Well...we've made it 6 weeks! It's gone by so fast. Lucas is starting to not look like an little infant anymore....just a little baby! :) We measured him a few days ago, and his length is up to 22 1/2 inches, so he's gained 1 1/4 inches. We're not totally sure about his weight right now, but it's somewhere between 10 and 11 lbs.
Lucas took his first trip to the South Carolina State Fair on Thursday. Mom and I took him during the lunch hour, thinking that it wouldn't be as crowded. Boy were we wrong!! The fair, for those of you that don't know, has a weekend lunch special: pay $5 after 12 and if you're out by 2, you get your $5 back. Apparently a TON of people take advantage of this! It was also field trip day, senior citizen day, and special needs day. Oh well! We got to see the artwork, cakes, sand sculpture, and get my corn dog, fries, and funnel cake! All for free admission! :)
I also had my postpartum doctor's visit this past week. All is great and I'm back to my normal self!! I've lost 36 lbs from the day before Lucas was born, so I'm happy with that! :) Now back to the ab workout...
For our last outing before I go back to work, Lucas, Nanna, and I made our way to Greenwood last Monday. It was great to see MC and Caroline there, and cousin Lillian even came by to see us! Poor Lucas had to endure a trip to Hobby Lobby, but he slept the whole time, so he didn't mind.
So, I'm back to work on Tuesday. :( One more day off before it's back to the grind. I'm looking forward to going back, having something to do, and working with my kids again. According to Kyle, leaving is the hardest thing, but coming home is awesome. I know I'm going to be exhausted for the first week or so, but luckily it's only 21 school days until Thanksgiving break (and then 15 school days until Christmas break!) But who's counting...haha
Last week (or maybe 2 weeks ago) we had Charlotte Jennings come in and do a photo shoot with Lucas (Thanks to the Caldwells and Chewnings!) Check out her blog for some sneek peaks of those pictures: www.charlotteashleyblog.com.
Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks:
Cain, Baylor, and Lucas after the photo shoot :)
Caroline and Lucas in Greenwood
Scout the protector of her little brother!
Can you believe it?! Lucas is already 3 weeks old! It's gone by fast, but also seems like he's been here forever (in a good way!) Kyle and I can't remember what we did before Lucas was here. A lot has been going on in the past week...here are the highlights. :)
Last Thursday, Mom and I took Lucas for his 2 week check-up. He was up to 9lbs 12oz and 21.5 inches long! Both of those are in the 79th percentile for his age. Hot dog! He sure is growing fast! After the check up, Mom and I went around town - to the sewing store, Olive Garden, and BuyBuy Baby. For those of you who will need it, BuyBuy Baby has a really nice feeding room, complete with comfy rocking chairs and a changing table. :) It was so nice to get out of the house and actually drive somewhere! It had been almost 4 weeks since I had driven.
Saturday, Mom, Dad, Douglas, Mary Catherine, and Caroline all came down. Mom and I kept Lucas and Caroline while the others went to the Carolina vs. Vandy game. Even though the game wasn't pretty, Lucas and Caroline kept their streaks alive and are still undefeated as Gamecocks! We decided that it will be great once those 2 babes can entertain each other. It won't be long!!
Lucas has already made his debut at Dent (Friday) and Summit (Monday). Everyone was so excited to meet him and he has one more school to go to (Blythewood). We'll get over there sometime soon. I've had to go do something every day this week to keep myself from going stir crazy. Tuesday Lucas and I went out to eat with my friend Megan and her newborn, MiMi. She went back to work on Wednesday, so we got that lunch in just in time! Wednesday, we ventured across the river and had lunch with MawMaw and Granddaddy Joe. It was good to see them and MawMaw loved rocking him all afternoon. I did too, because she let me take a good hour and a half nap! We also went to visit Papa and Grand Lolly for a little while and they loved seeing him too. Lucas sure is a lucky little boy!
Lucas is still being pretty good to us with his feedings and I only have to get up once in the night to feed. I am certainly ready for him to be taking some bottles though and get a little bit of freedom. I love that I'm the only one that can provide him with food, but it's hard having to be the one who feeds him every 3 hours! I'm going to start trying bottles next week once he's a month old. Hopefully he takes those well! He needs to get used to them for when I go back to work.
We're heading to Oktober Fest in Newberry Saturday, so Lucas will have his first trip to Newberry. He's excited about it, and so is his Momma! :) More next week. And I promise...I will put more pictures up here before he's a year old. haha
Well, we've made it to day 12! Lucas is doing well, and Kyle and I are trying to get enough sleep. :)
Friday, Lucas took his first trip out to Lexington. We had a wonderful lunch with Papa, GrandLolly, Mema, Aunt Carrie, Baylor, and Cain. It was great to see all of them and everyone was so happy to see Lucas. Baylor even said, "Yeah, we've been waitin' a long time to see that little booger!" He loves his new cousin and kissed his head a few times. So sweet!
Saturday, Grandmother and Granddaddy came down to visit. They brought homemade soup and sandwhiches. Lunch was delicious! We also got to Skype with Aunt Beck and Uncle Chris. That was pretty cool! Unfortunately, we didn't get to see them, but they did get to see Lucas, so that was good. Saturday also brought Lucas' second Carolina football game and second Carolina win! He's our little good luck charm. :)
Lucas also had his first massive spit up on Saturday. I had just finished feeding him and he let loose. It literally looked like he had a 1/2 gallon of milk in him and it all came out - all over him, me, the boppy, and the recliner. It was so nasty! It was then that I figured there was no need to watch the clock as he fed and let him eat as long or short as he wanted to. We've had a few little spit ups since then, but nothing close to the 1/2 gallon. :) Lucas is now fully in charge of his own feedings. haha
I'm finally feeling back to normal. I can sit on the sofa and in a regular chair without a pillow under me. It's amazing! I also look like I have chicken legs and am worried that they are too skinny. I guess I'm just so used to seeing them massive with the swelling. OH! Another great milestone! I was able to fit into my own shorts this morning WITHOUT a belly band!! It was super exciting! This breast feeding thing really does speed up the weight loss process. As of today, I have lost 37 pounds since 9/7! Crazy!!
More later....and I promise I'll put some more pics on here. There are a good many on Facebook already. :)
Well...Lucas is now 6 days old, and we're doing great! Mom stayed with us for 3 nights, making the transition home much easier. Dad stayed with us Saturday night, left at dinner Sunday, and came back Monday night for dinner. He just couldn't stay away from his only grandson. :)
We took Lucas to the pediatrician (Dr. Trey Castles) yesterday. His weight is back up to 8 lb 11 oz....so just 2 oz to go to birth weight! Because he's doing so well with that, Dr. Trey said we could start to stretch his feedings at night. He said to wake him up every 3 hours during the day, and then let him wake himself up at night for feedings. We did that last night (our first night alone) and he woke up at 2:30, and then not again until 7am! It was awesome!
Kyle is such a great dad. It is so sweet to see the two of them together, it makes me cry. I guess those hormones are still raging in me. haha Kyle is doing a great job around the house, since I still can't move very much. BTW - no one tells you how bad YOU feel physically after giving birth to an almost 9 lb baby! It's getting better each day, but I'm ready to feel like my old self again.
Again, since it's hard to sit in a regular chair, I haven't gotten to the desktop to post new pictures, but I will get to it asap.
So far, life with Lucas is awesome! He told me this morning that he can't wait to meet everyone and cheer on his gamecocks again this Saturday! :)
Well...I was right about Wednesday being the last post for a while!
Wednesday night around 8:30, my contractions were getting a little closer together and a little more regular. By 11:15, I couldn't take it any more. The pain was getting pretty bad in my lower back and lower abdomen. I called the doctor and they said they would tell the hospital we were coming. My next 2 calls were to Mom and Dad and Maggie. Mom said that they would sleep a few hours and then come, and Maggie said to call her back once I got checked in.
We arrived at the hospital around midnight. Ten minutes later we got calls from both Mom and Maggie saying they were on their way. They couldn't sleep. Mom, Dad, and Maggs all arrived around 1. By that time, they had already given me some pain meds through my IV, I was 2 cm. dialated, and starting to feel pretty good. Kyle, Mom, and Dad all took cat naps in the room while Maggie and I stayed up talking like we were back in high school - it was quite fun! :) It took about 5 hours, and I had dialated enough to get some epidural. Whoo hoo!! I thought that this labor thing was a breeze and we were just moving right along. Once I got the epidural, things moved right along...my water broke, and I was making my way to 10 cm. By 9 cm, the pain was coming back, and it never went away again. I started feeling the urge to push around 10:45 am, and we were in full push mode by 11. This was the most excrutiating pain I had ever been in! But, one hour and 2 minutes later, my sweet baby boy had arrived! Kyle was amazing...he was there with me through the whole thing, watched the entire birth, and even cut the cord! I watched Lucas make his final way into the world and it was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. Words cannot even describe what I felt when I first saw him.
Anyway...enough of the gory details! Robert Lucas Meetze was born at 12:02 pm, weighing in at 8 lb 13.4 oz and was 21 1/4 in. long. BIG BOY!! I had no idea something that size would come out of me. He is the most perfect thing I have ever seen.
We had lots of visitors in the hospital (thanks to all of you who made it!!) and started to get to know our son. By the way, that still sounds SO crazy!! Kyle and I were on our way back home around 1 on Saturday afternoon. Dad helped us get packed up and documented the trip home. We were greated at the house by Mom, Douglas, Mary Catherine, and Caroline. They had lunch ready and signs up to welcome Lucas home. We all got to watch the USC v. UGA game (the Jebaily's came over too) and Lucas did his job by bringing the Gamecocks good luck! He's now 1-0 as a Gamecock...hopefully this record only improves!
Our first night at home went well. Mom and Dad stayed with us and helped us out tremendously. One rough crying patch around 1:30 am and that was it! Hopefully this keeps up.
Today's been great. Lucas is a great eater and naps for hours! I'm savoring these times and trying not to wake him up. I know the day will come when we will beg for him to take a nap.
I'll post more pictures as soon as I get on the other computer. I'll try to keep this blog up so you can keep up with Lucas. I know he's now the more important one in the family. :)
Well...this might be my last post for a while!
Mom came down this morning and took me to the doctor. My bp was still high, so Dr. Wilcox was ready to schedule an induction. I'm almost 2 cm dialated and will be induced in the morning!!! Kyle and I are supposed to be at the hospital at 7:30. Luckily, Maggie is scheduled to work tomorrow anyway, so I'll have my personal nurse there with me all day! :)
After the appointment, Mom and I went to Chic-fil-A for lunch and then headed home. My mom the saint proceeded to clean both bathrooms spotless, wash our sheets, and wash the rest of Lucas' clothes. It was awesome! She also took Scout to Kyle's parents' house so we don't have to worry about her while we're at the hospital. Thanks a million to them, too, for keeping her for us!
Kyle made chicken pot pie and broccoli for dinner. It was delicious. I'll probably eat a little snack before bed to hold me all day tomorrow. Contractions have started, so we're timing them. Who knows...we might be at the hospital before 7:30!
So, I'll change the name of the blog next time I write since we'll have Lucas home with us! Hoping tomorrow goes by quickly and we are holding our baby boy soon!! :)
One week down! Today was a LONG day. I got up at 6 so I could have breakfast with Kyle and then to the couch I went. Around 7:30, I took about an hour and a half nap and woke up to a check in call from Carrie. She told me that Baylor is anxiously awaiting Lucas' arrival too. Last Friday, he wanted to know if Carrie was packing to go see Lucas. She assured him that she would bring him when she was on her way to see Lucas. Last night, before falling asleep, Baylor asked Carrie, "Mamma, is Lucas going to be here tomorrow?!" I think it's so sweet that he is so excited about his new cousin!
After many hours of checking emails over and over, playing tetris on wltx's arcade, and watching tv, Kyle got home. It is really great having someone else in the house to talk to. :) We also had a wonderful gift come to the house around 6ish. Our friends Eric, Natalie, and Madison brought us pizza for dinner, some pasta salad and chicken salad for lunch tomorrow, and some magazines to keep me occupied while on the couch. So sweet of them to do that!
With one more day down, that just means one more day closer to Lucas' arrival. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 11:30, so we'll see what updates come from that! More later...
Happy Labor Day!
I was hoping that today would be a true labor day, but it's 8:46 pm and I don't think that's going to happen. Oh well! It was really nice being able to sleep in this morning with my hubs. I got some work done for school after breakfast and settled in to rest on the couch all day. At 11, Titanic started on E!, so I figured that would keep me occupied for most of the day. Kyle went to the grocery store for me, which was great, because we really were running out of food in the house! At 11:30, Kyle said, "You ready for some hot dogs? (yes) Well good because your visitors just got here." Kyle suprised me by setting up a Labor Day lunch with the Bakers today. It was so awesome seeing them and having friends over to break up the monotony of the past few days!
On the baby front - I've had a few contractions today, my BP spiked up for a little while, but it has started to settle back down. I guess I really do need to stay on my left side. boo!
Kyle and I are finishing our Labor Day switching between the hideous uniforms of Maryland vs. Miami and Hillbilly Hand Fishin'. What a great day! :)
Last Sunday, Kyle suggested we go out to eat while we still can. Not just picking up something, or stopping at Rush's on the way home. So, we decided that we would go to our favorite local Italian place - Pasta Fresca. It was pouring rain when we got there, so Kyle let me out at the front door and I ran in - still soaked. We both ordered specials - Kyle got the shrimp and scallops served with mushrooms and spinach over spinach angel hair pasta and I got the lobster ravioli. OMG - they were delicious!!! For dessert, we got the triple chocolate mousse topped off with decaf coffee. It was amazing. I can't wait until the next time we get to go there and I get to have a glass of wine with dinner! We are so happy that we got that last date night in before bed rest started the next night! That will always be something we can remember and hold on to when we are begging for a night out. :)
So Kyle told me this afternoon that I should keep a journal of my bed rest experience for us and Lucas to look at later. Since it's hard to write while laying on my side, I've decided to start a blog - something I never thought I'd do! So here goes nothing! :) Sorry this one is going to be so long...I have a lot to update you on. haha
I guess I should start at the beginning of this whole experience. Kyle and I found out we were pregnant on Jan. 3, 2011. We are due Sept. 13. Everything has been great and the baby and I have been very healthy for most of the pregnancy. Around the beginnning of July, the swelling started in my feet and ankles. Knowing how hot it was this summer, I didn't think much about it. They kept swelling and getting bigger and bigger as school started in mid-August. Finally, on Friday, August 26 I noticed that my legs were now HUGE all the way up to my knees. That had been a slow process, but when my capri pants would not budge below my calfs, I knew I was in trouble.
Tuesday, Aug. 30: The craziness begins
I went to the doctor for my 38 week appointment and mentioned how massive my legs had gotten. In addition to the major swelling, my blood pressure was a little high. Because of this, Dr. Plyler told me that this would be my last week of work. I thought, "Good - I can get 3 more days in, get everything set for the sub, and then go out." A few minutes later, however, Dr. Plyler told me he was sending me to the Maternal Assessment Center (MAC unit) at the hospital to run some tests. Now I was getting nervous. I called Kyle and told him they were sending me to the hospital. He didn't believe me at first. Once I got to the MAC unit, I asked the nurse if Maggie Senn was working. I also texted Maggie to see if she was there. After about 20 min, Maggie came in. What a welcome site she was! Kyle hadn't made it there yet, so it was so nice to see a familiar face and I almost started crying! They took some blood, kept taking my blood pressure, and monitored Lucas' heart beat. Kyle finally arrived, looking a little nervous, but it was SO great to have him there with me. After about 3 hours or so of lying in bed, they told me that I had been contracting, had dialated a centimeter, and was offically done with work. At 7:30, they sent me home and told me to go back into the office the next morning to check my bp and blood again. End of crazy day 1. :)
Wednesday, Aug. 31: 1st official day of bed rest
Kyle got up and went to work for a little while to get a few things together and make sure he was ready for his sub. He came back home around 10:30 to take me to the doctor. We got everything ready and in the car - all bags packed, my laptop, the car seat - we were ready to have a baby! Once at the doctor's, they saw how swollen my legs were and my bp was still a little high, and back to the MAC unit we went. I gave Maggie a heads up and she had my ice chips and room ready for me. She is the most awesome nurse ever! :) After another few hourse in the MAC unit, with a normal bp, we were sent home. Kyle and I were a little upset because we thought that might have been it. I was again told to go back to the doctor the next day for another bp check. Back at the house, I got my position on the couch, on my left side, and settled in for the night.
Thursday, Sept. 1: 2nd day of bed rest
Mom came down early in the morning to take me to school to get my laptop power cord and make sure everything was set for the sub. I saw a few students and they all wanted to know if I'd be there all day. I also had everybody telling me that I was supposed to be on bed rest and I better get back home. After leaving school/my classroom in the best state I could, Mom took me back to the doctor. This time, with a slightly elevated bp, they had me lay down at their office for 15 minutes before sending me straight to the MAC unit. (What a novel idea!) After a very uncomfortable 15 minutes, they took my bp again and it was back down where it should be. With that, they told me I was now on strict bed rest to keep my bp managable. I have to stay on my left side, can get up to bathe, go to the bathroom, and can sit up to eat my 3 meals of the day for 20 min. each. Some life! My next instructions were to go to the MAC unit for another bp check Sunday morning, and then come in for my 39 week appointment next Wednesday. Mom brought me back home and we took a nap, ate lunch, and she left me to it. First full afternoon - I watched Rent and took a nap.
Friday, Sept. 2: 3rd day of bed rest
Kyle left me for work on the couch - yes, on my left side. I took an early morning nap, seeing that I got out of bed at 6 am. After Mom woke me up from that, I watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, got some papers graded, played on facebook, played tetris, and went a little stir crazy. After Kyle got home, we got some Village Idiot pizza and watched the best football game of the weekend - TCU v. Baylor. It was then that I realized Saturday would be much better with college football all day than NOTHING to watch at all!
Saturday, Sept. 3: 4th day of bed rest
Kyle and I woke up around 7:30 and had a modest breakfast of cereal and OJ. :) I was so excited about College Gameday that I quickly settled in on the couch. I spent most of the morning watching Gameday and getting some more papers graded. Kyle, my WONDERFUL husband, worked all morning outside - cutting the grass, blowing off the driveway, and washing my car. After all of that, he came inside, vacuumed the house, cleaned the kitchen, and straightened up since my parents were coming down to watch the game with us. He is such an amazing man to do all of that since I can't! Mom and Dad got to the house around 6:30 with enough food to feed an army and we settled in to watch the Gamecocks beat up on the ECU Pirates. Unfortunately, the first half was pretty dismal with 4 fumbles and starting out down by 17. We all just knew that the old Gamecocks were back. Thankfully, that all changed and we ended up looking pretty good and winning 56-37. Go Cocks!
Sunday, Sept. 4: 5th day of bed rest
We woke up this morning and headed to the hospital for my bp check and fetal stress test. Of course, we did the whole routine of packing up the car with everything we need to bring Lucas home before we could leave! After laying in that uncomfortable bed for two hours, my bp was great and Lucas' heart beat was great - the nurses (Pam and Jeannie) said that he looked happy enough. I didn't even see a doctor and at 11:30, Kyle and I were back home again. We're going to be well prepared when Lucas decides to really come! We know what goes in the car, where to go in the hospital, and what to do once we get there!
So, I'm back on the couch, on my left side, getting bored. My side/back is starting to hurt from being in the same position constantly. I find myself drinking lots and lots of water just so I can get up to go to the bathroom and get more water. Hopefully Lucas decides that it's time to show himself soon! I don't know how many more days I can take of this. At least we're only 9 days from the due date and Kyle is still home with me tomorrow! More on this crazy life later...
Cain, Baylor, and Lucas after the photo shoot :)
Caroline and Lucas in Greenwood
Scout the protector of her little brother!
