Time keeps flying by

I've been back at work over two months now, which means there isn't a lot of free time for things like blogging. Which also means I haven't been updating all of the exciting things that have been going on.

First of all, Aviva is almost 5 months old. To the left you'll see a picture of her at 4 months, holding on to her dear Blinky. Does she really love Blinky more than any other toy? I have no idea. He was the easiest to grab on to from a young age so we assume she likes him.

But now she's able to grab much tinier items, such as smaller toys, teething rings and my mascara. I used to be able to hold Aviva while putting on my makeup if she was getting fussy, but now she has learned to grab for everything in my hand, which makes this a little difficult.

So what else is she doing? Laughing, that's for sure. Most of the time she's quite a happy little girl, with a huge grin and an infectious laugh. Unfortunately grabbing that smile on camera is never easy. As soon as a phone gets in front of her face she goes blank and sticks out her tongue. But we still try.

Tummy time used to last for about 30 seconds before a big crying jag, but now Aviva is able to push herself up just like the books say she's supposed to do around this time. Any minute she'll be rolling over, and then we're in for a treat.

I actually think she rolled over once in her crib, which is a problem because we were still swaddling her. Since that time we've started to have her sleep with her arms out, just in case it happens again. That incident was about a month ago, and now I'm wondering if I didn't actually see it in my sleepy stupor.

This picture on the right is just from a few days ago, while we were watching the Bears most recent loss. About a minute after this Luther had Aviva's foot in his mouth, so that was the end of that fun time. Hey, at least they noticed each other?

Aviva is also "talking" up a storm, though she isn't really actually saying anything. But she makes lots of fun noises and attempts to have her own form of a conversation.

In just four days we're going to hit 5 months! And then in another month we'll be starting solids, yet another new adventure.

Stay tuned!

Back to work

Despite early struggles, Aviva is
now taking the bottle like a champ!

Whelp, time sure flies when you're on maternity leave. I'll admit that it started out excruciatingly slow, but then somewhere around week 8 time just started whizzing by uncontrollably.

I'm sure part of the reason it went by faster in the end is because Aviva and I actually started figuring out what we're doing (sort of). She started taking actual naps, which meant mommy could get some work done around the house and knock out some e-mails. And it also put her in a better mood during the day.

I also found a nice little group of girls to walk with, and spent a lot of time getting back into shape at the gym. That was the FUN part of maternity leave, and now it's all in the past.

There are some pluses and minuses to heading back to work. First of all, of course I miss being able to spend all day with my little girl. But on the other hand it's nice to NOT have to spend all day with my little girl.

Is that terrible? I love our time together, but it can be stressful, confusing, exhausting, worrisome and any other adjective you want to throw in there. Now I'm on my own all day, free to have conversations, go to the bathroom, go for a walk without a stroller, and eat a meal!

Somehow Hadas can get a picture of
Aviva smiling when I
have failed oh so many times. 

On Friday, August 1 Aviva went off to daycare for the first time, while I stayed home and finished up some freelance and got things situated around the house. I thought about her a lot, but there was a bit of a release inside of my brain when I handed her off to Hadas (the lovely woman who runs the daycare).

I have to admit I was too busy to miss her at first, but right when I got the e-mail from Hadas about how great Aviva was doing (complete with the pictures attached to this e-mail), I must say I got a little teary. I was supposed to pick her up at 3pm but arrived at about 2:45 because I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. She was a perfect little angel for Hadas, which meant I knew I could leave her and she'd be OK.

One of the main things I was worried about in terms of returning to work was how the heck we were going to get ourselves ready for work AND get Aviva ready for daycare. Turns out it hasn't been that big of a deal. Granted I haven't dried or styled my mop of a hair since returning to work almost two weeks ago, but I manage to walk out the door wearing pants, and somehow I manage not to forget anything major (my kindle has been left at home twice now and once I forgot makeup).

It's a really easy setup. I get up at 6AM and feed Aviva her pre-breakfast. I then put her back into her crib (usually she'll go back to sleep) and hop into the shower. After I'm dressed, I get Aviva dressed while Jeff showers. Then Jeff and Aviva hang out while I take the dog out for a walk. Jeff heads off to work, Aviva gets another snack and then I grab her bottles and whatever else she needs and head out the door. I park right in front of Hadas's house and drop Aviva off, then I park the car in a permit-free zone and hop on the train. Magically, I manage to arrive between 8:15 and 8:30, about the time I made it to work prior to having a baby. And usually I'm one of the first creative folks in the door. After work, Jeff picks Aviva up from daycare and I meet them at home. The end.

Making friends already! Maya is reaching out,
and unfortunately I don't know the
name of the little guy on his tummy. 

Now what I don't like is that I get home at 6pm and Aviva goes to bed at 7pm. Sure we get a little time in the morning, but I'm rushing around trying to make sure I have everything we need. So all in all I get about two hours a day with my daughter, and the rest of the time she's asleep or being cared for by someone else. When I look at that things that way, it's a little upsetting.

Again on the up side, it's nice to feel like a productive member of society as I move forward in my career. I was promoted at work, and it feels good to be appreciated for more than the fact that I produce milk.

The one thing that I think will have to go out the window is regular exercise. This is difficult, because I love going on runs, going swimming, or hitting up my favorite gym. I will most certainly get my exercise on over the weekend, but I just don't see how I can workout during the week. Either I wake up at 5am and get going or I go for a run at 8pm at night. Seeing as how I have to pump at 8:30 and like to get to bed with my kindle at about 9pm, there isn't much time to relax, eat, or catch up on TV.

I know, I know, I could adjust my priorities and make time for exercise, but I think I need just a little more time to get this working mom thing figured out a little better.  And, until I'm done nursing I'm allowed to hang on to those five extra pounds, right?

Our little Illini fan

Tired, but ready to run!

With parents like us, it's only natural for Aviva to be an Illini fan from birth. My current facebook profile picture is a lovely one of Aviva fast asleep in her stroller covered with an Illini blanket. It's a bit too warm right now for that blanket, but there are plenty of other ways to show off her spirit. 

A couple of weeks ago, we had a full-on Illini weekend. The fun began on Saturday, July 26th when we got up super early to head over to the B1G Ten 10K race. This is the third year that the race has taken place, and for some reason we've been out of town every other year. I decided while still pregnant that a 10K would be a great goal and so I signed up. 

Pretty much up until the day of the race I was kicking myself for not signing up for the 5K instead. Before being preggo a 10K wasn't really a big deal. It's not my favorite length (I prefer the 8K myself), but it was certainly easy to do. I did my best to get in some practice runs, but this isn't easy with an infant. Add to that the fact that I hadn't gone running in a loooooong time, and you've got a stressed out mamma. And, let's not forget I really needed new running shoes, but it seemed like a silly waste of money when we need diapers, toys, and that cute stuffed toy over there for our new baby. 

Anyway, we got up at about 5:30 in the morning, which is early even for Aviva (she tends to rouse around 6:30). We dressed her up in an Illini t-shirt that's way too big and headed down to Soldier Field. 

I ran the race while Aviva and Jeff walked around and visited all the fun B1G Ten party tents. This included a picture opportunity of Aviva with the football championship trophy! I'm guessing an item that she won't really see again soon as an Illini fan (zinnng!)

The race itself was fine. I finished! I will admit there was a bit of walking here and there, but I did finish in just over an hour. My 5K split showed that I was going faster than a 10-minute mile! Although that changed in the second half... My goal was to finish and I did it. That's all that matters. 

Bardo!

After I finished the race and finally tracked down my husband and family, which wasn't easy since I don't run with a phone, we hung out for a little while and ran into a few friends. 

As we were cutting through the crowd to head home, I spotted Illini basketball great Stephen Bardo. Luckily, when you have an adorable baby you can walk up to anyone and ask for a picture. Which is what I did. As you can see from the picture Aviva missed the entire thing, as she fell asleep for most of the morning.

Then on Sunday, our favorite bar hosted an Illini fun day with football coach Tim Beckman in attendance. We found a different Illini outfit that's too big (we need her to grow into her Illini gear) and walked over for a quick beverage and to see if the venue could fit a stroller. 

The scene wasn't too crowded, and it turns out we weren't the only fools with a baby. Coach Beckman's wife fawned over Aviva (naturally) and again it was very easy to walk up to coach and ask for a picture with my baby! This time Jeff and I got in on the action as well. 

Up next, we'll be taking Aviva to her first football game in a little over a month. Stay tuned! 

The whole family got in on a photo op with Coach Tim Beckman at Schoolyard!

Visiting the show me state

Me, Aviva, Bella, Kelli and Liam!

This past weekend, Aviva  and I went on our first major adventure.

We took a train to St. Louis, where she was able to meet her future best friends Liam and Bella Trachtman. Liam and Bella's mom Kelli was a bridesmaid in my wedding, where she met her future baby daddy Alec, who just so happened to be a fraternity brother of my baby daddy. Funny how that all works out.

Mr. Liam is just two months older than Aviva, and Kelli and I couldn't wait to get the two together. Bella is already a big girl at 2, and she was probably more excited to meet Aviva than Liam, who may be the chillest baby I've ever met. You can see in the picture above that nothing really phases him and those adorable cheeks.

The trip got off to a rocky start, as Aviva's big brother Luther had a bit of a health scare earlier in the week. That's a post in and of itself, but I'm happy to say the furry guy is doing just fine right now. The trip took a lot of planning and organizing, and my stress levels went through the roof, which didn't help matters for anyone.

The longest train ride ever
Aviva and I were supposed to take an Amtrack train at 9:30 on Thursday, but due to Luther's health and a last-minute trip to the vet that morning, we opted to take the train at 1:45 instead. Jeff had to work and so he would be meeting us with the car Friday night.

Aviva was fast asleep at Union Station

Getting to Union Station was easy, but once we got there it was a zoo! We arrived about 20 minutes early and our train was already boarding. We took our seats on the second level, which required some help from a kind gentleman who carried our bag as I maneuvered up a tiny staircase with Aviva in her car seat. We were lucky to get a two-seater all to ourselves, so we could spread out as much as necessary.

On the whole the train ride itself wasn't THAT bad. The problem was that our six-hour trip ended up being about nine hours. We were supposed to arrive at 7:21, which was plenty of time to catch up and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Instead, delays meant that we arrived in St. Louis after 10:30. Keep in mind all I had with me was snacks, and I wasn't able to go to the bathroom because who was going to watch my baby? Since I couldn't go to the bathroom I was trying not to overdue it on the hydration. When we arrived at Kelli's house she was already fast asleep, and Alec was kind enough to pick me up. I was starving but opted to just put Aviva to bed, use the bathroom, and fall into bed myself.

Our luxurious
accommodations

Aviva was really a rock star on the train. She slept in her car seat for a good 3 hours, and though she was a bit fussy there weren't any all-out screams. Our train neighbors were very nice and a few offered to help if I needed anything. We didn't really take anyone up on the help but it was super nice of them to offer. We managed to use the nursing cover pretty well, though I'm guessing a few Amtrak patrons got a boob shot they weren't expecting. And Aviva had some good poops but nothing that ruined her clothes! Without the delays it would've been a great experience, with the delays I've proclaimed that I will never ride Amtrak again...

Meet me in St. Louis
That first night in St. Louis, Aviva was a bit overtired and out of her element, so she didn't have the best night's sleep. But we figured it out! She was also in a Pack N' Play, when she is used to sleeping in a newborn napper. Thankfully the room was nice and dark and she was right next to my bed so there was more crying than normal but she managed to get some shuteye.

In the morning, the babies got to meet! Liam is probably the most easy going baby I've ever met, which made Aviva seem like a big ol' cry baby. Bella was crazy about Aviva, who seemed pretty enamored with her new friend as well. At one point Aviva started a crying avalanche, wherein all of the other gals in the house (Bell and the Nanny's daughter Bentley) went on a crying rampage. Throughout it all Liam just looked at the gals like they were crazy.

Kelli and I took Aviva out for sushi, and thankfully she slept the whole way. Then we braved the outlet mall, where I was able to find a few things to wear to work when I return in a couple of weeks (gulp). Again, she slept for most of the trip, and as soon as her meltdown started we were ready to skidaddle anyway.

Jeff arrived Friday night, and Aviva was already in the groove of her new surroundings. Saturday was the big exciting day, because it was the first time we'd be leaving Aviva with someone other than her grandparents. Lilya, who runs a daycare down the street and used to watch Bella before Liam came along, would be in charge of all three munchkins, and Jeff and I were rather nervous about the whole situation. Aviva still doesn't take a bottle, and she isn't a big fan of people she doesn't know.

Two hot mommas out on the town.

Turns out Aviva is only a fussbucket when mommy and daddy are around, because she had zero problems with Lilya. She took a bottle, took two naps and was described as an "angel." Well, OK! We'll take it. This makes us feel much better about the prospect of heading off to daycare.

Once we were able to check in with Lilya after about an hour and a half of being out, I felt much better the rest of the evening. It was sort of a weird relief to sit back and relax and not have to worry that Aviva would be waking from a nap anytime soon. I could used to this babysitter thing...

When we got home Aviva was still fast asleep, and went to bed without any problems. Sunday morning we headed home and Aviva slept for most of the trip.

*Another new discovery, when Aviva is upset, playing Counting Stars on my phone via YouTube and singing along seems to work wonders. Keep this in mind for future adventures.

Look who's two months old!

Aviva at two months!

Okay, as per usual I'm a little behind. I'm going to stop apologizing for such things and hope that my audience realizes that I'm a new mom and I blog when I can. Even now someone is supposed to be down for a nap and isn't quite asleep just yet, here's hoping she falls asleep on her own (she did).

Now that we've got that out of the way, look who is already two months old (plus a week...)! Last week we took Aviva in for her two month appointment, and before they attacked her with needles we had a laundry list of questions.

For example, is green poop normal? Is it weird that she gets the hiccups on a daily basis, what about all that sneezing? Turns out pretty much every question I had the response was "that's normal." So no need to worry about the fact that my baby snores.

My biggest fear at this visit was what the pediatrician would say about her weight. I was proud to see that Aviva surpassed the 9-pound mark, but that isn't a huge gain from her birth weight of 7 pounds 2 ounces. Nine pounds placed Aviva squarely in the 3rd percentile, but at least she was on the chart!

Her head circumference (I can't remember what it was) put her in the 25th percentile and her length of 22 and 3/4 inches put her in the 50th. She is clearly growing, she just seems to be gaining weigh at a slow pace. My parents told me that I had a similar issue, and the pediatrician simply scheduled another appointment in a month to take a look at her progress. No need to worry yet, just something we'll keep an eye on. Dr. Sterrett repeatedly referred to her as being a "peanut."

After we attacked her with questions, the nurse entered with the dreaded vaccines. I'm happy that we've started the process of her immunizations, but it wasn't fun to hear the screams as she was poked and prodded. I'm a wimp and had to look away as the nurse stabbed her, but Jeff was a trooper and watched the whole thing up close. After it was all done we held her and hugged her and she calmed down rather quickly.

When we got home, both of us were worried about a fever, and were constantly pressing our hands onto her forehead. The only real side effect we noticed from the vaccines was that her legs were a bit sore at the site of the shots, but other than that no troubles.

We'll go back and see Dr. Sterrett in a month to check her weight, and in two months to get the next round of shots.

Walking for a cause

I was determined to wear that stupid
bib thingy even though it was unnecessary. 

I've often said that I prefer dogs to people, because I get along with dogs better. For that reason, when it comes to supporting a cause it usually involves animals.

Our darling dog Luther joined our family over 6 years ago (his anniversary is Nov. 19th) from PAWS Chicago, so every year the whole family signs up for the PAWS 4K walk/8K run.

We enjoy this event because I always like to gear up for a good run, and Jeff and Luther can get involved by walking the 4K. As the years went by, my parents also got into the act and walked the 4K with their dog, Macaroon.

Usually I run this event, but since Aviva was born about a month prior, I had to face the facts that this year I'd be walking. My first run isn't scheduled until July 26th, and I'm not really sure I'll even be ready for that one.

Getting to Montrose Harbor on a Saturday morning for the PAWS event is always difficult, and since we have the pups we can't get on public transportation. That means searching for parking by the beach-something everyone else is also doing. We managed to get out of the house around the time we planned (hey 20 minutes late isn't so bad), and we found a parking spot right in front! Then I realized we forgot our packets...

You see, when you're running the race, the packet and bibs with numbers are vital! Apparently, this isn't the case with the walkers. But I had no idea! So I stayed in the car with Grandma, Grandpa, Aviva and the dogs to secure the spot while Jeff graciously ran home to get the packets. On the plus side, it was sort of rainy and icky out, and we had about an hour to kill. Grandpa and Macaroon braved the drizzle, while Grandma and I played Words With Friends in the car.

Again, had I opened the packets at any point I would've realized how useless and unnecessary they were. Ooopsies! Luckily I get a free pass for all things stupid for I would say the first year or so of Aviva's life, right?

Once we got the packet issue settled, we all enjoyed a nice morning and a nice walk. It was fun to see how the other half lives (re: walkers), but next year I am definitely running the race. There were tons of doggies, strollers, and crazy dog owners (myself included). Many of the dogs were in costume, and there was a lot of butt sniffing and pooping along the route (I wasn't included in that). We ran into a few friends we hadn't seen in a while, enabling us to show off the latest addition to the family.

PAWS was aiming to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by having the most animals in costume in one place, so we participated by forcing Luther to wear his Illini jersey. He wasn't especially happy about that.

Aviva blissfully slept through the entire event, and even stayed asleep as we went out to a tasty brunch immediately following the walk. I would characterize the day as a success, and look forward to next year!

Visiting Wrigley Field

Cubs locker room!

On Friday, June 13 Aviva enjoyed her first visit to Wrigley Field.

Sure, she slept through the entire thing, but we have photographic evidence that she was there.

In August we'll take Aviva to her first actual game, but attending family day was the perfect start.

Cubs dugout

Aviva was able to see the Cubs locker room and visitor's locker room, sit in the dugout and see the press box. And all this happened while she was squished into her Daddy in a Moby wrap.

She finally woke up
on the way home...

Thanks to Katie and Max for inviting us to attend family day at Wrigley Field! Other than getting to take Aviva to see the ballpark, the best part for me might have been that the free meal included veggie dogs. Yum!

Perhaps next year Aviva will be able to walk out onto the field and catch a ball or two, or maybe the year after that...

Aviva's first bath

Belly button!

The latest scoop about bathing newborns is that they can't have a bath until their cord stumpy thingy falls off. No big deal, because that thing is supposed to follow off in 1 to 2 weeks.

Whelp, not for our stubborn gal--her cord held on tight for 4 weeks! We were getting sort of worried, until I went to change her diaper on Monday and found that little stump in her clothes.

It was exciting to finally have it fall off, and to see that cute belly button underneath. Looks like we've got an inny!

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to bathe her Monday because we had plans in the evening, so we waited one more day for the bath. 

On Tuesday, we set up our new infant bath tub and infant soap (thank you Suzie and Mickey!) We also got out our froggy hooded towel (thank you Stephanie!) and some washcloths (thank you

Eww the stump...

Zhen!). 

We plunked Aviva into the bathtub and anticipated tears and anger, but thankfully we were just greeted to confused grunts. I can imagine every day is a new adventure for Aviva, and having water poured on top of her head probably seemed weird. Though she wasn't angry, she was certainly cold, so we bathed her as quickly as possible. 

About one minute into our bathing session, little miss Aviva decided to let out a big poop. Luckily, our fancy bathtub made it easy to simply drain the poop into the sink and start with fresh water! The most exciting part was probably washing her hair, which was starting to get a bit greasy. 

After the bath ended, we got to wrap our munchkin in a big soft froggy towel. Once she got warm she was pretty satisfied with being clean. And, we discovered that her hair is super curly when washed. 

Froggy towel

Can almost see those curls...

Holy cow Aviva is four weeks old!

Where does the time go? Soon she'll be applying for college and we can say "I remember when you were just a little snuggly peanut..."

Aviva has her own room

Currently, Aviva sleeps in a nifty Pack N' Play in our room, but in a few weeks she'll graduate to sleeping in her own room. Therefore, we had to actually get her room together so that she'd have a place to call her own.

We started putting the room together about a month before she arrived, but there were always a few more things to do. While there are still a few tiny things still left (ahem Jeff I really want a shelf in the closet!!) and one more decoration to go up (Melissa is going to paint her Hebrew name for us!), for the most part I'm ready to call the nursery ready to go.

This weekend, Meghan and Mike were kind enough to come help us put together the crib, which was the last piece of the puzzle. Thank you to Auntie Devvie for sending us the crib! And thank you to Kelli for the mattress, and everyone else who sent us fabulous pieces to get this room looking amazing.

AND! Thank you to all the friends that helped us put it all together. Melissa, Jon, Michael, Angela and Julie helped us with the tree decal, Karen provided us with the base for the chair, Meghan and Mike helped with the crib and Anni provided us with the gorgeous growth chart and the pictures on the wall. Oh, and Laura will be bringing us the rug as soon as she makes it up to Chicago for a visit (rumor has it this Thursday!) Thank you all!!

Here are some pics!

The changing station! And also the tree decal. You'll also notice a lovely picture of Wrigley Field. We have to make sure she goes the right sports direction early on.

Here is Aviva's bookshelf, and the three beautiful pictures above it are Anni Betts originals!

Close up of the prints!

The crib is finally together! Aviva will sleep in it one day.

The entrance and growth chart.

Aviva is 3 weeks old!

Alright, I'm falling behind. This will be a lot easier when we're just logging months... which will happen soon!

Aviva is already 3 weeks old! In fact she's WAY past 3 weeks.

She loves to stick her tongue out--especially in photos!

A visit with Gigi!

Last week, Jeff's mom was kind enough to come visit with me and Aviva and help us get through that first week at home with Jeff at the office.

My parents will be known as Grandma and Grandpa, well Jeff's mom has chosen to be called Gigi instead. I think it will make things much easier when Aviva is older to have the names be slightly different.

Anyway, Aviva and Gigi had a wonderful visit! Sadly Gigi is located in Virginia, so we're glad she got to spend lots and lots of time with Aviva last week. The two spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch, and the three of us enjoyed a lot of quality HGTV time. It's amazing how you can just turn on HGTV or Bravo and time just flies by!

We're sad that Gigi had to go back home, and now it's just me and Aviva on our own. Here is a picture of Aviva and Gigi together from last week. You can tell how much they're enjoying each others' company!

Soon, Jeff, Aviva and I will need to make a trip out East so that Aviva can meet the rest of the Parker side of the family.

Aviva is two weeks old!

Man, time sure flies! Our little juju bean (this is Jeff's nickname, make fun of him) is already two weeks old!

Don't worry, we're not going to post evvverrry week her development. As soon as we hit one month we'll skip to monthly photos. But for now let's count the weeks!

Next week maybe she'll let us take a photo with her eyes open!

Aviva Ethel

On Saturday, the three of us went to Anshe Emet in Chicago for Aviva's baby naming. We were a bit worried since she was barely five days old, but we wanted to get her officially named as soon as possible, and Shabbat made sense.

Grandma Fraeda bought her an adorable new outfit, and she was a big hit at the synagogue. The outfit had a hat, but how could you not put a bow in that luxurious hair? Luckily, Aviva slept the entire time. I had to feed her and change her at one point during the service, but it was an excuse to duck out during the boring parts (just kidding...sort of). Jeff and I went to the bimah and I had an aliyah as Grandpa Gary read from the torah. Then, Rabbi Friedman said a blessing and we told the crowd why we picked the name.

After the service, everyone filed by Aviva in her crib and gawked at her on the way to the lunch. We hadn't planned on having her quite that on display, but everyone got a kick out of seeing her.  

What's in a name?
Jeff and I have had our eye on the name Aviva for a long time. Before we even planned on having a child we chatted once about how much we liked the name. So that was a great start.

It is a Jewish tradition to name your child in honor of a relative, even if it is just the same first letter. Therefore, Aviva is a name we loved, and it could also be in honor of Jeff's great grandmother Audrey.

Aviva is Hebrew for spring, which means so many great things for us. She was born during the spring time, and it's a time of warmth and renewal. Everyone loves spring and it brings joy and hope. We also wanted her to have a unique, memorable name, because we believe Aviva will be a unique and memorable individual.

As for her middle name, Ethel is my grandmother's name. Grandma Ethel spent a lot of time with me and Jeff during our relationship, and she was always really happy with us together. She was also an incredibly strong woman who was a doctor way back in the time when women simply weren't doctors. She was also a demanding and stubborn princess, just like I imagine Aviva may be on day. Therefore, the middle name was a cinch. Jeff also has an Ethel in his family, so it really made sense.

That's the story behind Aviva Ethel! And so far it really fits.  

Pics, pics and more pics

From the first days at the hospital to our adventurous first week, check out these photo albums of all things Aviva!

Aviva Hospital Pictures Aviva's first days

Aviva is one week old!

Time is already just flying by. Our baby is now officially one week old.

The Baby Parker Birth Story

This is a long one and may be a bit TMI for some of you, so read at your own risk!!

As I've said before, I was convinced that the baby would come late. As early as 38 weeks I was getting pretty tired of carrying around a gigantic belly, and every day things just got a little more difficult.

My clothes didn't fit, my back constantly hurt, and I couldn't sleep. Then there was also the anxiety of just not knowing when she would arrive. At every doctor appointment, I got hooked up to a machine for about 20 minutes and listen to the baby's heartbeat. Then they would check my cervix to see if I was dilated. Every time I was told that things were thinning out, but I wasn't dilated at all.

On the bright side, her heartbeat was perfect and she appeared to be head down (this is important to note). Dr. McDonald and Dr. Hardesty got in there about three different times, and reported that she was head down. One time, Dr. McDonald even said she felt baby's head through my cervix.

My appointment with Dr. Reuben was scheduled for week 40, so she never had a chance to weigh in on the location of baby's head. Anyway, the point is I was getting a bit tired, and was certainly ready for baby to emerge.

On Sunday, May 11, I woke to find a bit of spotting. I had read that this wasn't a huge deal, and the instructions I received from the doctor weeks ago stressed that I should not call the hospital just for the "bloody show." But the problem was I didn't know for SURE it was the bloody show or what it was at all! And since it was Sunday, I couldn't really call my doctor's office and speak to a nurse. It was either call the hospital and page the doctor on call or just wait. I was also feeling a tad bit of cramps, but nothing major and certainly nothing that could be timed. I decided to just go ahead and call.

Dr. McDonald was on call and she wasn't too concerned about the spotting, or the cramps, but wanted me to keep an eye on things. We went about our Sunday and had a lovely mother's day lunch with my parents. There was a tad more spotting through the day, but nothing major. That night, things got a little more difficult. In hindsight, I suppose I was starting to have contractions. My stomach started feeling really weird and crampy, but again nothing could be timed and I still had no problem talking or walking. I also started to get a crazy headache, and sleeping was just not happening. It didn't feel like an emergency, but it didn't feel great.

Jeff's scrubs selfie

I would say I got about two hours of sleep that night, and decided to work from home. Jeff wanted me to work from home before the night even began, but I just felt sort of guilty. The fact that I couldn't sleep solidified the notion that staying home was a good idea. AND, we had a guy coming to take a look at our air conditioner. My dad had agreed to meet him because I had planned on going to work, but since I was staying home I didn't have to burden him with that task. So it all sort of worked out. And again, in hindsight, I'm so glad I decided to stay home.

I had a little more spotting on Monday, and my headache wouldn't go away. There were still some cramps, but still nothing that could be timed or monitored and they really didn't hurt that badly. I called my doctor's office anyway, and they asked if I wanted to come in. Of course I wanted to come in! Even if I didn't think the baby was on the way, I wanted to be sure.


My appointment was scheduled for 1:45. I was able to get some work done in the morning, but was happy to have a light load. The AC guy was scheduled for 11, but I was getting nervous he wouldn't arrive in time for me to make it to the doctor. I asked my dad to be available just in case I needed him to come by and take over. The AC guy arrived at 11:30, and I showed him how to get on the roof. There was a ton of junk on the stairs from our upstairs neighbor and I had to maneuver around it as I hopped up the stairs to make sure the roof was unlocked. The AC guy was not a fan of me doing this, but I didn't see the problem. He went to the roof, I went to the bathroom. And oopsies, my water broke. That's right, my water broke. It happened while I was going to the bathroom, but I had to stand up!

I ran into my other bathroom (I had been in the master), and was surprised to discover that the water kept on flowing. In the movies, there is a huge gush of water and that's that. Not so much for me. Instead, it was a steady dribble that ran down my leg without an end in sight. I called Jeff immediately, and he didn't answer. So I texted him something like "MY WATER BROKE." Then I called my dad to tell him my water broke and ask him to come deal with the AC guy. Next up I called the hospital. 

Honestly, it may not have happened quite in that order. I was a bit panicked. Dr. Rueben was on call (I had a feeling it was her. Though in the end she was great, she was the doctor I saw the very least during my visits) and the nurse put me on hold to ask what I should do. As I was on hold. I texted Jeff to come home and get me. The nurse got back on the line and told me to come to the hospital immediately. I asked if I could wait a little bit for my husband to come get me, and she told me to just get there as fast as I could.

After I straightened out that I needed to get to the hospital, and figured out that both parents were on the way and would drive us to the hospital in my car, I felt slightly more calm. At some point, the AC guy emerged from the roof to tell me that we needed more freon. I apologetically told him that my water broke. Of course he was a bit flustered and had no idea what to do. I told him my husband was on the way as were my parents, so if he wanted to just continue fixing the AC he could go right ahead. I did all this in the bathroom, because I was still dripping, while he stood about 10 feet away in my doorway. The bathroom door was open, I just wanted to remain on tile instead of wood. He was very nice and asked if there was anything he could do. I told him I was fine everyone was on the way. So he went upstairs and continued fixing the AC. 

I stood in the bathroom and waited. Jeff texted me updates on his whereabouts. The AC guy actually finished up when Jeff was a few blocks away, which meant I had to engage him in a little small talk from the bathroom as he waited. I assured him my husband was close and would be able to grab the checkbook and he could be on his way. For some reason I continued to apologize profusely as if I had any control over what was going on. I did tell him that at least he had a good story. He promised me he would never tell anyone, but I let him know he should tell people because it was sort of hilarious.

Jeff arrived, paid the AC guy and set things in motion. At that moment I finally allowed myself to freak out slightly as Jeff grabbed our bag and told me to change so we could get going. We grabbed a ton of cruddy towels for me to sit on to make sure that the leaking problem didn't get in the car. My parents arrived soon after, which meant my mom could drive us to the hospital and we could avoid paying $30 a day or whatever to park.

On the way to the hospital, I started to feel actual contractions. I didn't feel any "tightening" but the was certainly pain that came in waves. It mainly started in my back and then I had strong cramps for a short period. I also realized I hadn't eaten much today, and was lucky enough (sort of) to find a granola bar in my purse. I downed it quickly and held on tight as the contractions came about every 10 minutes or so, if that.

When we arrived at the hospital, Jeff and I went into triage, and I apologized again for dripping on the floor. Keep in mind this was about 45 minutes to an hour after the original breakage, and I was still dripping. Of course the nurse saw this all the time and it was no biggie. We were taken to a room where nurses came in and poked around and tested the water for meconium (baby poop), which was present. This isn't the best thing because it can get in the baby's lungs, and meant we should probably get going with this whole labor thing soon. But, before we began, an ultrasound technician was sent in to make sure that baby was head down. I was pretty confident this wasn't an issue, since the docs had confirmed it so many times.

She turned on the machine and after about 30 seconds said: "She's butt down, you're having a c-section." Um, OK. Just like that. It seemed very finite and sudden, but there was nothing I could really do. She then asked me the last time I ate. Remember that granola bar in the car? Well that meant I had to wait 6 hours before we could do anything.

My contractions were getting stronger, and I was just getting super uncomfortable. For some reason I didn't get offered anything for the contractions, but I can't really remember. Due to the meconium, and perhaps the fact that my doctor had something to do that night, there was talk of getting me into surgery sooner. I was wheeled into another random room which I assume was the OR prep area. On the way, I noticed a girl coming through some double doors and I swear I thought "why is there a teenager back here?" Then I realized it was Doctor Rueben. She smiled and joked that the baby was already giving me a hard time by doing a flip. As I mentioned in previous posts, I haven't seen Dr. Rueben that many times (two, maybe three) so that's part of why I didn't recognize her at first. That and the fact that she is most likely younger than I am.

In the OR prep room, I met a lovely nurse named Soni (pronounced Sunny) who was very nice despite her Michigan State lanyard that held her ID tag. I can't really remember anyone else's name besides hers. There was an anesthesiologist nurse who also looked about 12, who told me that we wouldn't be waiting the 6 hours, but since I had eaten there was a risk of me choking. But since I wouldn't be sleeping (that's right, wide awake during a surgery to cut open my stomach), it should be OK. They explained that Jeff would stay behind while I got a huge needle stuck into my back that would numb everything from the neck down. And, I had to sit still for about 5 minutes even if I'm having a contraction. Lots of information in a very short time.

I'll spare the details of the actual surgery, because I don't really know what went on behind the big sheet and it's scary to think about it. Before we started, Dr. Rueben leaned over and told me that I was only a centimeter dilated. That meant that if I hadn't needed to head to surgery, then I was probably going to get some petocin and would be pushing for a very long time. On the bright side, I never had to push at all, and if I had tried there was a good chance I would've needed a c-section anyway.

After the surgery, I learned that right when we started Aviva's heart rate dropped dramatically and they had to pull her out as quickly as possible. I have no idea how long this procedure normally takes, but I was informed that it happened extra fast. Thankfully she came out perfectly healthy and that's all that really matters. As soon as they pulled her out - and when they did I recall someone telling me it was going to feel like an elephant had been sitting on my chest or something like that - they whisked her away to make sure that her lungs were clean. I saw her from behind as she was escorted away and caught a glimpse of a full head of hair.

Dr. Rueben told me that now that now she was going to take her time "sewing me back together." As they wiggled me around and poked and prodded me, they brought Aviva over so I could see her. And, Jeff got to hold her for a while and so we looked at her while they finished up the surgery.

After it was all over, Jeff and I got to see our little baby girl for the first time, and all that other stuff just didn't matter. Attached you'll see a couple of pictures from right when she came into this world.

Baby Parker has arrived: Meet Aviva

Aviva's first picture!

I kept meaning to write updates about the 39th week, etc., and how I was pretty sure that Baby Parker would be late, and then she went ahead and showed up to the party right on time.

That's right, Baby Parker has arrived!

Aviva Ethel Parker was born on May 12 at 3:47 PM. I am proud to say that she takes after her punctual mother having been born two days early. I think she could also sense that I was very, very ready for her to make an appearance.

Here are her stats, and stay tuned for tons of pictures and her crazy birth story...

Aviva Ethel Parker
May 12, 2014 3:47 PM
7 pounds, 2 ounces
20 inches long

38-week beached whale belly shot

38w 2days

According to the Internets, this baby is fully marinated at 38 weeks. Today is 38 weeks and two days, so I'm ready for Baby Parker to pack up her things and make her grand entrance into the world (and exit from my overstuffed womb).

Here's a quote from one of my favorite pregnant bloggers:

At 38 weeks the baby is "officially considered 'full term.' In other words, he or she is STRAIGHT UP FREELOADING from here on out." (Courtesy of Amala's brilliant Pregnancy Calendar at AlphaMom.com).

And a sidenote, yes, that's what I am wearing at work today. And yes those are yoga pants. What of it?

Scary front shot.
Check out the belly button,
 that's kind of new... 

9 months

So this is what it's like to be 9 months pregnant.

According to some websites I hit the 9-month mark last week at 36 weeks, but today I am firmly in the 9th month at 37 weeks. It's strange to be here because to me 9 months is when pregnancy should finally be over, but I've still potentially got about 3-5 more weeks to go! Or I could go into labor tomorrow. Fun times.

The doctor has given me a copy of my medical records to carry around with me at all times, which indicates things should start moving fairly soon. But then again they could just sit in my purse for another few weeks untouched.

I'll post a belly shot soon, but basically I'm in beached whale mode. It's difficult to eat without spilling something on my belly, because you know if it wasn't there the food would simply land on the floor and no one would know!

But that gut is in the way so I'm getting a feel for what it will be like to have shirts that are constantly dirty, even though it will eventually be from spit-up and baby poop rather than my own inability to shovel food into my mouth.

I just got back from the doctor this afternoon, and everything is still looking good. I'm measuring exactly 37 weeks, and the doc estimates Baby Parker is about 6 pounds. According to my baby countdown app, she's the size of a watermelon.

The doctor likes to remind me that she doesn't have a crystal ball, so she can't give me an idea if baby is going to come anytime soon or wait for her due date or sit around for even longer.  I'm on the weekly visit schedule, which will go on until I hit my due date (May 14), at which point I'll go in every few days. The doc hooks me up to a stress monitor where I get to sit and listen to Baby Parker's heartbeat for about 20 minutes. It would be really fun, but this week the nurse really strapped it on tightly and my stupid back was giving me trouble. But it isn't that long a time period and it's worth it to hear the doc say that everything looks great and baby is fine.

The doctor also checks to see if I'm dilated at all (I'm not), even though from what I can understand it doesn't really tell them anything about anything. I'm measuring exactly at 37 weeks, which is good. And that was about it.

According to my interwebs research, while Baby would be just fine if she decided to pop out right now, it's probably better for her to fully marinate and weight until I hit 38 weeks. I have a weird desire for her to have a May birthday, so I'm OK with this plan. However, I have no problem with her getting tired of the cramped living quarters right at 38 weeks and making a run for the exit.

In case you are wondering, other than it still being April, we're ready for her arrival! Car seat is in and has been approved by a lovely police officer in Lincoln Square. Jeff put together the stroller and the Pak N' Play with baby bassinet last night. Bag is packed and we have two options for the dog when it's go time (though Jeff thinks we're going to forget we have a dog at that moment). The clothes are unpacked and in the dresser drawers. Everything we need to have at this point we've got, and then some!

So all I'm asking is she wait until May 1 at the very least, and then she can come on down!

Cousins!

Thanks to the yearly Passover visit from the West Coast Porton contingency, Baby Parker got to have an "inside" encounter with her future cousins, Elena and Jake!

Please note that Jake is sporting a Cubs hat and Cubs shirt, in an attempt to steer Baby Parker in the right direction when she comes out. Elena's adorable hair and cute pink shirt will also help influence Baby Parker to be more stylish, since clearly her mother is not...

Can't wait until the cousins can meet in person!