My Little Chunker

Our little family has been super busy lately. We have had visitors the last few weekends and have been continuing to get our new house in order. It's all been great fun, though!

Carson is changing daily. I'm in awe every day of his developments. We are finally getting the most adorable smiles and they melt my heart every time. He is also so alert now and loves being held and walked around so he can see everything. He loves looking outside the best. I think we're going to have a little outdoorsman on our hands! He is still a pro at breastfeeding and is packing on the pounds. This morning I could hardly snap his 0-3 month size onesie, so our little man upgraded to the 3 month onesies at only 7 1/2 weeks old! My dad says Carson is his little third baseman, but Adam and I think he might be turning into a linebacker!

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa Donat visited. Carson looooved being the center of attention and all the extra cuddles that he got. Adam and I loved the opportunity to eat breakfast together while they held him and we also were able to sneak out for a lunch date while Grandma and Grandpa babysat. We are looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks when we venture down to their house in Waynesboro.
Yesterday, Adam's colleagues at the FDA threw Carson the greatest party! They were so generous and got Carson a new bouncer chair, a box of diapers (CLUTCH!!), so many adorable outfits (kid is going to be the most stylin' kid at daycare), and also a gift card to Babies-R-Us. It was such a great little party and Carson really turned on the charm for everyone. He loved being passed around and held by everyone. 

Here's your dose of baby spam!

Yeah, I'm cute

Chillin' out until Grandma and Grandpa get here

I woke Mommy up, but then decided I still wanted to sleep

My little chunker in his 3 month size onesie

All smiles!!! 

Mommy and Car

Blogging and a Newborn

***I have no idea why half this blog is highlighted in white and I am too lazy to figure out how to fix it...sorry.***

So, yeah...blogging with a newborn is not as easy as I had hoped it would be. I think what made it even more difficult was that two weeks after Carson was born, Adam and I closed on our first house, and moved less than two weeks later. Whew! I must have been crazy. Carson is now 5 1/2 weeks old (WHAT!?!) and we moved in last week, so life is starting to get a little calmer. 


Carson is awesome! To see the changes in him day after day is so amazing. He is so attentive now and loves to look around at everything. He loves looking at Adam and me and makes the funniest faces. In the past week he's also started to get some babbles out. I think we're going to have quite the jabberer on our hands one day. Carson is getting great at tummy time and has so much neck strength already. He's great at holding his head up for extended periods of time.  His sleep patterns are also getting a bit better. He goes down around 9pm at night and will sleep for four hours. After a diaper change and midnight snack, he goes back down for 2-3 hours. After another diaper change and snack, I can generally get him back to sleep for another hour. Hopefully in the next few weeks we'll be able to get a solid 6 hours of sleep in. 

Carson is quite the eater and is putting on weight like a champ. At his pediatrician appointment the other week he weighed 8lbs, 10oz. That was a two pound gain in about 3 weeks. We have an appointment tomorrow and I'm anxious to see how much more he has gained. He also starts his immunizations tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that...poor little man. On Friday I go to the doctor for my 6 week postpartum check-up. That means Saturday begins "Operation Get Pre-Pregnancy Body Back." I have about 7 lbs to go and LOTS of tightening up to do. I'm so excited to start working out again. 


I promise to be better at this blog now and write more coherently in the future. Until then, here is loads of picture spam!!! 

June 19th - the day we closed on our house

Carson - 1 month old! 

Tummy Time

Carson not liking photo time (5 weeks old)

Carson realizing he's cuter when he doesn't cry

Daddy and Carson time...adorable!

Life With A New Baby

Our first family photo

It's hard to believe Carson is already 12 days old. The last couple weeks have definitely been a bit of a blur and whirlwind. Anyone that tells you it's easy bringing a baby home is lying! The last 12 days have been truly the most challenging of my life. At the same time, they have also been the most rewarding. In my 3am daze every night, changing a screaming baby's diaper and having him latch on to an extremely sore nipple is very hard... But when we both settle down and I stare at his little face and feel a happiness I never knew possible. I am in such awe that someone so amazing was created by Adam and me. There really is no other word than "miracle" to describe him. 

Carson's had an exciting 12 days. He's met his Grandma and Grandpa (Adam's parents) and he's met his Oma and Opa (my parents). Opa stayed a few days and Oma will be here for a total of two weeks. I was convinced during my pregnancy that I would only need my mother here for a few days, but I have never been more wrong about anything in my entire life. She has cooked Adam and me dinner, held Carson so I could shower, helped me soothe him at 1 in the morning when nothing I could do for him would, and has literally even helped Carson latch on to my breast. I'm already a little nervous about when she leaves, but I know our little family will get into our own rhythm soon. I'm just VERY thankful to have my mother's help right now.

It's awesome to see in just 12 days the changes in Carson. He becomes more alert every day. He follows toys with his head and eyes, he is focusing better, he can actually find his hands to suck on purpose, and he already seems to be getting great neck strength/control for such a little baby. When he's calm he already likes tummy time and even though it takes a couple tries, he's been able to move his head from facing one direction to the other. It's amazing watching him discover all these new things. I'm so excited for the months to come. I'm sure I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure Carson is the smartest and strongest newborn ever.

It's been almost 2 weeks postpartum and I have thankfully already dropped 20 pounds! Breast feeding is helping the weight melt off. Only 10 more to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I still have to wait 4 more weeks to start working out (Ahhh...this is KILLING me, especially since I was working out up until a day before Carson was born), but I did start with some short walks this week that I'll increase in length and intensity next week. The more I think about how short and awesome my labor was the more sure I am that it was because I stayed so active during my pregnancy. In my 38+ weeks of pregnancy, not a week went by where I didn't work out 3-5 times a week. I'm really happy I was able to keep that up!

I don't think I will ever be able to express in words how in love I am with our new little man. Sometimes I stare at him and tears come to my eyes. He really is perfect. 

I'm in love....

MMMMM....Mama's Milk....

My Birth Story

On Sunday, June 3rd I woke up feeling a little icky, but just attributed it to being 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Adam and I had plans to meet some visiting family members in the city for brunch. We were going to metro and walk, but since I was feeling weird I asked Adam to drive us in. On the way in to the city I felt a strange sensation in my stomach, but just thought maybe it was the start of an upset stomach. I got through brunch just fine and even felt okay. On our drive home, I noticed the feeling in my stomach again and called my mom. She told me that when she was in labor with my sister she thought it was just an upset stomach too. I decided to wait it out. 

Adam and I were home by 1230/100. My belly was still being strange and I started to notice the discomfort was coming in waves. I told Adam if it got worse I would start timing them, but not to worry yet. He went on a run, came home, showered, and then even went back out for a haircut. Around 3:15 I was still getting waves of discomfort so decided I should start timing what I finally believed were probably contractions. They were averaging about 7 minutes apart. Adam and I kept timing them and noticed them getting closer and closer together. My labor plan was to stay at home until they were 3-4 minutes apart. At this point they were about 5-6. I decided to take a shower to relax and then cook some dinner since I knew I wouldn't be able to eat once I got to the hospital. Right as my water was starting to boil on the stove, WHAM! My water broke. I ran into the bathroom and it was just a mess. I cleaned up and came back out to the living room and told Adam we would probably need to leave soon. I called my mom and told her and then Adam and I packed up some remaining things, fed the cats, and all that fun stuff. The contractions were starting to come on strong. We left the house about 15 minutes later.

We arrived to the hospital a little after 630. My contractions were one on top of the other. As we were waiting to be checked in I was just in so much pain and kept losing more water. This baby was coming! After Adam pestered the desk a few times they finally called me back to triage. The nurse was asking all the standard check-in questions, but I could hardly answer because my contractions were one on top of the other. She finally decided to check me...I was 9cm dilated already! 9 freakin' cm! I could hardly believe it. At that point she realized I needed to get to labor and delivery ASAP.

As I was being wheeled into L&D all the nurses were asking, "Is that the woman that's already 9 cm!?" HA! We got to my room and I met my delivery nurse Brittany. I told her I wanted to go all natural and wanted no drugs/pain meds whatsoever. She asked me a few more questions, and started monitoring the baby between contractions. I kept begging her to let me push. Finally after about 15 minutes she gave me the green light. I started pushing with all my might with Brittany and Adam by my side. After about 60 minutes of pushing the doctor finally "suited up" for the grand finale. This was the worst, most tiring part. Pushing a baby out is hard work...especially when you feel every single thing! After a total of 80 minutes pushing, Carson Charles was born - 7lbs and perfect in every way. He was born less than 2 hours after our arrival to the hospital. We left the hospital about 36 hours later. :)

I don't think I could have asked for a more picture perfect delivery. I got everything I wanted out of it. A great experience, a totally natural/med-free birth, and the most perfect little human being in the world. Adam and I are simply overjoyed and so, so thankful for our lives. I've never been happier...I've also never been sleepier.

I hope to continue this blog to update everyone on our new life with Carson, but it might take a couple weeks until I'm back in the groove.

Carson at 1 minute old

Mommy and Carson

Daddy and Carson

Carson after his first bath

Carson being adorable

My handsome, amazing son

38 Weeks! WOW!

About 14 days to go! I don't even have words to describe how freakishly excited I am right now. Adam and I cannot wait to meet our baby boy. I had a wonderful appointment at the doctor's office today. I have progressed well and am now 3 cm dilated and still 50% effaced. There is really no way of telling when the baby will arrive, but there is a chance he could be here any day with that kind of progress. Then again, he could also be late. Gotta love the guessing game! The midwife I saw today measured my fundal height and was a little concerned I was measuring on the small side so she ordered an ultrasound. The ultrasound came back perfect. Baby D's head is just lodged down so far in my pelvis that it was causing the measurement to be off. It was great to "see" him again and a nice surprise for the morning. He looks very healthy and happy! He was being shy and I didn't get to see his face, but I did see one full head of hair! His weight is estimated right now at about 7 pounds, so if I go full term looks like Adam and I might have an 8 pounder on our hands. I already know he's going to have some very squeezable and kissable cheeks. :) 

Nothing else to report. Adam and I hope our little dude makes his appearance soon. We are totally ready for him. I even have my hospital bags packed and practiced using Sykpe with my mom for the first time this week so my parents will have a way to "meet" their grandson right away since they won't show up until 5-7 days after his arrival (stupid living in Florida).

And now for my weekly picture. I had to put a comparison from 36 weeks since I am wearing the same shirt. I was really flabbergasted by the difference in the photos when I looked this morning. It's unreal. What's even stranger is that my weight is the EXACT same as it was two weeks ago. I guess Baby D is just making his way out and is finding new ways to adjust himself in there.... 

36 weeks

38 weeks! What happened!?

Full-term!

An old friend of mine just had a precious baby boy about a month ago. She also kept a baby blog that I followed religiously throughout her pregnancy. She had a really neat style that she blogged in, so I'm going to shamelessly steal the format for this week's post. :)
How far along? I am officially considered full-term this week, even though it'll probably be about 3 more weeks until Baby D makes his appearance. I honestly cannot believe I'm already 37 weeks pregnant! 

Baby is the size of: Baby is about 6 1/2 lbs and probably around 19 inches. How the heck am I supposed to make room for more baby in the coming weeks!?!

Maternity Clothes? Yup...unless you count Adam's t-shirts that I sport around the house. :) 

Stretch Marks? I am still stretch-mark free. Crossing fingers and toes my skin holds out a few more weeks. I'd like to thank my stretch-mark free skin to good lotion and good genes! Thanks mom! 

Sleep? I really haven't had any complaints about much during this pregnancy. I've been very, very fortunate. But sleep really has become my worst nightmare. I'm up using the bathroom every 60-90 minutes, I'm so tired at night but get such restless/uncomfortable legs it takes forever to fall asleep, and I'm regularly waking up around 3:30 and just not going back to sleep. A friend of mine said it's just Mother Nature's way of getting me ready for no sleep when Baby D arrives. 

Movement? Little guy is snug in my belly, but he's rolling around a lot. He likes to lodge his butt right up in my ribs and I get a huge lump there. It's pretty funny looking. 

Cravings? Not so much. I've had a sweet tooth for the majority of this pregnancy. Eating my soy ice cream right now is not so much of a craving as it is my right as a pregnant lady. :) 

Gender? It's still a boy....I hope! In just a few weeks we will finally reveal the name of our little dude!

Belly Button In or Out? This thing is in and I can still stick some finger in it! I think I'm going to make it!

What I miss: I really don't miss too much. I've had such an easy pregnancy that I feel silly complaining. I guess what I miss the most is hard, good work-outs. I miss the burn. 45 minutes just going along on the elliptical is not the most fun in the world. I cannot wait to hit the gym hard again post baby. Oh yeah, and I would be remiss not to mention wine. I miss wine. Mmmmm....wine. 

Symptoms: Besides a big belly? None really. I had one night so far of mild cankles, but that's about it.   I definitely am noticing a increase in my Braxton Hicks contractions. I don't mind them, though. It's just my body showing me it is gearing up for go time. 

Best moment of the week? Another successful doctor's appointment this morning! Same dilation and effacement as last week, baby is still snug and head down, and I got to hear our little guy's heartbeat again. We also got all of our final baby "stuff" in the mail this week. It's so amazing to see all the stuff we have for our son. He is one lucky little baby! I realized as I was doing laundry yesterday that I may have gone overboard in the amount of receiving blankets/swaddles I've purchased. Oh well! :) 

What I am looking forward to: I'm totally looking forward to my labor and delivery. It's going to be such a special experience and I cannot wait for Adam and I to meet the newest addition to our family. 

37 Weeks!! 

Less than 30 Days!!!

I had a great appointment today at the doctor's office. I saw one of the office midwives and she is my favorite person to have an appointment with. She spent about 25 minutes with me which is practically unheard of in the OB world. She did an internal exam and she was surprised to feel that our little guy is lodged head down real far into my pelvis. She said he is nice and comfy there and won't be moving out of position at this point! My chances for a vaginal delivery are looking stellar. What was even more of a surprise this morning was that at 36 weeks I am already 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. The dilation part doesn't mean too, too much yet, but the effacement is really great. The midwife said I'm ahead of the game and there is a chance this little guy could come before his due date, but there is still really no telling (he'll ultimately decide when he's ready to come into the world). It's a great sign my body is progressing like this on its own, though. I would be thrilled if he showed up a week or so early. It's still likely that he will come on his due date or later, but as of now she's really happy with my progress. Next week I'm considered "full term," so pretty much anytime after that we'd be happy with. Probably now that I'm thinking he'll come early, he'll be the baby that shows up 10 days late. :) Regardless of when he shows up, I've come to the conclusion that I'm a lean, mean, baby baking machine! 


We also talked about my vegan diet at my appointment this morning which hasn't been brought up much during my pregnancy. She told me that at my last ultrasound he measured in the 53 percentile in terms of weight/size. He is right where he needs to be size-wise, which means I've been getting plenty of protein for him. I'm so thankful that I have had such a supportive OB practice during my pregnancy. I was very worried in the beginning that doctors/midwives would not agree with my diet and try and get me to chance it. I feel proud of myself that I have been able to prove to myself and others that being a vegan during pregnancy is healthy and safe. I still like to attribute having such a happy and healthy pregnancy to my activity level and my diet. Don't know how true it is, but I'm going with it anyway. 

Definitely nothing to complain about today! Happy and healthy! We are so ready to meet our little man. 

36 Weeks