Well, we're off to Nashville for the weekend! I'm having my last baby shower! :) My family decided to do a big shower for me after Andrew came so I'll know what I REALLY need (& don't need) so they can get me the important stuff. Plus, they all just really want to see the baby, not me.

The past two nights have been GREAT, thanks to y'all's advice! I've been feeding him sitting up, watching his intake a lot better and burping him more often. He's been sleeping in his bouncy seat during the day and I propped up the mattress in the PNP so he's sleeping on an incline at night. That has REALLY helped. He still spits up, but its just a tiny bit now, not the projectile stuff from before. Thank God!!

About the house...we didn't get it. :( Another couple came along and bid about $4K more than we did, so they got it (obviously). I was really upset, but now I'm OK. I was supposed to have gallbladder surgery next week, but now I guess we'll be househunting AGAIN. Oh well. We closed on our house yesterday so we're officially homeless and have 32 days to get out. Stressed? YES. Oh well, I know we'll find something...If not we'll just have to rent storage and get an apartment while we continue to look. In the meantime, we have family coming in next week to care for Andrew while we househunt. Thank God we have their help!

I guess that's all the news for now...I'll be absent for the weekend but I shall return..

Andrew's appointment:
8 pounds (!!! Are they supposed to gain 2.5 lbs in the first month??), still 19 inches long...Is he destined to be short like me? I'm only 4'10". I really hope he's tall...Its so hard on boys to be short. (I know, I'm probably worrying for no good reason.) The pediatrician we've been seeing is 26 weeks pregnant and her cervix has started to thin out, so she is on bedrest. I had to be squeezed in with one of the other doctors and I did NOT like her. She made me feel really rushed and like I couldn't ask all the things I wanted to. Things like, is it normal for Andrew to have projectile spit up from 1-5 am the past three nights??? Why doesn't it happen during the day? (He spits up, but not as forcefully as he does at night...) What am I doing wrong? Do I need to change formulas? Also, he's sneezing a lot and seems congested. The doc said its normal for them to sneeze a lot and didn't check him out. I am SUCH a wuss. I wish I had demanded that she check him out for reflux or other problems, just in case. (He doesn't have any of the other symptoms of reflux, just the projectile spitup.) Anyway...I called today and they gave me some tips and if they don't help I will call tomorrow and take him in.

My postpartum checkup:
All is well. Got the all-clear to have sex...though Dr. E said she would back me up if I wanted to tell Chris he had to wait two more weeks. :) I told her there's no need to fib...I'd be honest with him and if it was too painful we'd wait and try again later. I just know Chris has been feeling very deprived lately, and I'm ready to get back to normal (whatever that is...). I talked to Dr. E about my concerns about birth control. She told me about the Mirena IUD, which she has (and I thought about you, Roxanne)...I decided we really don't want to wait 5 yrs or anything, and I wasn't sure about how it worked, so that was out. I asked about the Patch, since that's what I was on for two years before TTC, and she said my LPD was not caused by or affected by the Patch, so I decided to just go with that again. I guess we'll see how it all turns out. I hope I made the right decision...

Still no word on the house. Waiting for the real estate agent to call back. Apparently they got two bids on it, so we're waiting to see if they take ours or not. I'm stressed. And REALLY tired. Did I mention that Andrew was up from 1-5 am spitting up and crying? And Chris was away last night. I really, really, really need a nap. As soon as Chris gets home I am taking a bath and a nap!

Tomorrow I go for my postpartum checkup. I'm supposed to ask about things like (dare I say it?) birth control...What the heck?! I haven't been on birth control for almost 2 years!! (I took off the Patch for the last time in June 2004.) I can't even imagine trying to PREVENT pregnancy. But there's no way I can handle being pregnant again, so I guess I should get something in the off chance that my body might have finally learned how to get (and stay) pregnant. Its just so hard to say...birth control. For two years, my life has been all about trying to get and stay pregnant. I don't want to go through that again. I really don't want to take anything that might mess with my system and make the process more difficult, once we actually get to the point where we think about having a second child. I loved the Pill and the Patch...made me much less hormonal, crampy, and PMS-y...but I'm afraid that it might have contributed a little bit to my conception difficulties. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? (Condoms are out, just so you know.) Any advice is appreciated! :)

Andrew is one month old today! Wow. I can't believe it. He has his one month checkup on Monday and I can't wait to see how much weight he has gained. My mom came to visit last weekend and she said she could really tell a difference in his size...He eats like a champ (and belches like one, too!) so I'm betting he's at least 6.5 lbs if not more. I don't know, though...How quickly are babies supposed to gain weight?

Anyway...

OH, about the house...The bank did NOT accept our second offer. They said it was a great offer, but did not accept it. We thought "great offer" meant they would take it. Oh well. They counteroffered, and so did we, so now we're waiting yet again to hear if we get the house or not. I hope we do. I really like the house. We're stressed, of course, and praying that we get it!

Before I go, I have to add a couple of new pictures...

I am rotten. Spoiled rotten. Ever since December, Chris has been a stay-at-home husband (while working on this opportunity with the church, which he has now begun), and when he did get his new job, they were SO understanding and to this day have not pressured him to do a lot that would require him to be away from home. This has been GREAT for me. Formula feeding means Chris can stay up with Andrew for his 11 or 12 o'clock feeding while I hit the sack early! They have bonded so quickly, and it melts my heart to watch them together. Chris absolutely adores Andrew, and Andrew loves his daddy! During the day we can switch off and take naps when we need to...Yep, I am spoiled rotten.

Anyway, today Chris is at the church and its been very different being alone all day. I have really enjoyed it, but MAN do I have a newfound respect for stay-at-home moms and single moms who don't have the full-time help of their husband! I really appreciate Chris more than ever. Not that Andrew is a hard baby...he's NOT at all...but its nice to have the company and someone to just hold him while I do dishes or laundry or blog. :)

OH! I almost forgot...The bank accepted our offer! Yay! They pretty much laughed at our first offer, but our second one is good, so YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! We're excited. I'll be so much more relaxed when all this is more settled. By the way, you can see lots of pictures of the house on our other blog here. (There's also a link on my sidebar...) Thanks for all the good wishes! They seem to have worked! :)

Woohoo!!!!!!!! We found a house!! Hallelujah! I love-love-love it. We're making an offer today. Let's all just hope it gets accepted and things move smoothly, and we can make the transition as quickly and easily as possible. :)

Oh, and guess what! I can finally wear my wedding rings on my ring finger again! Yay! (I had to wear them on a chain around my next for the last 6 weeks or so of my pregnancy...too swollen!) Ah, the simple joys of life.

Andrew did SUCH a good job this weekend with all the househunting. We stayed overnight in McDonough with some of the folks we'll be starting the church with so we could be there for their Sunday morning Bible study*, and he was a little fussy because of not knowing where he was and all the noise and people, but it was so minimal it was no problem. He is such a good kid. No wonder I'm in love. :) He goes for his one month checkup next Monday and I can't wait to see how much weight he's gained!

*We are starting this church with only about 12-15 people. They don't have a church building so they meet in homes for Sunday morning Bible study for now. Its so great. I just adore them!

4 jobs I've had:
1. Hostess at a restaurant
2. Movie theater employee (mmmm... unlimited movie popcorn)
3. BabyGap salesperson
4. Special Ed. teacher

4 movies I can watch over and over:
1. The Princess Bride
2. Lord of the Rings (the whole trilogy)
3. Napoleon Dynamite
4. The Goonies

4 Places I've lived:
1. Nashville, TN (born and raised!)
2. Georgetown, KY (college)
3. Fort Worth, TX (seminary)
4. Bowdon, GA (where??)

4 TV Shows I Love:
1. Lost (getting really tired of all the repeats, though!)
2. 24 (I love Jack!!)
3. The Office
4. CSI

4 Places I've Vacationed:
1. Destin, FL (my family has a condo down there)
2. Nassau, Bahamas
3. Montego Bay, Jamaica
4. Smoky Mountains, TN

4 of my favorite dishes
1. IHOP's International Club Sandwich
2. O'Charley's chicken fingers
3. Poppyseed chicken casserole
4. Spaghetti with meat sauce

4 places I would rather be right now:
1. On a beach asleep in the sun
2. In a mountain cabin asleep in front of a fire
3. Asleep on a massage table getting a full-body rubdown
4. In my bed...asleep!

Handoff - it's your turn (if you haven't already been tagged, that is)!
1. Lorem
2. Kori
3. Cat (HOM)
4. Cat (Galloping)

Still alive...still here...Just very, very tired. Andrew is SO good (sleeps 4-5 hrs at a time, very good night sleeper), but still...its been a major adjustment. We just adore him and thank God for him every day. One huge blessing is that Chris is able to work from home for now so he is here to take shifts while I nap/bathe/whatever. Its VERY nice. I just wish I could use the time he gives me to write thank you notes (I am SOOOO behind!!) but all I want to do is sleep!! Is that so wrong?

Anyway. I'm trying really hard not to make this a baby blog. That's why Chris and I set up the other blog. But when all you do all day is watch the baby, change the baby, feed the baby (then repeat), its hard to have anything else interesting to say. However, we are still house hunting and just praying that we find a house we can love, afford, and buy before we have to leave this one. The house situation is currently more stressful than having a newborn. Sigh.

I am so boring.

Big news in the Irvin household...Andrew lost his umbilical stump last night! Woohoo! Also, we seem to be making some sort of schedule! Nice! (Amazing how one's definition of what's exciting changes so much after having a baby!) Anyway, that's the baby news for now...

My parents are driving me crazy. Well, my dad and stepmom at least. Last weekend they wanted to come visit (they live in Nashville, about 5 hrs from here), then my stepmom said that Dad was going out of town and they couldn't come, so we told Chris' mom and stepdad they could come visit. Well, turns out that Dad's out of town trip wasn't last weekend, its THIS weekend. So they called wanting to come last weekend but we had to tell them no, that we'd already told Chris' parents they could come. They were upset. Anyway, this is the weekend Dad is suppsedly going out of town, so we asked my mom and stepdad to come visit and help us with the house hunting. Today, I get an email from my stepmom saying that Dad is willing to cancel his trip to come visit us and help look for hosues. GRRRR! Why didn't they say this before??? I'm so frustrated with them. I told them we'd already made plans, thinking they were going to be out of town, but next weekend they could come. I even told them that I wouldn't let anyone else come next weekend, even if they insist they can't, just in case they decide at the last minute that they CAN. But they're probably going to be mad at me anyway. Sigh. What drama. This is why divorce sucks. Eight parents (now grandparents) who all seem to want to visit at the same time, and only one guest room.

Oh, formula feeding, how I love thee...Let me count the ways!
1.) Sweet freedom to travel, house hunt, etc. without having to worry about whipping out my boob in public places
2.) Chris getting up in the middle of the night to feed Andrew while I sleep
3.) Chris and Andrew bonding during feedings
4.) MORE SLEEP - like 4-5 hrs at a time! Woohoo!
5.) Healthy weight gain for Andrew
6.) Lots more that I can't think of right now

Believe me, I would have breastfed if I could have, but I got nothin'. Not even colustrum. My doctor was worried that my milk MIGHT come in and then I'd be all sore and miserable while it dried up, but nope! Not even colostrum (sp?) coming out of these boobs! I guess there was way too much reconstruction going on when I had my breast reduction...But I refuse to feel guilty about that. That surgery was WAY too good for me (not just physically, but emotionally) to regret. I'd definitely do it all over again.

P.S. Thanks for understanding, Lorem. You're wonderful!!

I feel like a schmuck. (Is that how you spell it?) Yesterday I was giggling and joking about how it was my due date with Andrew, while a fellow blogger and huge source of support was grieving her second lost baby's due date. I feel like such an IDIOT for 1.) not remembering this sad day and sending her a note of support, and 2.) adding insult to injury by flaunting my happiness over the day. But she's incredible...She visited my blog and added a sweet comment instead of blasting me for being so insensitive. I'm humbled.

Please forgive me, Lorem. (((((Hugs)))))

Today is Andrew's due date! Haha! In honor of this occasion, here is my 40 week belly pic:

Well, we got up early today and headed to our soon-to-be new county of residence (@ 2 hrs away) and spent the morning/early afternoon house hunting with a terrific real estate agent. Sheesh. We had actually planned to stay longer and meet with a second real estate agent, but by 2:00 Andrew was DONE and I just wanted to be home, so we grabbed lunch and headed home. He wasn't crying too much, but was getting increasingly fussier as the day went on. I could tell he really wanted out of the car seat. It was difficult trying to stop at a house, feed him for a few minutes, go to the next house, finish feeding and burping him, then dealing with dirty diapers...Next time we definitely need to get him a babysitter while we do the traveling. For the first time ever, I've found myself actually wishing we had family nearby! (All our family lives between 2-4 hours from here so we can't just drop him off with them...) He's precious, though, and as soon as we got home he was all smiles, cooing and giving us those adorable wide-eyed looks that I now live for.
ANYWAY...
The house hunting went well overall...We saw five houses and my favorite was, of course, the first one we looked at. We'll have to go back a few more times and check out some more homes (and have a second or third look at the first house), so it looks like we'll be eating up the interstate between here and there from now until April.
Tomorrow, Chris' mom and stepdad are coming to visit for the weekend (they had to leave soon after I delivered so they haven't even held Andrew yet), so I'm hoping I can maybe run some errands and get some things done while they are here to fawn over the little one. :) Driving was forbidden for 2 weeks, but this weekend the ban is lifted so I'm excited about that. My stitches have been itching like crazy, so I've been taking lots of sitz baths, which helps... (Thanks again for some great advice, Kathy!)
Hmmm...I guess that's all the news for now. Exciting, huh? :)

I am in shock. Our house officially went on the market yesterday and WE ALREADY HAVE AN OFFER. This is crazy! I've never heard of a house selling this quickly! This house was on the market for over nine months before we bought it, so I figured we'd be lucky to sell and move by mid-summer. Guess not! Our family says its God's way of confirming that we're supposed to move and start this new church...I have to say, I agree! We've prayed and prayed about this transition period of our lives (new baby, new job, new home, new town), and it seems to be going very smoothly. Its quite unbelievable how smoothly its going. We meet with our realtor today to go over the contract, decide whether to accept the offer (although we will - they're willing to pay full price!), and sign our part of the deal. Now we just have to get out to Henry County and find a new home! We thought we had more time, but it looks like we'd better get to house-hunting!

I'm here, I promise! Just very busy. Besides bringing home a new baby this week, we're preparing our home to put on the market. Lots of painting and carpentry going on around here! We're hoping to sell the house FAST and get moved to Henry County to start Chris' new ministry position ASAP!

My mom left yesterday...part of me says that's good, and part of me wants her back NOW. She is an accountant for a business in Nashville and had to spend a LOT of time on the computer working (which is one reason for my absence as of late), but she was very helpful when Andrew decided he was going to stay awake from 1 am-7 am two nights in a row. Mom and I would take turns with him so I could get at least a little bit of rest at night. Last night I assumed it would be the same thing, so we tried something new. Chris and I pretty much forced him to stay awake (singing, dancing, playing with rattles, undressing him, tickling him, etc.) from 6-9 pm. We hoped he'd be too tired to stay up all night. And you know what? IT WORKED! My first night without my mom went VERY well. Andrew woke up at 1:30 am and 5:00 am for feedings, but other than that, he was OUT. He woke up at 8:30 for his morning feeding, which was good because we had his 1-week pediatrician appt this morning at 10:30. He's GREAT! He has gained 2 oz (bringing him to 5 lb 12 oz now), and his heart murmurs are gone! Woohoo! He had two heart murmurs after birth that the pediatrician was a little concerned about. He had an EKG at the hospital and they determined they were probably not serious...just two little valves that didn't have a chance to close before birth. We were very glad to hear they are gone now. :) He's just precious and we love him more every day...Just when I think I can't love him more, I do!

Did I mention before that I got a second degree tear from delivering this little guy? WOW, it hurts. I can't wait until it doesn't hurt to pee. I have to take at least one 20-minute iodine bath every day until my 4-week postpartum checkup. Yay. Anyway, that's the only physical gripe I have at the moment. My gallbladder is doing just fine (no attacks since Feb. 1, knock on wood!) and my OB told me I can really ease up on the GD diet since I was doing so well anyway. I'm so glad to be able to eat more normal things again. :)

Well, gotta run...Must go stare at Andrew some more. :) Oh, and help clean the house. That too. Let me leave you with another adorable picture (or two) of my little man.

About This Blog

This is me, sharing my journey through struggling to conceive, surviving miscarriage, and, finally, receiving the greatest blessing ever...the gift of a healthy, beautiful little boy.

Blogs I Love To Read

• Aurelia Ann
• Bark Like a Dog - Milo (Justin & Lauralu's babe)
• Beyond the Pale
• Certainly Not Cool Enough to Blog
• Everything Is Under Control
• Galloping Cats
• House of Miao
• Irvin World (our family blog)
• Kathy McC
• Mad Mommy
• No, I Will Never Be "Over" It
• Sweet Coalminer
• Taking Up My Cross
• The Barefoot Mama
• Three-Girls-O-Rama
• Vegas Mommy
• When Eggs Go Bad

• moving
• guilt and bad mommy thoughts
• update on us
• She is here!!!
• 5 days
• still here...
• Full Term!
• Deep thoughts
• Two years old!
• overdue update

• April 2005
• May 2005
• June 2005
• July 2005
• August 2005
• September 2005
• October 2005
• November 2005
• December 2005
• January 2006
• February 2006
• March 2006
• April 2006
• May 2006
• June 2006
• July 2006
• August 2006
• September 2006
• October 2006
• November 2006
• December 2006
• January 2007
• February 2007
• March 2007
• April 2007
• June 2007
• July 2007
• August 2007
• September 2007
• October 2007
• November 2007
• December 2007
• January 2008
• February 2008
• May 2008
• June 2008
• July 2008
• August 2008
• September 2008

annairvin@hotmail.com

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