Chow Time! First solid foods

This week we entered into yet another area of parenthood we know nothing about - solid foods! The doctors tell you to wait till 6 months to introduce solids unless your kiddo is draining you dry. Well, I have to say the last few weeks I have felt like a mommy-mart with a 24hr drive thru window. While Brady used to be a champ at sleeping that stopped a few weeks back.  He began to wake up at all hours, 12am, 2am, 3am or whenever he darn well pleased, with these ongoing, marathon nursing events. Too tired to keep up with that schedule and maintain sanity at work the next day I began co-sleeping with him after his initial late night wake-up so he could just latch on whenever he wanted rather than deal with the wrath of trying to put him back down in his crib. I figured half sleep was better than no sleep at all.

This week a light bulb went off - ta da! Perhaps it is time for some solid foods! After some quick research we found that most kiddos start out on rice cereal so it was off to New Seasons to get the pantry stocked. Our first round was last night - and guess who slept from 8pm to 4:30am! (For those of you non-parents that is what we parents with little ones call a successful night of sleep - my how life changes!) Now that we have started down this path we have realized how many questions we have - do we do this at every meal? How quickly do we ramp up the solid food in-take? When do we introduce other foods? How do you measure the size of a meal? Is this in addition to the current supply of breast milk or do you start to taper off on the milk and replace with solids? Etc. Thankfully I had a doctor appt today and my OBGYN clued me into the "What to Expect The First Year" book that has it all outlined in a matrix for you. Whew! Now we can just go back to enjoying this new experience with our little man, who is already starting to take control. Here are a few photos from tonight's dinner feast!

I can already see it starting now. Our headstrong little guy is letting me know who is boss in this relationship. Even though he can't speak I'm pretty sure those eyes are sayin "I've got this mom, back off!"

Clean up in aisle five! We've been prepping Huckster for this very moment. We've been telling him that we know it's hard now, and the house is louder than usual but just wait. You're gonna love this new addition to the family once solid foods come into play - and so it begins. I have a feeling puppy is going to need to go on a diet in the near future.

While Huck was as thorough as possible it was inevitable. Brady was going to need a full blown bath after his do-it-yourself dinner. I foresee lots of bathing in our future - that rice cereal gets sticky when it starts to dry!

D-Day - Daycare!

Our little man on his first day of daycare!

Well, it was inevitable...daycare! I knew this day would be coming, but we were so spoiled with my parents watching Brady that I had shoved far, far away in my head.  This Tuesday was Brady's first day, and he did great!  Sadly mom was a hot mess. Needing the additional support I coaxed Brett into meeting us there for the big day (it is one block from his office). After showing up I realized we did everything the wrong way. Once we got everything put in order it was time to leave my baby boy behind. So what's a mom to do? Stall! Think of any and every question under the sun to stay with your baby just a little longer...that is until till your husband gently coaxes you out of the room and into the hallway where you officially breakdown. A quick coffee date to collect myself and I was off to work.  It's amazing what the power of a cappuccino can do. Today was day two of daycare and I'm happy to say it went much smoother. No waterworks, but it still took me 30 minutes to leave Brady behind...

Things I learned from Brady's First Day:

• The night before I spent all kinds of time labeling his milk, two bottles and three storage containers for refills. Day of daycare I find out they have their very own labels I need to fill out (every day, as they are date specific) AND that we can only bring the milk in bottles in order to keep the nipple sterile from feeding to feeding - whoops!
• The night before I packed a perfectly put together diaper bag with everything folded in an easily found place. Day of daycare I find out there is a bin for his diapers and wipes, and bin for his extra clothing and bibs, and a separate area for the bottles to be refrigerated - so basically forget the bag.
• The night before I packed his favorite toys, his blanket so he had something that smelled like home and his sleep sheep giraffe. Day of daycare I find out what we needed was a sleep sack and they have plenty of toys there that are way more entertaining than the everyday stuff we have at home.
• I also was naive enough to think I could be in and out in 5 minutes for drop offs. Well, once you disperse everything into its rightful place and you deal with the emotional side of not wanting to leave your baby behind I'm looking at something closer to 30 minutes - I'll have to work on that one!

First trip away from Brady

In the midst of all this new fabulous life of figuring out what it means to be a mom I had a work trip to attend - yup, smack dab in the middle of my maternity leave.  You are probably thinking that I am crazy so let me explain.  I work for a non-profit that helps low income women get back to work and on the road to living a life of self-sufficiency - yup that's right ladies! You don't have to depend on the government or an abusive husband to survive. The mission is incredibly important to me and this year we received a $200k grant from Bank of America and as part of the grant they provide three trips for the emerging leader in the organization to develop their leadership skills and share your mind power with the 60 other recipients of the award from around the country.

This is the second of the three trips and I had initially thought I would fly my mom and Brady out to Atlanta to be with me for the conference - that was until the airline sequesters went into place and it would have cost us $900 to get my mom here (not really an option while I'm on unpaid maternity leave). So instead I came out solo and my incredible husband and family stepped up to the plate to make the trip happen. I really can't thank my parents, Brett and Kim for watching Brady for four days so I could make the trip.

So how did mommy do? There were some tears at the airport but I was able to pull myself together before getting on the plane so as not to freak out the other passengers. I also had to figure out how to travel with a pump and coming back with milk through security since I'm a nursing mom now - and boy isn't that fun to have to declare to the 19 year old security guard that you are packing some breast milk only for him to open up your bag and be completely clueless on what to do next - don't worry he finally asked his supervisor and it all got sorted out.  I had thought I had lost all sense of modesty after the labor and delivery but turns out it's still there! I made the mistake of being too self-conscious to pump in the airport or on the plane on the way out to Atlanta on my  non-stop flight. Needless to say I was a hot, leaking mess upon arrival. So on the way back I swallowed my pride and got the job done.

First up - the bathroom at the airport. Such a glamorous place. Nothing like standing there in a stall and pumping for 15 minutes with a symphony of toilets flush around you. Second up? Airplane restroom, I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was a terrorist as I snatched up my black tote and headed to the restrooms only to come out 15 minutes later with a line of 12+ people waiting - whoops!  Sorry world, this nursing stuff doesn't mess around - I learned that the hard way:-)  So the next time you see a mom shyly ducking into the restroom with the all too familiar black tote or hiding a kiddo under a hooter hider in public be nice to her - unfortunately the world doesn't come with nursing rooms.

My very luxurious pumping station in the chic, Atlanta Airport bathroom - life doesn't get much better than this ;-)

2 Months: Trading naps for playtime

Sorry we are a little late on the two month update!  Brady is more and more awake these days and keeping us busy!  As I write this I only have a little over a week left of maternity leave and I'm looking back on all my pre-baby ambitions of organizing the house ala pinterest inspiration and cleaning out the basement - you know because when else will I have all this "free" time?!  Non-mama's probably think this makes all the sense in the world - existing mamas are probably enjoying a chuckle right now.  Now that I'm in the thick of it my goals for the day have changed - new goal, if I can get through a shower without Brady waking up it's a good day - getting to actually dry my hair and put on make-up that's considered an excellent day.

Pause - Brady just woke up - time to eat!

Annnd we are back 2 hours later - see what I mean?

Our major accomplishments this month!

- Smiles! Lots and lots of smiles!
- Giggles! Brett is the best at getting adorable little gurgly giggles from our little man.
- Pacifiers are so passé' - hands are where it's at! We seem to be snubbing the pacifier more frequently now in exchange for those tasty, and always available fingers.
- Buddha Belly, cheeks and leg rolls - oh my! We are rounding out now and losing some of that old man look in exchange for a plump and happy baby.
- First loves - the swing and the baby bjorn. The perfect pair to getting mom some much needed breaks from time to time.
- First days without mom- I had a four day conference in Atlanta I had to attend in the middle of my maternity (I know, I know), but family was amazing and helped out a ton! It truly takes a village to raise this little guy.

Pause - more time with Brady...

Annnd we are back one week later - while I sit at my desk - at work. Wow, maternity went by so quickly!  I'll be sure to be more timely with our 3 month update! (all of 3 days away now:-)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! It was a full weekend extravaganza in the Fisher household. We packed up the car and took in the Gorge, starting with a little golf with our friend Phoebe then off to Skamania Lodge for a night away with my boys. In hindsight we should have taken a picture of the trunk of our car on the way out. Just one night away and you would have thought we were taking off for a road trip across country! Dog, crate, bags, diaper bags, travel bassinet, changing pads, hiking backpacks, etc. We looked like the Beverly Hills Hillbillies rolling up to the lodge. This was the perfect test run for next week when we take off for San Francisco/Napa Valley for the week for a wedding. I have a feeling our days of not dealing with checked baggage are over.

Here are some of our favorite photos from the weekend!

Brett and Brady on Beacon Rock Golf Course.

 

 Phoebe gave Brady his first official Bunny Ears

 

The Family photo, I rode around in the golf cart with Brady asleep in the Baby Bjourn.

 A beautiful day and setting for a day on the links!

 

Happy Father's Day at Skamania Lodge! Nothing like a coffee to start the day off right.

We aren't used to that sun in Oregon so Brady gets to sport a Derby sized floppy hat when we are outside.

The crazy trail of Beacon Rock for our Father's Day hike.

Man's Best Friend - Huck still gets more cat calls on the trails than Brady - no wonder he walks with such a strut!

Brett walked up with Huck - and I looked like a pack mull with Brady on my front and my pack on my back.

 

 

 

 

Labor and Delivery

As you know, Brady came 15 days late!  He was quite comfy in there so on Monday, April 1, 2013 we checked into the hospital for induction. We were set to check in at 7am until we received a 5am call that they had an influx of "natural" births and they didn't have a nurse available for me since mine was considered "elective"...hmmm pretty sure 15 days past due doesn't stay in the realm of "elective" but who am I to say.  So we called the parents, let them know about the delay and went to breakfast instead.

Just as we put our order in I got the call that they found a nurse and it was time to check in, so after one last meal we jumped in the car and were off to the hospital.  As soon as we got there it was straight down to business. Within the first 30 minutes they confirmed I was having contractions, I just couldn't feel them yet so my doctor showed up to break my bag of water - which was an interesting experience. Not sure what I expected but it was definitely different than I had anticipated. Next they gave me a small dose of petocin to get the contractions to come. As we waited, I was entertained by Brett, my parents and Jamie and Jackie. As I'd start to feel a contraction we'd watch the monitors to see if that was in fact what I was feeling. Once they got stronger it was almost like a game to see how high it would spike on the monitor.

When the doctors came in to check on me they determined I was much to "chipper" and didn't have "the look" quite yet so they upped the dosage. Brett and I then took a walk around the floor to help things along and within a quarter of our walk I started to understand what they meant. By the time I made it back to the room I had successfully gotten the "look" they were waiting for and it was straight to bed for me where I rolled over on my side and buried my face in a pillow till they finally used those magic words, "would you like the epidural now?" Yes please!  I hadn't realized I had already been laboring for about 3 hours without it - the contractions had come on fast and furious and by the time they gave me the epidural I was already 9 centimeters and just about ready to start pushing.

Turns out they had to wait to give me the epidural because the anesthesiologist on the floor was in a c-section so they had to get another one in for me. I have to say I am not one for needles, but with the intensity of my contractions I never even felt the needle. We had a little difficulty with it working properly at first, only my right side went numb, my left side was still fully going through labor so they had to re-position the catheter and gave me a little extra - which left me completely numb from the waist down.  I know this because after that I was feeling mighty fine and the family was invited back in for a quick visit at which point my lovely sister-in-law pointed out that my leg had fallen off the table! I had felt a little off center but had no idea I was hanging half off the table so with a little help from the family I was put back into place.

Shortly there after we were ready to start pushing so the family went to the waiting room and Brett and I got ready to welcome our little man to the world. Unfortunately, as our little drama king likes to do, things didn't go smoothly. After the first push I was resting and didn't notice that the room had filled with doctors and nurses. I didn't realize anything was wrong until a oxygen mask went on and as I rolled over to look at Brett I noticed the new entourage surrounding us. Turns out Brady's little heart couldn't take the stress and it became apparent something was wrong with the umbilical cord. We waited for an hour to give him a rest and tried to push once more but it became clear we couldn't move forward without some risk to Brady so we opted for to head into a c-section. As it turns out the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck so I'm glad we played it safe because as soon as they pulled him out we heard the most beautiful cry of all time letting us know everything was okay!

After couple hours in the recovery room we were marched down the hall with a parade of a family to follow us to welcome Brady to the world!

Here are some photos from the big day!

After laboring for a few hours it's amazing how good an epidural is!

The fabulous support team!

The waiting room...books and ipads a plenty

Brady's first photo!

Brett cut the umbilical cord

Our first family photo (sadly Huck was not allowed in the hospital:-)

Check out those cute little feet!

High fives to Uncle Brett for a job well done.

Our niece Olivia ensured we had a safe arrival from recovery into our room:-)

Everyone was anxious to meet Brady, we didn't even make it to the room before everyone got in their first hellos.

Olivia got the first hold - she has waited 9 years for this moment afterall!

Uncle Chaz got to show some love.

Jackie (Uncle Jamie's girlfriend) was already a pro!

Uncle Jamie got his love in.

Mom and Dad - first time grandparents!

Auntie Kim got in her Brady snuggles

The stats! Mom saw this in recovery - "by accident" she claims - so she knew the name before everyone else - tsk tsk mom!

Ordering room service the next day - the labor sure was rough on poor Brett;-)

One Month: My how time flies when you are staring at a baby!

Brady celebrating his one month birthday at a leisurely pace, lounging in his new chair from Carolyn and John.

Wowza - its already been a month! Not sure how time flew by so fast but here we are. It's been pretty amazing figuring out this whole parenting thing. Each day he keeps us guessing and I've had to submit to the idea that I am no longer in charge of the family schedule, that is now owned completely by our little man. It was a month full of learning curves - how much to feed, what color of poop is normal, how to translate eye goop, which is the best iPhone app to make him stay asleep, and so on.

I swear most the day I find myself just staring at him and wishing I could hear what he is thinking, which is why I have such a hard time believing a month has already gone by.  Each day I think I get it all figured out just for Brady to change it up the next day.  Now, perhaps we are biased, but we are pretty sure Brady is already showing genius potential - here are this months accomplishments:

• He was born! Hands down best accomplishment of the month:-)
• Portland's new socialite -  we had lots of friends and family come from near and far to visit and meet the latest Fisher.
• From day one he has been able to hold his head up - we'll work on the control of it swaying side to side in the coming months so mom and dad don't end up with a broken nose!
• Big, open, beautiful, baby blues - each day he seems to be more and more awake - which is fun and tiring all at the same time. He has fun tracking faces but hasn't shown much interest in toys just yet.
• Smiles! The first three weeks we'd get adorable little smiles while he was asleep, as of three days ago he started to let a few smiles out during the day as well - and that will pretty much make your heart skip a beat.
• Brett likes to boast that he "sleeps through the night." However, what that really means is he consistently will sleep for 3 hours in a row before waking up to be fed, burped and changed then down again only to wake up for round two three hours later. Admittedly, after our first week of practically being up all night getting three hours in a row does almost feel like a solid night of sleep now - I suppose it is all about perspective!
• An impressive ability to change outfits more times than an actress on Oscar night. How's this possible you may ask? While he's looking quite poised and dapper in the photo above - check out what happened two seconds later...

Ahhhhh choooo!

Annnd then the spit up came - time to switch into outfit number three for the day!