First eye infection :(

Benny woke up with pink-eye this morning :( Just looking at him is making my own eyes itch! I know pink-eye is extremely contagious so off to the bassinet Benny goes for the next few nights!!

Goopy eye city, here we come!!!

Off to try all the fun remedies everyone suggests!

New York, New York!

We're here! We did it. We were able to pack up our house in three days with an extremely active baby. Everything is being stored in Postville until we can find an apartment...then we can go back and drive a truck out here.

In the meantime, we are residing in the Blachman residence! And Benny is loving New York! He rolls all over the place and he is trying very hard to crawl already so not much longer...

I have some great pictures to put up of the Benster.  I don't have time at the moment but hopefully soon...

Have a good one! Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

The New-New York Meyers

Time for a change!

One quick picture...read his shirt!

It's November already????

Wow, things have been crazy. No time for the blog lately... I've been posting tons of pictures (and a few videos too) on Facebook so people can still keep up...

Blog is officially on hiatus until after we've moved and I can breathe.

Love to all. Find me on Facebook if we're not already friends there...

Two Months Old

Where the heck did time go? Benny is two months old today!! That is insane! We went for his checkup and immunizations. Let me just start out by saying he was still pretty congested and clingy and not so happy in general. Add three shots to that. Fun stuff! You know those baby screams where the face is all contorted and it looks like there should be a loud sound coming out but your not quite sure if the baby is actually breathing? Benny showed me how nicely he can do that...

Anyway, on to the fun things...

Just a reminder, he was born 8 pounds, 15 ounces and 20.5" long. His head was 14 1/4 around.

Benny is now 11 pounds, 1 ounce and 23" long. His head is now 15 3/4 around.

That puts him mostly in the 25th percentile (some 25-50%)...

What a big boy!!

Poor baby!

Benny has his two month old checkup tomorrow, along with his immunizations! Poor kid has such a bad cold, he's extremely congested and has a hard time using his pacifier or even nursing sometimes. We're sitting by the humidifier right now, hoping to clear some of it up. He won't let me put him down, not even for a second! Thankfully, there's no fever so hopefully they'll still give him his shots tomorrow.
And Sunday we're off to New York again, for the entire month of Tishrei!!! This little boy is quite the experienced traveler! I'm really hoping his cold clears up before we have to travel!!!

Alright, I have to preserve my battery. Shuky is up at the farm this week and we have only one Dell charger but two laptops...Shuky has the charger! Bye for now, hope to see lots of people real soon!!!

Getting ready to leave....

Just one quick picture cuz I love it so much!

New York was nice but there were alot of people we wanted to see but just never got the chance...Fear not, we are coming back for the month of tishrei and will see EVERYONE then...

Off I go to sort things out in my room and then get some sleep before Benny and I head back to the land of cows and corn! Good night and good shabbos in case it takes a while to get back on here...

Fun in the Sun!

Wow, what a weekend! Let me start off by saying how exhausting it was getting here...long drive to the airport and all. Benny was amazing on the plane, actually had people around us commenting on how good he was and how surprised they were! He didn't cry until the plane had landed and we were just waiting for the doors to open. And that was because he pooped and I couldn't go back to the bathroom and change him...
Shabbos was really nice, the Bar Mitzvah boy did a great job and his parents put together a beautiful simcha! Benny was dressed to the nines, looking delicious in his little khakis and button down shirt!!! I was really tired from all the traveling and stuff, when we got back from the Bar Mitzvah on Sunday afternoon, I completely passed out for the rest of the day!
Today was nice and relaxing. We were supposed to return our rental car but when we rented it on Thursday, the guy must have forgotten that today would be Labor Day and none of the rental locations were open except the airport so they gave us an extra day for free and told us to return it tomorrow. So we went to walk around in some stores and help Ronnie and Roberta look for some stuff. Then we went to a pita place. I love being able to just go out to restaurants!!!
Afterward, we went to a friends place, everyone went swimming and I sat poolside with Benny asleep in the stroller...we kind of hung out the rest of the night. Got home about an hour ago...nice and tired. Benny was up for a REALLY long time, playing and flirting with everyone around him! I predict tonight will be a good night! I hope. (Fingers crossed!)

I hope these storms coming won't affect our travel plans! I really want to make it to New York this week...

Well, have a good night everyone.

Long Week...

It's only Wednesday and this has been SUCH a long week! Benny has been pretty cranky in the nighttime and Rochel has been sleeping over every night to help out with him! I miss Shuky!!! Been working on trying to get the house back into order from the past few weeks, still a work in progress! And I needed to make sure everything is packed (it's not, by the way). And since I'm going to be gone for a week after Florida, I wanted to make sure all the laundry is done and the house will still be standing when I get back!
Everyone say a little prayer for the new parents traveling with their little 5 week old (as of today) son! And then for the crazy Mommy traveling alone, afterward, with said kid!

Good night everyone.

Another Day with Benny

It's been a few days since I wrote but not a whole lot has happened. Shabbos was nice. We stayed in pj's the whole time, never even unlocked the front door! Shuky left to the farm yesterday, he'll be back in time to jump back in the car for the drive to the airport Friday morning. We're coming to Florida for Chaim's Bar Mitzvah!! We're gonna stick around for a week and from there Shuky goes back home and Benny and I are heading out to New York so Benny can meet his Bobbe (my mom)!!! Benny will be quite the little traveler!!!
I'm a little nervous about traveling alone but we'll make it!

Anyway, here's two pictures from today. He's wearing a really funny shirt that Uncle Shmuly sent him!

Love you all and we're all very excited to see everyone!!

I Got My Bed Back!

Shuky brought home the new pack-n-play yesterday and put it together for us and Benny slept in it. I GOT MY BED BACK FOR MYSELF!!! It was so exciting! He looks so yummy in his new bed and today we went to Toys'r'us to get some more stuff and I get sheets that work for pack-n-plays. And we finally found diapers in his size, by the box! Shuky also got new shoes and I got more baby books, ones for after the baby is born...I actually got the continuations of two of my baby books that I liked the most! Hopefully they'll be just as good and informative!



Have a good Shabbos everyone!

Professional Pictues

Last night was rough, Benny was up very often. I was so tired! It got to the point where I couldn't remember if I was just starting to nurse or if he was just finishing....
Rochel and I took Benny to WalMart for some professional pictures once we all rested and were able to see straight! We met Stefanie and the kids there for Benny and Aaron to take some shots together, they were so cute and they finally didn't scream when seeing each other!!

Anyway, his pictures came out ADORABLE! Although he did have to go through three outfits. The first one didn't even get any pictures, he spit up just as we were setting him up! As soon as the pictures are ready, we'll post them!

And now, I'm beyond exhausted. Good night everyone!

Some Pictures from the Bris

We still don't have too many but here are a few that we got so far...as soon as I get more, I'll put them up!

(Thanks Blooms for the pics we do have!)

Bris Day, FINALLY!!!

Today was the little man's bris. He was amazing, cried for a second and has been great the entire day since! His name is Binyamin Avraham, Binyamin after Shuky's grandfather and Avraham after my great-grandfather. We're going to call him Benny.
Usually, I don't like the concept of naming after more than one person but about three weeks before he was born, I had a very clear and detailed dream. In the dream, I gave birth to a boy. For some reason, the bris was the following day (someone mentioned this could possibly be taken as a sign that the bris was not supposed to be on the 8th day). Shuky and I named the baby Binyamin Avraham, after the two above-mentioned grandfathers. The dream even went on to show me that we had already decided to call him Benny. After he was actually born, I spoke to a Rabbi about the dream. He told me that something so clear about something so beautiful should not be cast aside and that we should definitely consider this as a sign! So Benny he is.
And for anyone who has or has not met him, the name really works! He's definitely a little Benny. Although it will be hard to stop saying Baby!
Anyway, I don't have pictures of the bris. I was slightly preoccupied. If anyone has pictures, please send them our way!
I would also like to thank everyone who helped out so much! We love everyone so much and were so happy to be able to share the simcha with everyone, on the phone, over the internet, in person....however people were able to join!
Have a good night and Benny can't wait to meet everyone!

Shema/Vach Nacht

Tonight was dudeski's Shema (Vach Nacht) and he did great, sleeping so nicely in his bassinet while all the little boys said Shema around him and the 12 Pesukim. He wanted one of the goody bags too but I warned him it would ruin his appetite and he was about to eat dinner, so he decided not to take the candy...
As the boys were finishing up, Stefanie brought over all the delicious stuff she baked for the bris. I am giving everyone a sneak peak of the AMAZING cake she made for the bris. Everything you see here is edible, including the base. I don't know how anyone will cut it, I will be standing there swatting hands away!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

Soon to be named!

Thursday I took little guy to work and to run errands around town (we walked, well I walked and he strolled), while Shuky went to LaCrosse to pick up his father. Mimi and the kids all had colds so they moved to my father's house. We've waited long enough for this bris. No need to push it off even more!
Friday, Baby and I went to Cedar Rapids to pick up my father and walk the aisles of Sam's Club. Bris stuff, here we come! Of course, we did forget the drinks.
Shabbos was nice, Friday night was quiet. Shabbos day we had Mimi and the kids, Rochel, my father...It was really nice! Nana and Grampa stopped by in the afternoon, right before Shuky left to shul for Mincha. Me and Baby showed them around the house, the backyard. We sat and talked for a bit.
Today we're going to have a nice brunch at 11:30. Problem is I may have forgotten to tell most of the people invited! Just waiting for an hour that isn't SO horrible for me to call over to my father's house...
Anyway, after the brunch, Baby and I (and Rochel, if we can steal her away) need to go to WalMart to get the stuff we forgot to get at Sam's Club!
Have a nice day everyone! Can't wait for tomorrow!!!

My Lil Lamb!

Baby loves his new swing! And I love Target! Got some stuff that Walmart just doesn't carry that we needed for the little dude!
Just wanted to put up some pictures of him in the new swing...and a video we took when he was on Shuky's lap, flooping and flopping his head around.



Enjoy and have a good night!!

Baby Swing

Yay! I finally found a store that has the swing that I want! Mimi and I are about to head out to LaCrosse to go to Target and get this swing and my little man will be able to have so much fun swinging around!
In case anyone wants to see what kind of swing we're getting, it's called the Fisher Price Lil Lamb Dream Swing. It's REALLY cute!
And while I'm at Target, I'll see what other fun things I can find!

Later!

A Good Day!!!

Today was a day for good news and exciting ideas.
Baby has a set day for his bris, it will be a week from today God willing, Monday the 18th!
Shuky and I decided to come to Florida for Chaim's bar mitzvah!
We are almost positively going to New York for Succos.

MY BABY IS GONNA GET A NAME!!!!!

I felt such a huge weight lift off my shoulders when the nurses told me what Baby's level was at after the blood test! I just couldn't stop smiling and talking excitedly to the little man...

Then Mimi and I took all the kids to the mall in Rochester and I got Dude some cute outfits for Yom Tov and pictures and all the trips coming up...

And now I'm exhausted and must go and start planning this bris, FINALLY!

Can't wait to give him a name and share it with everyone! Good night and hopefully today was good for everyone else too!!

A Fun Story Called Poop

So little guy poops alot and of course can't stand having ANYTHING in his diaper so the smallest of anything has to be changed instantly. So off we went to Walmart to get more diapers. Because we were out already. It's been about a week. A little less. We are also on our third company. First one gave him a small rash, second one wasn't leak-proof like it claimed, we'll see how this third company holds out!
Oh, the Mohel came by this morning and said Baby is looking much better. He said that if this were the first time he was seeing the baby, we would be doing the bris on time...
Tomorrow we have the next blood test so hopefully, with what the Mohel is saying, we're gonna get the go-ahead!

Hope everyone is having an easy fast!!!

Good Shabbos Everyone!

We have Moishy over for Shabbos and I finally gave Baby a bath (I was supposed to do that yesterday but I wasn't feeling too great) and he smells DELICIOUS! I'm eating him for dinner. And dessert! And Zalmy just peeled all our eggs for the egg salad because 'soon he's gonna be 4!'
Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a good Shabbos and an easy fast! Hopefully this coming week will bring good news about Baby's bris!

Love you all!

Happy Birthday Shuky!

Sorry it's been quiet for the past few days...being a new mom is a lot of work! We'll work on getting posts up more often. In the meantime, just wanted to wish Shuky a happy birthday and I hope he likes his birthday present! It took me 24 hours to get it but there was a 9.5 month wait list once I ordered it!

Love you Shuks!

County Fair

I forgot to mention that yesterday, in the afternoon, we went to a county fair nearby. Baby had so much fun watching Zalmy and Shaina go on all the rides! We switched the stroller so that the carriage was facing me instead of the public and he slept the ENTIRE time! It was really nice getting out and I'm trying to hick up my son as much as possible....git'er started young!

Today, once the rain cleared up, we invited the Blooms over for some water fun - water balloons and running through the sprinklers! Then, later in the afternoon, we went for a walk to the library and the post office...really hot out but nice to get out!
We ran out of diapers already so off I went in search of diapers that would fit my big boy's butt. And he sure does poop alot! He tends to wait until we close the tabs on the new diaper and then 'expresses himself' once again!

And now I am watching Finding Nemo with Zalmy while Shaina goes to sleep and then off to sleep I go!

Good night and lots of love!

It's Raining, It's Pouring, I Wish I Was Snoring!

Baby fussed alot this morning for some reason. I'm exhausted. In bed now, he's sleeping. Just wanted to say hi, I love being a mother! This boy is delicious!!!

Post Shabbos Post

Shabbos was interesting. Trying to keep him in the Bilie Wrap, hoping it doesn't unplug or that the kids don't get to it, trying to nurse and change him in it....
Obviously it didn't last. It got unplugged at some point, but we tried! We had nice quiet meals and nice visitors in the afternoon. Baby slept extremely well last night and I hear him crying out in the living room now but we're letting Tatty hang out with him while I relax a bit...

So off I go, searching for a bris outfit online with Bobbe and just kicking back...

Love you all!

Bilie Wrap

Apparently, they've made a sandwhich to help with Jaundice. It's called the Bilie Wrap. Baby had another blood test this morning and he's still at a high level. They think he may have gone up since Sunday and is now on his way back down. So we now have this fun UV Light contraption, called a Bilie Wrap, to try to help bring it all down...
Which means the bris has been pushed off yet again!
And I am exhausted. I had to go back to the hospital after our morning appointment because they suggested the Wrap after I was already home.
So now, Baby and I are off to take a nap. He will be sleeping with his Wrap on!
Good Shabbos everyone!

One Week Old

So apparently, yesterday's sun was too much sun! Little Baby got a slight sunburn on half his face. He was sleeping with his head to the side so straight down the middle of his face is a seperation, one side red and one side yellow! Needless to say, today's pool visit did not involve the little guy! I left him with Shuky and Uncle Sruly, they all needed some male bonding time! When I got back, we took a nap together - just me and the baby, that is. He's so delicious. Whenever I wake up before him, I just sit and stare. And take a few nibbles, here and there.
All in all, today was a semi-quiet day. As quiet as it can be with a one week old baby and house guests.
Alright, he seems to be getting up. It's about time for his next meal! I thought I had a little more time...
Good night everyone!

Baby and his new stroller

Bobbe (my mom) bought Baby the most beautiful stroller and it came in today. Shuky put it together for us and he LOVES it! Of course, he had to have his inaugural spit-up, which turned into about ten spit-ups. So the stroller is officially his, the territory has been marked!
We went and sat by the pool today to give him some sun. We are de-jaundicing him. My little man is also wearing a gold heart bracelet around his ankle. Extremely macho.

Deliciousness

I just wanted to post this picture...This is what I see first thing in the morning when he sleeps in my bed with me...

How can you not be obsessed???

...The Continuation

So, it's been somewhat hectic these past couple of days. But I'm sitting outside my house with my baby, enjoying the quiet and beauty - of my baby and outside the four walls of my house!
I never came back to finish writing about Shabbos so I'll just do a quick recap of how the rest went...
Lunch was nice, sort of a whatever-whenever kind of deal. The afternoon brought a few visitors...we have that huge window in the living room so people walking to and from shul saw us and stopped by to say mazal tov and meet the little man. And after the meal, people came to hang out...
Now, I may be biased, but I believe this child is a genius already! He rolled over from his back to his tummy all by himself! He has found his thumb and sucks it quite aggressively when his pacifier is not in place. He knows just the right faces and sounds to make to get exactly what he wants! Like I said, in my unbiased opinion, pure genius!
Saturday night was really tough, he kept us up the entire night. And, because my labor was so intense and the pushing so long and hard, my neck and back were extremely sore all weekend, to the point of not being able to move in any direction, in the slightest bit. So put that pain and annoyance together with a screaming baby and a serious lack of sleep and you've got quite a handful. Well, Shuky did anyway! Poor guy, new kid and wife crying together! I'm glad he didn't cry too!! (Not that he would, in case anyone is now questioning his macho-ness) Needless to say, Sunday morning was a bit hard. We had to go back to the hospital to have Baby's 'yellow-ness' checked out. And they were going to take a look at my neck and see if there's anything to do about it...Well, after the night we had, it was a bit rough getting out of the house but we finally made it. He got his blood work done and turns out the Bilie Rubin level was pretty high. And as far as my neck was concerned, they ruled out a spinal headache (a side effect of the intrathecal I got) and said all they could suggest was mild doses of tylenol and ibuprofen and they signed me up for physical therapy again (I say again because I had to go to PT during my second trimester for my sciatica). We went to Walmart on the way home, stocked up on a bunch more stuff we needed, had to make sure this baby really learned what it meant to be Iowan. When we got home, Rabbi Klien (the mohel) came by and told us we have to wait to do the bris. He said the earliest possible day is next Thursday. Basically, on Friday, at his first official appointment, they have to do the Bilie Rubin blood test again and if it is at a certain level, halacha says you have to wait seven days from that point to be sure that the body is completely healthy and able to handle it. So Baby it is for a little while longer! At some point in the afternoon, my headache and neck pains went away and I felt like a completely new person!
Anyway, last night was much better, he slept longer and wasn't as cranky when he was up. And my neck not acting up made it alot easier to handle the long hours and crying baby! I brought him into my bed when he got cranky and he slept really nicely for the last few hours of the morning, didn't wake up until around 7 or 8!
Shuky went to Minneapolis to pick up his mom and Moishy and me and Baby hung out all day. Rochel came over for some of the day and we all relaxed together, watched some TV, me and Baby napped for a few hours...worked a bit on getting the house ready for company!
Right now, we're sitting outside (like I mentioned before) and our neighbors (who have been around forever, I'm sure of it. And I mean FOREVER) just came over to meet the little one and see him in all his deliciousness! It's great living in a quiet little country town like this!
The little man is super excited to get to meet all the family - Bubby, Uncle Moishy, Aunt Mimi and his cousins Zalmy and Shaina, and tomorrow Uncle Sruly (is that what you want to be called?) is coming! He hasn't stopped asking me questions about everyone! And then when the bris finally rolls around, a whole new squad of family comes to town! Oh, the excitement!!!
Alright, now that I've updated this blog, I'm gonna sit here and enjoy the peace and quiet. And get some bills taken care of. I guess those things are important too.
Not as important as the blog obviously!

PS If anyone wants dibs on being called something in particular, let us know...we can be quite accomodating sometimes!

Shabbos Shenanigans

Shabbos as a Mommy was amazing! It was so emotional lighting a third candle.
Rochel stayed with us to help out and bond with her new nephew. She was such a good help!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!
We put the bassinet by the table and he was chilling with us for the meal, no fussing, because he's good like that, ka"h.
The Sholom Zachor was at my father's house and Shuky went right away after the meal. He got home around 3, I think. He said it was really nice and alot of people came. (The people who ended up not making it made a special point to come and apologize to him in shul the next day.)
The night was a bit tough, having been spoiled by the nurses who would whisk him off to the nursery so I could sleep and bring him to me when he would get hungry. I would really like it if they could install a call button on my bed and answer to me 24/7. Am I asking for too much?? But, we made it through the night - it really wasn't too bad...
He ended up sleeping in my bed after the last nursing and I just watched him. He's beautiful. And delicious. And makes the yummiest sounds and faces and I wanted to eat him. But I figured explaining that would be hard so I just watched him and sighed. Oh, and I spoke to him alot. He's a great listener! He's very alert so he just stares at you as if he understands and really feels for you.
Mommy duties call. My baby is having a hard time falling asleep.
To be continued...

Baby Brained Chani

So I just put a post on the wrong blog about our baby! Baby brain Chani, back in action!!!

So here is the post again...


As I'm sure you all know by now, on Wednesday July 23, at 1:11 pm, I gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL and quite large, baby boy! I was in labor for 24 hours, but apparently perseverance pays off! He weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long.
He is beyond delicious! I am completely obsessed with him and can't wait to be feeling like a normal human again so I can take pictures with both of us in them, and take him out for walks or drives or whatever we decide to do! Me and my boy are gonna be BEST FRIENDS!!!!!!!

Here are a few pics for anyone who hasn't seen any yet. After Shabbos I'll write some more about our little monkey...have some fun things to say about our hospital stay and some fun characteristic traits he has! And how much he loves his Mommy and Tatty!!!!!

Have a good Shabbos everyone and to anyone coming out next week, we can't wait to see you! Everyone else, hopefully soon we'll get to see you all and introduce you to our little man!!!!

Our Own Little Bigfoot!!!

So we went to the doctor today and had an ultrasound. There is some sort of 8 point test they do to make sure the baby is still in a healthy environment and our little baby passed with flying colors! Turns out there's a full head of hair which we got a funny picture of (looks like little wavy white things on the screen....pretty interesting!) They measured one of the feet, which was 7.76 cm long. Them be long feet!!!
Oh, and, I've mentioned before that the baby gets hiccups all the time...while she had the baby on the screen, it got hiccups and it was really funny watching the whole body jump with each hiccup. Even the ultrasound technician was enjoying it!
I'm finally at two centimeters!!! Score!
So the doctor decided to keep daily tabs on me. I have an appointment tomorrow and we shall see what the day shall bring!
Love you all...have a good night!

Harmony

We went to Harmony, MN today. Walked around, went sight-seeing, drooled over the expensive Amish furniture. Ended up buying a 2-chairs-and-a-table set for outside, at an antique shop, for $30...And randomly, we found a Kosher Chinese cookbook too so we got that too.

And now we're back home in the air conditioning, did I mention it was 93 degrees?

PS Still no baby for anyone wondering...

Yet another Shabbos come and gone...

Still no news. We were sure it would happen!!! Oh well. At least we didn't have a boring shabbos in the hospital! Last night, in middle of the meal, Shuky had a small asthma issue and he was getting all nervous that we would have to go to the hospital - for him, not me! And then he got even more nervous that he wouldn't be able to drive me if I did need to go. So me and the baby decided we would wait for him to be able to breathe again. We're nice like that!
We shall see what the next few days bring I guess...Monday is the tell-tale 'doctor makes a decision' day.
I don't want my kid to have a fast day as a birthday, but if it decides tomorrow is the day, then by all means, BRING IT ON!

Have a good night and an easy fast!

Have a good Shabbos!

Just wanted to wish everyone a good Shabbos!! We're gonna be home tonight and doing lunch out, at the Blooms...

Love you all. Good Shabbos!

Rain

Well, I guess when you complain about the heat and then you get rain instead, you can't complain again! At least there's a breeze along with the rain and we're only in the 70's!

Anyway, still no baby, still bored all day as I really can't do a whole lot! Gonna start making Shabbos plans...

Later.

95 Degrees

Wow, such high temperatures are not as much fun when your hugely pregnant! Which I still am, by the way! I went to the library today and took out some movies and turned my AC all the way down...time to veg out!!!!

Love you all!!! Keep those fingers and toes crossed....

Just so you know....

Still here. Officially one day overdue. Joy.

40 Weeks!

Just letting everyone know that NOTHING is happening. Had my 40 week appointment, A.K.A. due date appointment, today...still only one centimeter dilated. My doctor asked if I would cry when I heard the truth or should she lie...she's so good to me!
I have another appointment scheduled for next Monday. But good ol' doctor said she'll keep her fingers crossed for me that I see her before then. Like I said, she really takes care of me!

Not feeling too great, physically and moodwise, so off I go to sulk. Just wanted to let everyone know that there's nothing new to report. Two weeks later. Score.

...

It feels like every post lately sounds the same, I'm sort of at a loss for what to say. Nothing new to report. Still pregnant. Still waiting. Twiddling my thumbs, hoping this child wants come out and meet us eventually!!!! Shabbos was obviously uneventful. Ate both meals with the Blooms! Good food, good company, all makes for a good, calm Shabbos!

Alright, just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still Pregasauras Rex.

Have a good night!

9 months and counting...

I finally took the pictures I've been promising...seeing how huge I am may make it easy to understand why I've been so hesitant to take these!
And here's a side-by-side of the beginning and the end!

Enjoy the pics and have a good Shabbos!

Have a good Shabbos!

Just wanted to quickly wish everyone a good Shabbos. Not much to say here, except it's really hot. And everywhere I go, I get the same 'No baby yet?' comments. I would assume that that's a pretty obvious thing, making those questions unnecessary. But that's just me!

Anyway, I'm exhausted so I'm gonna pass out before Shabbos...have a good one everybody!

Yet Another...

Another fun night with not enough sleep. Those always put me in such a good mood in the morning!
But on a fun note, I just got off the phone with Zalmy in Monsey and he made a special request. They are going to the park soon so he wants me to have the baby at 1:00 today. If I don't mind. Because he would like to come play with the baby, but he really wants to go to the park...Priorities Chani, priorities!

Anyway, back to The Price is Right. Which will hopefully put me to sleep!

Blah

I slept a few hours last night, finally. But not enough. Still feeling like this is never gonna end and the contractions have been getting worse. Now I am getting at least one real contraction a day, usually more.

I'm sitting at work now but I'm about to go home. Starving, exhausted, want my house to clean itself. All in all, I'm in a pretty good mood!

Oh, this is definitely Shuky's child, in case anyone was wondering...this baby gets hiccups SO often! It's really funny too! Like two weeks ago, we were having a staff meeting at work and I was just watching my stomach. Every second, you'd see a little bump on the side - the hiccups actually make the baby jump and it shows!

Ok, time to go. Ciao ciao.

So I came home after the doctor. Sigh. Today was not the day obviously. But I did find out what to do, when, and where to go, when I actually do go into labor! So that's comforting to know...

I was actually really tired all day, due to the no-sleep thing we've (meaning me) got going on now! My appointment was at 9:30 and you're supposed to be there 15 minutes early so I was out of the house by 8:45. After the appointment, I stopped at Walmart. I only needed like 3 things and it took me FOREVER because I was just moving sooooo slow!! I worked a couple hours when I got back to town and then came home and crashed after a little straightening up...Of course, I finally fall asleep and all of a sudden, everyone and their mother calls. And my phone has this annoying thing (yay Motorola) where it beeps like every 5 minutes if you miss a call or get a text/voicemail. Needless to say, my phone and I are not on the best of terms right now.

Hopefully tonight will bring sleep! Good night to one and all.

Sleep No More

Alas, my sleep filled nights are over. I had hoped that would stick around until baby day, but no. Not to be. Had another sleepless night, counting down the minutes in the morning until it was close enough to the alarm time so I could wake up Shuky.

Today I have my 39 week appointment. I realized that I have no idea who I'm supposed to call or where I'm supposed to go when I do actually go into labor, so today I shall be finding all that fun stuff out.

Well, I'm going to try and get some more sleep before I actually have to go to the doctor...wish me luck!!!

EW

Miserable, miserable night! It's now 5:30 am, and the birds are all chirpy and happy outside and I've been up for about a half an hour already. Someone get me a gun, these birds need to go! I'm just waiting for it to get light enough for me to be able to read a book or something, don't want to wake Shuky up with the light...

One week left officially. Chana bas Zisl Shoshana, in case anyone knows anything special to say to make it happen or just to make it easier when it does!!

Have a nice day y'all.

Hancock

Just a thought; movies are extremely hard to sit through when you are nine months pregnant! I keep going anyway obviously. The theater is a few blocks from the hospital so I was kind of hoping we could go and just make a pit-stop on the way home, but, as I am sitting here writing this, that obviously didn't happen.

At least the movie was good!

Gut Voch

Just a quick note to let everyone know the baby is still kicking, from inside! Shabbos just ended and we ate out both meals and slept the entire afternoon. Not sure if we're gonna do anything tonight or just stay in and relax, but before I forgot, just wanted to let you all know I'm still waddling around over here!

Love you all, have a good night!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 'No Work Day' everyone!! I'm still here, large and waddly! We had a nice relaxing day. Shuky got up really early and went fishing with Dovid (Bloom) and we had bass for lunch!
We really just hung out all day, toiveled some wedding gifts that we never opened - never had the space in our other house so we kept things boxed up! We finally got our own dining room table a few weeks ago so we went and returned the other table we were using to my father's house. We went to someone's moving sale - didn't find anything good but we love looking at these sales!
What else, nothing really.
We were invited out for both meals for shabbos so we weren't really too worried about having to cook or anything....
Anyway, gonna go relax some more...have a good shabbos everyone!

Love you all and hope to be able to share some good news very soon! (ten days left till my due date!!!!!!)

Still Here!

G'morning-ish! I'm convinced that the baby has officially dropped. My sleeping in the last few days has been on a whole different scale! I'm actually sleeping! And falling asleep at a somewhat normal hour at night! Yay!!!

This morning I woke up with really bad leg cramps so I decided not to go swimming today but I'm gonna go for a walk with Stefanie and her kids, to the post office and then to hang out at the park! Fun stuff!

38 Weeks and 2 Days

So I had my 38 week checkup today and was really hoping to be whisked off into the delivery room for a easy, breezy labor and an adorable little baby to bring home. Today was a day for labor, just not mine! My doctor was in scrubs and everything, another patient of hers was in labor. I felt bad wasting her outfit so I told her to take me away...apparently being only 1 centimeter dilated just doesn't cut it. Silly baby. Silly me!

But, that reminded me of a funny story. When my neighbor (Stefanie Bloom) had her baby the week after Pesach, we went to visit them in the hospital. I came in holding flowers with an exciting 'It's a Boy!' balloon! Walking down the hall, a nurse came up to me and asked, "Are you in labor?"
Really lady???? Do people usually come fully prepared with balloons and flowers like that? And I was only about 7 or so months at that point. Great. Just when I thought I wasn't tooooo big!

Anyway, my doctor goes away tomorrow until the 11th. She said she thinks she'll still be the one delivering for me. Shucks. But, she also said she's been wrong before so I'll take that one!
We'll see if she gets to pull my baby out naked or meet it fully clothed!!

Sheesh!

It wasn't better today at the pool and I'm giving it one more chance before I give up on the pool being my 'vacation'. Sigh.

Movin' Kinda Slow

Another day come and gone. Chani is still huge. Holding the baby but still in my belly! I'm working on it, though. The past few days, at the pool, I've been doing laps-ish.

Yesterday was one of those days where I just felt like poop. I ended up leaving the pool after an hour instead of my usual hour and a half. I left work after two hours. Just stayed home and read/watched TV/slept.

Hopefully today will be better!

Shabbos Slumber

Shabbos came and went with no signs of baby. Sigh.

T'was nice though! Friday night we ate by The Bloom Family (as their message machine likes to point out) - they live across the street from us and we practically live there. Well I do anyway! Shabbos day, my father and sister came over for lunch. I was quite a grump all day. I'll blame it on the hormones and lack of sleep. I'm allowed!

Shuky didn't go to shul in the morning so when he went in the afternoon, he got lots of 'So no baby then?' comments. Which I warned him would happen. Being pregnant also makes you all-knowing. I should know! I'm always right these days!!!

I've started reading my baby books again, trying to find some tricks on how to get this process going....Apparently the best way is to wait, but seriously, for anyone who really knows me, I'm probably THE most impatient person on Earth. And yes, I've met everyone so I know!

Anyway, we're about to have mac and cheese for dinner, at 11:30 pm. Yum! Good night all and shavuah tov!

Erev Shabbos Walmart Fun

I decided I get 'Pregnant Wife of the Year Award'. Today I went to Walmart with Rochel (THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!!!!!) and made Shuky a brand new list of what to get...complete with company name, model, and shelf price. He will literally just have to walk around and go 'Oh, that's on this list' - a complete no-brainer!!!!

And I bought him a present, a great new tool kit with power tools and everything. Probably should have bought that yesterday, BEFORE he had to put up that ceiling fan! And last week when he fixed our 'new' dining room table. Might have made things a smidgen easier for him, but hey, don't want things being too easy!!!

Anyway, gotta start getting the house ready for Shabbos and put away all these groceries I just got...

Love you all and hopefully we'll hear good news soon!

Sleep has finally arrived!!!

I slept so well last night! For the first time in who knows how long!!!!!!!!

Hopefully that's a sign for how good today is gonna be!

Oh, and I had another REAL contraction last night. Oodles of fun!

The End of a Long Day

Sigh. It's been a looooong day! Shuky starts work at 7:30 so the alarm usually wakes me and sometimes I fall back asleep, sometimes I don't. Today I didn't.

The public pool here has special hours for the Jewish women in the community and that starts at 11. I work very hard to be sure I make I'm there as water tends to calm the baby down alot! Today, though, that was not the case. The whole time I was in the pool, there was NO end to the kicking and pushing and shoving in my huge belly! Oh well. It was still nice being in the water...

So, right before Pesach, we moved into a bigger house. For some reason, the lights in the two bedrooms upstairs don't have a switch on the wall. They only have the small chain, to which the previous tenants tied extremely long shoelaces and hung off a hook on the wall. Of course, this is only a light with no fan. Aside from being beyond obnoxious, there is no air circulation and the AC just doesn't seem to work as well upstairs as it does downstairs! Anyway, we bought a ceiling fan/light fixture with one of those wireless remotes so that we wouldn't have to bring in an electrician to bring the wires down the wall. We now have a beautiful fan that works great, with air moving around in the room, thanks to Shuky! And Rochel helped too. Thank G-d for helpful siblings!!!

And, of course, not knowing when I won't be able to work anymore, I keep trying to get all these projects done right away. So I'm still working.

Sigh again. Good night everyone! Love you all...


P.S. Any tips on ways to get the feet out of my ribs? Aside from going into labor obviously...

Small Town Frustrations

G'morning.

Just a quick vent, creating these registries for Shuky is much harder than I anticipated. The fact that we're 'small town folk' means not having everything easily accessible, which means that registering for these things doesn't really mean I'll be able to get it all as quickly as needed! Grr! Most things are not actually stocked in our local store!

Poop.

Well, I'm gonna try and sleep some more before the pool opens. Thanks for the shoulder!

37 weeks and 2 days

Ok, now that there's less than three weeks left till my due date, I am finally starting this blog! Hopefully I'll be able to keep everyone updated and this way I won't feel bad as I pick up my phone and can't remember why I picked it up...it was to call all of you! Gotta love baby-brain!

So, a few fun things that have happened in the past few weeks...people in Shul have been asking Shuky if we're having twins! Thanks alot everyone!...I am barely sleeping anymore, at least not during the night anyway!...Shuky obviously loves me ALOT as he puts up with all of my fun demands and mood swings and hot/cold flashes, and convenient lack of memory when it comes to things I may or may not have said and/or done!...About a week and a half ago, I couldn't sleep and Shuky was away at the farm so I got up in the middle of the night and rearranged the furniture in our bedroom (thanks Mom for that gene!)...I remembered at 4 in the morning, a few nights ago, that I left my windows of my car completely open and Shuky had to go down and close them - I was worried it might rain (it didn't)...Friday afternoon I had my first real contraction, OUCH!, not the regular Braxton Hicks I've been having for a few months already...

Today, at my doctor's appointment, my doctor and I discussed when would be the best time for me to go into labor as she is going to visit Grandma with the kids. Score. So I have until the middle of next week or anytime after the 11th. I'm hoping for before her vacation. I can only get so much bigger!!

Of course I waddle, no walking for me, and I feel like I'm menopausal at the lovely age of 22! Isn't pregnancy just a bundle of joy!!! And the baby is EXTREMELY active! I noticed that when I go swimming or take baths, the baby calms down alot and just relaxes, so I try and do as much water activity as possible!

I've been trying to prepare lists for Shuky so he doesn't freak out when he has to run to Walmart to stock up on baby stuff once I have the baby! I made some baby registries for him so he can just print them out and go. Decided to put them up here for fun, let everyone see and make suggestions...There are some things that we're ordering online from other sites so they aren't on any of the registries, if anyone wants to see anything (like the stroller or car seat) let me know and I can put up those links too!

http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=80521788100
http://www.toysrus.com/ControllerServlet?lastName=meyer&firstName=chani&state=&x=0&y=0&target=search&userType=giftGiver&searchForPerson=primReg&whereTo=viewRegistry

Anyway, it's now 8:40 pm and due to my lack of sleep last night and early morning doctor appointment, it's time for me to go to bed for my party with my millions of pillows that Shuky gets to regularly rearrange for me all night! Love you Shuks!

And I love and miss everyone else and please let this be my call to each of you, personally! I mean to call....really!

Good night and we'll keep you posted!