Thanksgiving Trip

Gavin and I had a wonderful time at home for Thanksgiving. It took us 11 hours each way but it was totally worth it. Gavin got to hang with the Grandmas and Grandpas and meet a lot of the family, Kumovi, and friends who had yet to see him. Now I don't feel so bad being so far away from everyone.

He was his normal smilely self. I think the funnies part of the night was when Julie was giving him kisses and every time she would go in for the kiss he would stick his tongue out. It was like she was getting frenched by a 5 month old!

I will put pictures on here as soon as I can.

A Few More Hours without Him

So now I have to take Gavin next door from 8am to 4pm. That sucks. I like my morning time with him. However due to the current state of the economy I need to have full attention on my job or all hell will break loose.

I miss my Monkey!!

And the fun starts....

So the Monkey started carrots today. I was going to start him on sweet potatoes but I heard that gives them gas (not that my child isn't a Buehner and has major gas already!)

I tried to take a picture of him with carrots all over his face but he cleaned himself up with his bib as I was taking the picture.

I also started to give him oatmeal instead of rice cereal. He likes it so much better than the rice.

Oh and by the way, did I ever tell you my kid is so damn cute? Any talent agents out there for baby models?

Rice vs. Oatmeal

I have been trying to give Gavin rice cereal for 4 weeks without much success. Today he went to the doctor because his eye was swollen this morning due to his cold. I asked the doctor about giving him regular food (fruit and vegetables) and he said since he was 5 months that was fine. He did tell me that I could give him any kind of cereal.

So we went to Walmart (because there is no Target here). We got a box of Oatmeal cereal, apples, pears, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, and peas. I opted out on the prunes. I don't know anyone who likes prunes (why they are a baby food I have no idea).

We tried the oatmeal and it went much better than the rice. I am going to wait until next week and start him on sweet potatoes. I just set up his high chair. It sort of sucks that Brett is going to miss out on this. I will have to take pictures once he is done eating!!

On My Own

All those single moms out there - how do you do it? I have been without my husband for 4 days and I am exhausted (and so is Gavin).

Here is a picture of my boys at the Atlanta Airport.

What am I going to do?

Brett leaves in 3 days to start heading to Iraq. I will see him Wednesday-Friday and then I won't see him for 6 months. How am I going to handle everything that needs to be taken care of without him around? Who is going to come visit me and my little man to make sure we aren't lonely?

Crucified

So I don't get crucified.....

The Bad Grandma

My mom sung Gavin a lullaby this weekend - "99 Bottles of Beer". He fell asleep after 76 bottles. I sang it to him tonight and he fell asleep at 39 bottles of beer.

Only the "Bad Grandma" would choose that song as a lullaby!

Teething Baby....

are not that pleasant even when they are really cute!!

Somebody help me!!!

Gavin's Firsts

We are on vacation in Hilton Head Island. This is our vaction before Brett leaves. We paid for his parents to come with us so that we can have a little "alone" time.

Here are some of Gavin's firsts:

Gavin's first bowl of cereal:

Gavin's first trip to the beach:

And just because he is so cute:

In the middle of the night...

For the last 2 nights I have been awoken in the middle of the night from music playing in the nursery. We put a little "fish tank" on G's crib. He is starting to roll around (not completely over yet). He keeps hitting the play button on the "tank" and the music plays and the fish swims. It is really kind of funny even at 3:30am. I can't help to smile about it as I go up the stairs to turn it off.

He is 3 Months old today!

Gavin is 3 months old today. Time has certainly flown by.

and he peed is his bathtub yesterday and laughed about it!

No trip to Cincy?

Damn gas prices. Need I say more?

Shouldn't you be sleeping

Every night for the last 3 weeks Gavin has gone to sleep between 8pm and 9pm. Right now, he is laying on the floor, doing belly time, and talking to himself. I would really like to eat dinner before I go to bed and right now I am pushing it.

Hopefully he will go to bed soon. I have some things I need to do before I go to bed myself. This is really giving me a glimpse of what it is going to be like when Brett leaves. I give single moms so much credit. I am finding it really hard to work, take care of the house and dogs, and Gavin at the same time.

Home Sick

I so wish I could have gone home this weekend for all the festivities. I am so going next year.

2 Month Appointment

G went to his 2 month today. 25 inches 14 pounds 3 ounces. And then the shots came. Now I have a sleeping cranky baby on my lap.

What a Cutie!

How can you not love this face? My mom even took the golf wallpaper off her computer and put this in its place!!!

This Weekend

I am so excited. I am sitting here patiently waiting for a car load of family to arrive. At first I thought it was just going to be my mom and Connie. And then I found out it was going to be my mom, my dad, Connie, Mary, Paige, Lucy, and Eliza. The fun part is the girls asked to come down with my parents. Man, do I love my cousins!!!!

First Month's Appointment

I took Gavin to the doctor's yesterday for his one month appointment. The doctor said he was perfect. He weights 12 pounds 1 ounce and is 22-3/4 inches long. My boy is a chunker. When the doctor asked me how much he was eating and I told him (4 ounces every 3 hours) he said Wow! I told him he wasn't spitting up and he told me to keep giving him that if it is satisfying him.

Then came time for is shot. He had to get one. The nurse gave it to him and after she pulled the needle out he looked at me. 5 seconds later he let out a howl. Talk about delayed reaction. I tried not to laugh. It was really cute. He quieted down as soon as I picked him up and cuddled him. He was a little cranky last night but that is to be expected. Can't wait until the next one. He has to get like 5 or 6 shots. Thank goodness Good Grandma will be here. I can pawn him off on her!!

Decision

So after talking to Brett last night, we both decided I should take the medication at least for the 2 months the doctor prescribed it for. I wasn't going to but Brett thought it would be a good precaution to make sure things didn't get worse especially with him being gone for 2 weeks. I asked him why he wanted me to and he told me that he had a 24 year old with 3 kids (youngest being 6 months) come into the ER yesterday. She had overdosed. He just wanted to make sure I was okay since I will have a lot to handle on my own.

I took the first one this morning. It made me a little sleepy so I think I will need to take it in the evening.

Depressed and Frustrated

Gavin will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. As much as I love him I can't say I totally love being a mom yet. I am completely overwhelmed with the demands of taking care of him, working and trying to take care of the house and the dogs. I just don't see how single moms do it. I have some help though not as much as I would like, especially on the weekends he has to work.

Plus the doctor told me I was borderline for postpartum depression. He offered to give me a prescription for it and I took him up on it. I have yet to take them. I decided it was a good idea to have them but I don't necessarily want to take them. We will see how the rest of the weekend goes and then I will see about taking it for a while.

Oh, and did I mention that I am homesick? I have only been homesick twice in my 32 years. Kind of sucks since this is supposed to be my home and all I want to do is go to Cleveland and hang with my parents and my friends up there (the ones I still have, I think).

More Medical Problems

OK. Like giving birth isn't hard enough. Now I have a slipped disc that is pinching my nerve. The really bad part is that I cannot feel the left side of my left foot. Makes taking care of a baby oh so much fun!

After Baby Weight Loss

So I gained 34 pounds while I was pregnant. Not bad from what I am told. I guess the thing that bothers me is that I lost 30 pounds in the 2 years prior to being pregnant due to Brett's wonderful diabetic diet. all the work I did to lose the weight went down the toilet. On the flip side there was a good reason for it!

I stepped on the scale this morning (10 days after giving birth) and I only have 6 pounds to go until I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. The problem - my clothes still don't fit. I am still wearing a pair of my pregnancy shorts (which were too big when I was pregnant). All my proportions have shifted. Looks like even when I lose the weight I will still have to get a new wardrobe!!!

Gavin Is Here

Gavin was born on June 15 @ 5:23pm. As Brett said, he couldn't have received a better Father's Day gift!! The day went by really quickly. We were told to me at the hospital at 5:30am. We got there and they told us they were not ready for us. They had a labor going on and wanted us to come back in about an hour. We went to McDonald's for breakfast (making the best out of my potential last meal of the day).



We got back to the hospital around 6:30am and they told us they still weren't ready - they had another delivery in the works. Brett and I headed to the waiting room. We didn't want to go home and disturb the dogs since they were in their crate. They finally called us back around 8:30am to start the process.



They broke my water at 9:30am. Then at 11:30 they started the Pitocin. The nurse came in every half hour to increase the flow. Around 3pm I started having back labor. I was trying to go without an epidural but there was no way. They gave me some pain meds until they could get the epidural in.



At 4pm, they came in to do the epidural and Brett ran home to feed the dogs. They checked me right before and I was 5 cm dilated. It took them 2 attempts to get the epidural in (got it in my blood vessel the first time). After they were done I asked if I could go to the bathroom. The nurse decided to check me first. I was 9.5 cm. She said I needed to find my husband and get him back here or he was going to miss out. I called Brett and he was downstairs. I told him to get his butt back up there because it was time.



Besides Gavin having his cord around his neck, the doctor having to cut me, having to use suction to get Gavin out since his heart rate kept going down, and the fact that my placenta wouldn't deliver everything went great. As the doctor said, it was a good thing I got the epidural!!

Getting Closer

I know this is going to be too much information for some but I lost my mucus plug last night. Just one more sign that he is on his way.

Oh and I am scheduled to go in at 5:30am on Sunday if he doesn't come out before then. Brett will become a daddy on Father's Day (just like Chelsea became a mommy on Mother's Day). This has a lot of significance for me but I will write about that some other day.

False Alarm

So today I mentioned to Brett I thought I might be leaking some fluid. Of course he got concerned. I told him I wasn't sure if it was fluid or discharge. Needless to say, this caused a trip to labor and delivery.

They hooked me up to all the monitors and tested me with a strip of paper sort of like litmus paper. It wasn't fluid so my bag of waters was intact. They left me all hooked up to the monitors while they waited for the on call doctor to come out of surgery.

The doctor finally came in and said everything was fine. The baby's heart rate was awesome, my blood pressure was normal, and I was 50% effaced and 3 cm dilated. Then came the question - "Do you want to to stay or go home?" I chose to go home. I am not quite ready to be a mom. I have a lot to do for work still and I am technically due on Saturday. I figured I would stick it out and see if he came on his own. If not, I will go in on Sunday as planned to have my little boy.

Almost but not Quite!!

We thought our little one might make an appearance on Saturday. I was having this strange pain in the front right of my stomach. It felt like one of those cramps you get when you run too much. It was occurring every 5 minutes or so. And then it stopped. Now there is nothing but him moving around in there.

I know I am having contractions but they don't hurt so I am having trouble timing them. Brett said to do it when my stomach gets hard but I seem to miss when it gets soft. I am so bad at this. Oh well, I have 5 days to go until I am supposed to deliver. I am not even close to being ready. Everyone tells me you are never ready. What was I thinking?!

Baby Buehner Update

I went to the doctor yesterday. I am currently 38-1/2 weeks along. I am up 31 pounds (ugh!) and my blood pressure was a little high but they said that probably had to do with the fact that it was 98 degrees here yesterday. I am measuring 37 weeks and the heart beat was good.

They didn't do an internal check because I am not having any contractions. That is right - NONE!! The little guy is moving up a storm but I think he is quite content in there. But I want him out. There are so many reasons why but the main one is I am selfish and I want to drink a big margarita!! With that being said, I am scheduled to be induced on June 15th if I don't have him before his due date (which is June 14th).

Maybe I will give Brett a great Father's Day present. If not, he will just get to spend it in the hospital with me. (BTW - I do not like hospitals!)

2.5 Weeks To Go

I went to the doctor today for my 37 week appointment (even though I am almost 38 weeks). I am up another 2 pounds (total of 29 as of today) and my blood pressure is great. I am measuring 37 weeks and his heart beat is good. The NP asked if I had any questions and I asked her if she could do an internal exam. She was kind of surprised I hadn't had one yet. I told her it was no big deal but I was just kind of curious as to where I was. I am currently 50% efaced and my cervix is closed (no dialation). She said there is a pretty good chance I WILL NOT have the baby this weekend. That is great news being that Brett has to go to DC to get the condo ready for our new tenant.

I am going to schedule an induction for June 16 just in case I go pass my due date of June 14. There are a number of reasons for this. The main one is that Brett has leave scheduled for the week of June 16. With the current staffing situation at WOMAC it is really hard for him to schedule off. Second reason is my parents will be here on the 18th. My dad and Brett are golfing in tournament at the club (and my mom and I are going shopping). I want to be back in my own house before they get here.

I will try to remember to write after next week's appointment.

Relief

I am happy to announce that our condo in DC has been rented. This is a huge relief to us. I was afraid we were going to have it empty for months and would be strapped for the mortgage payment. Especially with "the boy" coming this was not something I wanted to worry about.

Wii!!!

I got my Wii today! Brett and I have already bowled against each other. He beat me which sucks but I am going to practice all weekend while he is at work so I can beat him the next time. It will also be good practice for bowling tournament in October. Got to start training now.

I am hoping to get a Wii Fit but they are already sold out and they just went on the market yesterday. I figured it would be a good way to shed some baby fat once "the boy" decides to come out.

Frustrated

I am almost 37 weeks pregnant and I have no idea if I am starting to have this baby or not. I went to the doctor today and got my strep test and then he started getting ready to leave the room. I asked him if he was going to do an internal check. He said they normally don't do that until between 37 and 38 weeks IF I am starting to show signs of labor.

I just wanted a little bit of information. I am ready to have this little boy. Just give me some idea if I am progressing. That and the fact that I have no idea of how much they predict him to weigh. I asked that the last time and they told me they didn't take those measurements.

Nursery Pictures

I have a few pictures of the nursery. There are a couple more but they have his name in them and that is TOP SECRET!!!

Escape Artists

So this morning I got up to let the dogs out at 6:30am. River is my alarm clock now (for at least the next 4 weeks). I went to lie down for 1/2 hour and then I was going to let them back in and give them breakfast. Just as I got out of bed Brett's phone rang. It was one of the neighbors down the street. He seemed to have 2 black labs in his backyard that did not belong to him. The dang dogs dug under our fence and ran down the street!!!

I am so going to have my hands full especially when Brett leaves!

Name Dilemma

What do you do when you have a name picked out for your child and then you find out (6 weeks before you are due) that a childhood friend of your husband's named his child the same thing? The kid is about 18 months old and we just met him for the first time last weekend and learned his name. Brett's brother is really good friends with this kid's dad and Brett has known him a long time. Do we still name him the name or do we change it? We have been calling him it the whole pregnancy almost.

Things They Don't Tell You!

Why is it that they don't tell you when you are 32 weeks pregnant and you sneeze you will most likely pee yourself? Aren't these things that every woman should know?

Self Image

I know I shouldn't be worrying about this since I am 30 weeks pregnant but I feel like a lard ass. At my last appointment (4 weeks ago) I was up 12 pounds but I had gained 11 in between my two appointments. I stepped on the scale this morning and it looked like I was up another 7 pounds. I am afraid to go to the doctor on Wednesday to see what I weigh. (Though I am excited to get my 3D ultrasound - we will get to see what our kid is going to look like).

My goal for once I deliver is to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of the summer. that will give me 3 months to lose whatever I have gained during the very long 40 weeks of pregnancy. I then want to lose another 10-15 after that. My ultimate goal is to drop a size (so then I can go shopping when I come home for the holidays! And oh yes, I will be home for the holidays. New Year's with adults - I can't wait!!)

Luckily the gym that we joined has free daycare so I can drop the baby off and go workout. I have to make sure I meet with the nutritionist, the trainer, and actually go to the gym at least 5 days a week. I think I am going to going to have to make a deal with myself if I do not meet the goal by 12/31. Most probably it will be a donation of some sort to a cause-worthy charity.

I "Borrowed" This

I am holed up in my office with the dogs because Brett is sleeping. He has to be at work at 2am. So I started surfing the web. I saw this on Marianne's blog and decided to try it. Here is what it said:

What Kelly Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I even did the baby's name but I can't tell you that one. Maybe one day I will let you in on it!!

No Belly Pictures

I have been a huge slacker when it comes to blogging. My goal was to try to blog daily but as you can see that has not happened. I get up, go to work, and then go to bed. This pregnancy thing really has me exhausted.

I have been reading a lot of message boards and am starting to think either I am not really into this pregnancy thing or the other women are just crazy. They are constantly posting pictures of their bellies. As of this moment, there are no pictures of my belly. I don't want them. I have not enjoyed being pregnant at all and don't wish to be reminded of it. I just want him to come out and be done with it. Does that make me a horrible person?

And to think Brett wants me to do this again! I think not!!