it. They increased the medication in my iv and before I knew it I was in surgery. I never stopped crying. I was sobbing uncontrollably. They couldn't get Trace out. He was stuck! Stuck in my pelvic bone. While my l&d nurse pushed my stomach Dr. Crosland pulled the baby. I then heard Dr. Crosland ask a nurse to get the resident ob asap... she needed his help. He quickly came in and before I knew it I had my l&d nurse pushing while Dr. Crosland and the resident ob pulling Trace out. They finally got him unwedged and pulled out.

Trace was born at 4:34pm on Wednesday, June 26th.

Immediately after birth they placed Trace on a ventilator. After 1 minute and 15 seconds he took his first spontaneous breath. This was the longest 1 min and 15 secs of Bryan's and my life! I remember laying on the table, looking up at the nurse who was by my head and asking her "Is he okay?" She said "they'll let us know when they can." I started to cry even harder. That was not the answer I had expected. Bryan and I were terrified! But then we heard that cry. That loud cry at 1 min and 15 secs. Trace was okay. Bryan and I looked at each other, both in tears. We had been so scared, but our baby was okay.

It turns out that Trace was face up, but did not have the cord around his neck. He weighed 6lbs 7ozs and was 21 inches long. I'm not sure how my tiny baby wedged himself in my pelvic bone so good -- he didn't want to come out vaginally or through a c-section. But he was here and we were thrilled!

I finally got to see him. I honestly don't even remember when. I think Bryan had him in his arms.

After they stitched and stapled me, they wheeled me into a recovery room where I stayed for about 1 hour. This is where you bond and/or breastfeed for the first time, and this is where I held Trace for the first time!

Once in my recovery room, the room I'd be in for the next couple of days, our parents came in to say hello. This overwhelmed Bryan and I tremendously. We had just been put through hell and back and just wanted to relax... and here come our happy, overly excited parents... dying to meet their grandson. I freaked out. Bryan said he freaked out to, but I beat him to the punches. My room was full and I needed some people to leave. My mom was so worried about Trace and I, so my mom and dad stayed with us for a bit longer.

The next couple of days were spent getting to know Trace, having visitors and learning about our new role as parents. Trace slept in room with us, which was fantastic!

I could have stayed in the hospital until Sunday, but I was ready to leave. After Trace's Friday evening circumcision we headed home. Home to our new life as a family....

And what did I do the second I got home? I dove into a big hunk of salami, of which I had been craving for 40 long weeks :)

And this is where I would normally say "the end," but we all know that this is just the beginning...

date night

Last night we went out on our first date night since becoming parents 2.5 weeks ago. It was so nice to feel "normal" again. We got sushi, had a couple glasses of wine, then walked around and picked up some fudge for dessert. Love spending time with my husband!

Call me crazy, but I don't have a hard time leaving Trace because I know that he is always in great hands when with my parents. Truth be told, he's probably in better hands when with my mom than when with me... she knows her stuff and I'm just learning. But with that being said, and although I had an awesome night with Bry, I was so excited to get back home to my little mans snuggles and coo's!

Now this is livin'...

* For those curious, I have lost 16 lbs. and still have 13 lbs. to lose

best pregnancy undergarments

Little did I know that years ago when I fell in love with a particular underwear and sports bra, that they'd get me through my entire future pregnancy also. 

***

I was told by several different people that at some point in my pregnancy, I would have to trade in my cute lacy thong for a more comfortable underwear that provides more coverage. That just seemed like such a waste of money and although I gained the most weight (outside of in my belly region) in my hips, ass and thighs, I'm so glad that I never had to purchase new undies... because the ones that I've always worn are one-size-fits-all, ridiculously comfortable and always on sale!

Maidenform One-Size Lace Thong

I have mentioned these sports bras before, in my 12 Things I Can't Live Without post, and still swear by everything in that post... especially these sports bras! Whether I'm working out, lounging at home or out and about in a sundress, they are the #1 staple item in my wardrobe. Although I already owned a bazillion of them in different colors, due to my growing girls, I was forced to purchase new ones sized up. Below are the exact 3 packs (6 total) that I bought to get me through my pregnancy. I got a girl friend hooked on them a while back and shes's told me that they're easy to breast feed in as well.

Fruit of the Loom Racerback Sports Bra

Fruit of the Loom Strappy Sports Bra

my growing belly aka bump updates: weeks 12-39

Trace was born at 39 weeks and 5 days... just 2 days before his due date.

I know a lot of you have been curious about my weight gain, so I want to share that I gained 29 lbs. while pregnant... and every single pound was worth it :)