The Baldwin Experience: My Journey Through Life

When the summer started I was sure that I would be good about “documenting”… blogging and updating. Ha! While it has been the best summer of my life (other than the cold weather), it has also been the busiest. Bennett is truly amazing! He is now 16 weeks and will be officially four months on September 10. I am not sure how that amount of time has passed already! At his two month appointment he was 14.98 pounds and 24.5 inches long! They said he is in the 97th percentile for both height AND weight… he is literally off the charts! He handled his immunizations much better than I expected and was seemingly unaffected by the shots (other than sleeping a lot). Of course, I made Grandma Donna hold him while the shots were administered so he would have no negative associations with me ;-), hee hee! Sleep-wise, he’s doing really well! He slept through the night for the first time last week and has done so a few times since… If he does wake up, it is only once for about ten minutes to nurse and...

Our little man is getting so big! Bennett was five weeks old yesterday! His schedules have seemed to “even out” a little. He is still sleeping around 4 hours through the night on MOST nights but will have a fussy evening every now and then where he is awake more frequently. Also, his eating has seemed to slow a bit (not as frequent as once every two hours). He seemed to have a pretty sudden growth spurt. One day last week, I put on one of his newborn onesies and it was skin tight. He is now wearing all 0-3 month, 3 month and some 3-6 month clothing! Bennett makes lots of noises. He groans, grunts, sighs… he has very good lungs already, and when he cries you can really hear it. When I was born, the nurses said I was the loudest baby in the nursery ;-). I think Bennett takes after me in that department, ha! He doesn’t often cry – only when we change his diaper or he is hungry. He even enjoys bath time (though the drying off and lotion part is chilly for him I think, so he occasionally cr...

It seems that, as soon as a baby is born, time and all concept of time is lost ;-). I had hoped and expected to be better at writing updates about Bennett, but it has been difficult! A lot of the issue is not having internet access (or cell phone reception, for that matter!) at my mom’s, where we recently relocated to for the summer. Bennett is wonderful… He was four weeks old yesterday and I cannot believe that much time has passed already! He has a lot of “personality” already: facial expressions, noises. We have several nicknames for him, among which are “noise box”, “the milk monster”, and “burp-a-potamus”. He sleeps much of the day and MOST of the time sleeps about 5 hours straight in the night, though that is not always the case ;-). He has a pleasant demeanor and is very relaxed for the most part. The only time he really fusses is when he is hungry (and the few days of gas he experienced last week). He took to breast feeding right away, and I am pretty sure if he had it his way...

Well, Bennett has arrived!! I still can't believe it's real... I left off on Friday, when I was leaking "fluid". By Saturday, I was still consistently leaking, so I called the doctor's office per instruction from my appointment on Friday. They said to come into triage to get everything checked out, and to bring our stuff just in case. We arrived at the hospital at about 1pm... Dr. Shoenmaker (not our original doctor, but the one that we really liked of all the other doctors we met in the group) first did an ultrasound. My fluid levels that were at about 12 the day before were now at 6! Even though they consider 5 and above to be "normal", since I was obviously leaking at a fast pace, it was time to consider our options! They also did another pH test to confirm that it was amniotic fluid (in case there was any doubt), and it was positive right away. Okay, now what?! I had been "crampy" all morning, but I didn't think they were contractions b...

Since yesterday’s “plug” incident, there has been more excitement. I called the doctor’s office because my sister-in-law mentioned that maybe I should just let them know. However, I left a message and I missed the call when the phone nurse called back. Then, last night in the middle of the night I started “leaking” water!!!! It wasn’t what I would consider big amounts, but it continued consistently through the night and morning. So, when I called the doctor's office back this morning, I mentioned it just in case and they said to come in. They ran a couple of tests on the fluid to see if it was, in fact, amniotic fluid, and they came back “inconclusive” (PH test and looking under a microscope). Inconclusive… LOL, of COURSE ... At that point they wanted another ultrasound because it was clear that I was losing fluid, they just couldn’t determine what kind or how much. The ultrasound showed that the levels look fine as of now , but they said that if I continue to “leak” at the same ra...

I feel a lot of pressure down low, am experiencing some cramps (almost feel like menstrual cramps), having “hot flashes” and am taking many trips to the bathroom, LOL… The doctor said my body is doing “warm-ups”. Also, something somewhat interesting happened (and *warning*, a little gross too…). I just “lost” my mucous plug! Since I didn’t even know what it was, I had to google. Here is some of what I found: Some women will lose their "mucous plug" weeks before they go into labor. Losing your plug does not always mean labor will begin shortly. Keep in mind that even if a woman has begun to dilate, it may be weeks before she actually goes into labor. As your body prepares for labor your cervix will begin to dilate and thin. As your cervix opens up, your mucous plug may fall out. This is a good sign that labor is on its way - Though, it could be days or even weeks after you lose your mucous plug before labor actually starts. Okay, it’s a little disgusting… and it doesn’t sound...

A little late on posting! ;-)

23 days until my due date! I can’t believe it. After “changing the date”, I thought it would drag on, but everything still seems to be flying by. In two days I will be 37 weeks officially, and Bennett will be considered “full term”. That is a great relief for me – not that I thought he would be premature or had any reason to worry, it’s just a milestone. Baby size averages for this point are just over six pounds and 19 inches… pretty incredible! We had an ultrasound on Tuesday, but it was a quick one. They wanted to see how my fluids were, and all levels are still normal. I’ve gained another 1.5 pounds in two weeks and am starting to feel Bennett drop! It’s the strangest sensation… I feel a lot of pressure low, especially in the morning for some reason. The Braxton Hicks contractions I have been having for weeks seem to be increasing, but with no rhythm or reason to make me believe I am close to labor. I am going to the doctor weekly now and will start getting physically examined to de...

Last weekend we finished all the baby laundry with the “special detergent” and installed the car seat! We also got Bennett’s “temporary Lansing room” (the one he’ll be in for ~ one month until we relocate up north for the summer) all finished, including the beautiful bassinet Grandpa and Sherryl got us! Other than that, nothing too notable happening! We were grocery shopping at Meijer yesterday and I looked down and my fingers looked like kielbasas!! They swelled up for the first time since being pregnant! It was funny… probably because it only lasted about an hour and then went away. Also, I had some minor back pain for the first time last week, but I think it was partially a result of scrubbing the walls up north that weekend before. I am feeling really great in general. Here are a couple of weekend pics! We also went to our friends Jim and Lisa's house on Saturday... It was a beautiful day and about 75 degrees! I picked Lisa's brain on breast feeding (she has a five-year-ol...

So, we had an appointment on Monday (Bennett’s heart rate was 134 and I’ve gained a total of 23 pounds so far). Our doctor thinks that I could go into labor any time between May 14 and May 23… May 23 was our “set” due date, and then at 20 weeks they gave us the date of May 14. My good friend Kelly told me that they don’t typically “change” a due date, but again at my next appointment they confirmed May 14. However, when I was completing my FMLA paperwork for work, I saw that the doctor had written May 23, so we asked them about it Monday. They said that they weren’t sure and saw in their notes where, on two occasions, they said May 14, but would stick to May 23, LOL… I am so new to this, I don’t know!! So I may be a week behind what I thought. ?? Either way, it doesn’t make a huge difference. My only concern is going into labor on the date that my sis-in-law has her c-section scheduled: May 28. But we will deal with that as it comes, I suppose! SO, going BACK to May 23 as the due date ...

So, I really don't have anything of "substance" to write but thought I would share a couple of funny pregnancy stories. First of all, (and again, if you don't want to hear the intimate details that I so proudly share, stop reading ;-)) I have recently found that "maintaining" certain areas is nearly impossible. The other day I thought I cut myself shaving... only to my amazement, when I looked down to inspect, I couldn't see past my belly! There goes that novelty! ;-) Secondly, I think running is officially an activity of the past for now... I went to the gym last Saturday and got on the treadmill. I speed-walked (if you can even call it that) my regular 30 minutes, then was feeling "ballsy" and thought I would try running. I ran for a whole six minutes, but as I am looking around I noticed a reflection... I looked like a giant ball bouncing down a hallway! I wasn't uncomfortable (beyond the normal feeling of needing to urinate, whic...

So, here is my ever-growing belly! ;-) ONLY 38 DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE!!!!

Time is flying by! I am 34 weeks today… that means I only have 42 days until my due date, but who’s counting? ;-) I know that a due date is not a “sure thing”; In fact, only about 5% (or less) of women deliver on their due date and ~ 85% give birth sometime between two weeks before and two weeks after… It’s more like a “due month”! ;-) Either way, mine is fast approaching and we’re getting anxious! Our birthing class last weekend was… informative. We opted for the all day class instead of breaking it up over several weekends, and that was a good call. We were told to bring pillows and a blanket to learn stretches, positions and breathing techniques, so in a sense it seemed like a kindergarten class nap time – except with 15 pregnant women on the floor instead of 5-year-olds. ;-) We watched breast feeding and birthing videos (intense) and covered many topics. I had an appointment yesterday and am now going every two weeks. I’ll give the “usual” stats: my blood pressure was 100/60, I’ve ...

Today I am 27-years-old... Kind of hard to believe. I have been thinking a lot about birthdays lately and the associated significance. Even when you're at the point (age) that a birthday loses its "luster", it is still a day that people acknowledge and celebrate. For example, today I came into work and our receptionist (Sue) had a birthday card for me and a homemade Texas sheet cake (I didn't even know what a Texas sheet cake was, but I am glad I do now! ;-)). Now that I am pregnant, the importance of a birthday is more real to me now... There is a lot that happens "scientifically", physically, emotionally, etc. that leads to the birth of a baby and I am so excited for Bennett to join us and for that special arrival date (whenever that may be)! I heard this recently: "Enjoy your pregnancy... it's the only 'real' chance you'll have to assist God in making a miracle". I agree with this whole-heartedly! :-) It has been awhile since I p...