Two Months and Growing

Just for comparison

Height: 24 inches (88th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 12 oz (57th percentile)

Likes: Kiff still enjoys being held and loved on.  Loves sleeping on his belly.  Also, has begun to enjoy the bouncer we just bought him.  He's beginning to find and learn that his hands and feet are attached to him and is constantly trying to chew on his hands.  Oh, and being naked.  The child will go from screaming and crying to smiles and giggles as soon as you lay him on his changing table and strip him naked.

Dislikes: I can't really think of any dislikes.  He's such a content baby.  I'll have to ask Alex if he knows of any dislikes.

Sleeping: Kiff is a champ at sleeping.  The last two weeks Kiff has slept 9-11 hours, closer to 11.  We've tried several times to have his bedtime early, like 7-8ish, but he wakes up every 3 hours if we try putting him down that early.  We keep a consistent 10 pm bedtime with a wake time of 9.  I know this will change when I go back to work, but I'm enjoying the sleep.  Even though he's sleeping till 9, I'm still having to wake around 5 to pump as I'm working on a freezer stash for when I go back to work in *gasp* 2 weeks.

Eating: Again, a champ.  No problems latching or eating.  Gaining good weight.  Easily changes from breast to bottle.  He's an awesome baby.

Playing:  Definitely more alert now.  He kicks his feet to make his bouncer bounce and has even managed to hit the spinning animals above his head.  He just giggles and smiles.  He's a pretty awesome kid.  

Kiff is growing more and more each day.  He's also learning new things each day.  We are so blessed to be his parents and are so thankful that God granted him to be our child.

My husband is my hero

It has really been on my heart to express my love for my husband up here.  I posted the following facebook status shortly after giving birth: "Ladies, there is nothing sexier than watching your husband love your child". While that is still true, I would alter that statement to you don't know how much you love your husband until you watch him love your child.  Alex has been amazing.  I am so gracious that he was able to take several weeks off with Kiff and I as we started our family of three.

There was never any doubt that Alex would be an amazing father.  He's always had a special way with kids (and if anyone knows me, I do not have a special way with kids).  Kids flock to him.  I partially believe because he's a big kid at heart still.  There is nothing Alex hasn't done to help with Kiff (except breastfeed, but I'm sure he would if it was possible).  He refused to leave Kiff and I at the hospital (even though I tried to get him to go home and take a shower).  He caught me when I passed out before my blood transfusion.  He helped me out of the bed to go to the bathroom.  He would bring me Kiff so I could feed him and then hold him when finished.  When we got home from the hospital, he did everything possible to make me comfortable to make my recovery easy.

We have been very blessed with a child who likes to sleep at night.  As stated previously, Kiff has slept 4-6 hours at night since we have brought him home.  This time has slowly been stretching to 8 hours.  Alex has made nights so easy for me.  I usually give Kiff his last feeding around 9 or 9:30 and then Alex will hold him and rock him to sleep (Alex does a much better job of getting Kiff calmed down than I) while I get in bed and sleep until his early morning feeding, allowing me an average of six hours of sleep each night.

He's also been so understanding of me and the crazy hormones that I've been having.  He's rubbed my sore muscles and aching back and feet.  He's loved my son unconditionally.  He's my rock and I don't know what I would do without him and would not know how I would have gotten through Kiff's first month without him, and I'm not looking forward to him going back to work (on nights) next week.

Alex's first father's day.

Kiff post-bath with Alex

Caught sleeping.

Sleeping in the hospital (probably why Kiff falls asleep on Alex so well).

Kiff's first bottle.

Real men wear babies.

One Month and growing

One Month and Growing...


Height: 21.5 at 2 week checkup
Weight: 8 lbs 15 oz at 2 week checkup; according to my scale: 11 lbs

Likes: Kiff enjoys being held and loved on.  He loves riding in the car or in his stroller on a bumpy path.  If he is upset or fussy a car ride will usually calm him right down.  He loves looking at the lights and loves when I open the blinds and he can look up and see brightness.

Dislikes: His crib.  One thing I learned quickly is to never say never as a mom.  I always said I would always put my child in his crib from day one and would never let them sleep in our room; oh how quickly that changed.  Kiff SCREAMS bloody murder when you put him in his crib.  We're pretty sure it's because of how the crib's flatness.  He also doesn't like being on his back.  From the time he was born, he was immediately rolling on his side when placed on his back (I fully believe this is due to the last month of my pregnancy, he had no room and was curled on his right side: head down, butt in my right ribcage, feet in my left).  Usually to calm him we can place him on his belly and he will knock right out.

Sleeping: I can say we have been extremely blessed as new parents.  It was rocky in the hospital, but Kiff's first night home he slept 5 hours (in his rock 'n play) and has slept anywhere from 4 - 6 hours consistently.  Last night he slept for 8 straight hours, which is probably why he fed from 5:30 - 9 almost non-stop.  Naps are hit or miss most days.  Some days he's very predictable: eat, look around, fall asleep repeat in 2-3 hours, other days (like yesterday) not so much.  He did not want to sleep and was fighting with it most of the day.  It took daddy to get him to sleep.

Eating: I also said I would always put my baby on a schedule from the beginning: eat every 2-3 hours. Nope, not my kid.  He eats on demand, which is typically every 2-3 hours, but it may be every 4 or every 30 minutes (like yesterday).  We are exclusively breast feeding (with an occasional bottle of pumped milk).  For the most part, he latches well and I have minimal pain.  He eats very well.  He has received two bottles of formula and did very well both times.

Playing:  Not quite doing any playing yet, but Kiff is definitely alert at times.  His eyes get real big and he'll grin (probably due to gas).  Pretty much from the beginning he would turn his head to where my voice was/is.  He also has been lifting his head from the time we brought him home, even more now.  He'll lift his head and turn it back and forth.

Overall, we are so blessed by how much Kiff is growing.  He is a happy and healthy baby.  I'm excited to watch him grow each day and learn new things, although I am also saddened because I don't want him to grow up.  He is such a beautiful baby and I love watching him grow into a handsome young man that he will one day become.

Birth Story

Monday, June 3rd I was just as miserable as I had been my entire pregnancy. I was highly disappointed that the due date I had in my mind (May 30th) had come and gone.  I was even more disappointed that the next day we were heading to our 40 week appointment (although I had already made up my mind I was not leaving that appointment without being admitted or being given an induction date).

Alex and I were laying on the couch watching the series finally for Secret Life of the American Teenager.  I was having contractions, but that was nothing new, so I decided to take a bath (our water billed doubled the last two months of my pregnancy for the amount of baths that I took) since that would typically subside my contractions and allow me to rest and get some sleep.  I could not get comfortable in the bath tub so I got out and decided to lay down in bed.  Laying down lasted all of two seconds and Alex came into the bedroom because he heard me stirring.  I was standing and leaning over the bed and my water broke (this was about 9:30).  There was absolutely no doubt that it was my water since it was a gush.  I rushed to the bathroom and Alex started rushing to put his stuff in the hospital bag.  As soon as my water broke, contractions started strong.  There was no long hours of laboring before my contractions were unbearable, they were pretty much unbearable immediately after my water broke.  Alex's exact words: "get in the truck, I'm not delivering a baby at the house".  I promptly followed instructions, only stopping to get a trash bag and towel so I wouldn't ruin the seats.

As Alex sped down I-85 to the hospital, I called my dad to let him know my water broke and to tell mom to head our way.  We then called Alex's parents and texted a couple of close friends.  We arrived at the hospital, quickly got checked in and was in a room in no time.  I was extremely relieved to learn that the doctor on call was Dr. Palmer, who happened to be our favorite.  They hooked me up to monitors and asked how far apart my contractions were.  I told them I was in too much pain to time them and Alex said about 3 minutes (which is what the monitors said).  They took my blood to send off and hooked up an IV and gave me stadol to ease the pain (I do NOT recommend this, I was so loopy, I barely remember anything from my delivery).  I was 4 cm dilated.  45 minutes later, I told Alex I felt like I needed to push and to get a nurse.  Apparently, they looked at him like he was crazy when he told them that, but they came to check me again anyway.  Next thing I know, they are getting the warmer set up as well as everything else for delivery; urgently paging the doctor and anesthesiologist.  Then I hear my nurse say "I've caught one once before", so I of course begin to question if I'm about to have a baby and how far was I.  In 45 minutes, I had dilated to 9 cm and 10 was right around the corner.

I also overheard the anesthesiologist's name was Mark, so every time the door opened I was yelling for Mark.  Mark finally showed up and I found out it was too late for an epi, so my only option was a spinal block that only lasts 45 min - an hour and half.  He was getting everything ready, they got me on the edge of the bed hunched over and a contraction hit that threw me back on the bed.  Mark calmly told me I was progressing to fast and if I wanted drugs, he only had one more shot to set the block.  You bet that got my butt in gear to be still and sit through the pain.  I didn't even feel him place any of the three (large) needles Alex described, and the best news is that it worked.  Almost instantly my feet were numb.  Dr. Palmer arrived soon after (or maybe before).  Again, the stadol made me extremely loopy.

Right after the block it was time to push.  If I do it again, I'm not sure if I will get any drugs.  It was so difficult to tell where I was pushing since I was numb from the waist down.  I was falling asleep between contractions due to the stadol.  I lost vision in my left eye and lost my peripheral vision in my right eye.  After 45 minutes of pushing, the doctor attempted to use the vacuum, which didn't work.  Finally, he had to do an episiotomy and used forceps to help Aiden Kiff Greer arrive at 12:26 am on June 4th.  He was a wonderful 8 pounds 8 ounces, 20.5 inches long.  He was such a pretty baby.

All in all my L&D was not bad at all.  Pretty much 3 hours from start to finish.  I know most were shocked since my dad posted I was on the way to the hospital at 9:30 and then we posted Kiff arrived at 12:26.  Next time (if there is a next time), I think we'll just camp out at the hospital the last week, since they say your subsequent pregnancy delivery times get shorter.

Thanks for all the encouraging words and support.  We are so extremely grateful for a relatively quick and easy delivery and for our awesome nurse staff at Thomasville.  We love sharing our baby with friends and family and are accepting visitors!  Pictures to come soon (or just check out facebook).

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +22 lbs and I'm not ashamed of that.

Maternity clothes?  Oh yea, only now they aren't even comfortable.

Stretch marks? I do not want to even talk about it.

Sleep: Oh sleep.  What is that?  Oh how I miss you.

Best moment this week: I guess finding out I'm 1 cm dilated, although I know I could be that for weeks.

Miss Anything?  A glass of wine, cupcake moscato to be exact.  This hasn't changed.  Oh, and sleep.

Movement: Most definitely.  He is pretty much in a constant state of movement.

Food cravings: Um I'm practically eating everything in sight.

Anything making you queasy or sick: After I eat everything in sight, I feel nauseated.  Go figure.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yea, I'm a fatty.

Gender: a lovely little boy: Aiden Kiff Greer

Labor Signs:  No, but bring them on!!

Belly Button in or out?  Looks like a donut.

Wedding rings on or off?   Yea, I lost those around my baby shower.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I'm miserable and I'm sure I'm miserable to be around.

Size of Baby: I'm not even sure, 6.5 lbs according to baby center.

Looking forward to: Meeting my baby boy.

Rubber Ducky, You're the One!

We purchased our home in February of 2010, a week after we got engaged.  We started working on it right away.  We painted the kitchen, living room, master bedroom and bathroom.  We decided to leave some things to work on as time went on.  Last summer, Mom rocked things again and came and helped me paint all of our kitchen cabinets.  It was a job and a half, but it looked so great when we finished.  I also chose a new paint color for the living room: a light gray.  However, what we never did was the dogs room or the guest bathroom.  As you saw, the dog's room was turned into the nursery and looks awesome!

When registering for bathroom items, Alex of course loved anything with ducks, so I decided that I would do a rubber ducky theme for the bathroom (word of advice: don't tell people you are doing a rubber ducky theme for your bathroom, you'll end up with 4976 rubber duckies in all shapes and sizes...seriously).  I picked out a real pretty blue color that looked like water and the search began for a shower curtain.  I couldn't quite find anything I liked so I kept dragging my feet.  I wasn't in a huge hurry; the bathroom was 100% usable, just not pretty at all.  Mom promised she would come back and help get it ready, but I, again, wasn't worried at all, plus I was more than thankful for all the work Mom and Dad had already done.

Fast forward to me coming home from work Monday afternoon after Spring Break.  First thing I noticed was the dresser we were going to use was painted and put back together (yes, the dresser I still don't have a picture of, although there is a pic on facebook).  I thought that was the surprise.  I knew Alex couldn't have done it, he had been at work all day.  Out pops my friend Lauren recording my reaction (I have asked for that to remain between just us).  I was so impressed.  Again, I thought that was the surprise, not quite.

I walked in and saw the bathroom, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Bobble head ducky soap dispenser = awesome.

When I say the room was in rough shape before the transformation, it really is an understatement.  Old faucet, sheet rock putty on the walls, half hanging light fixture, ugly switches.  It was bad.  I found out Lauren's dad came and painted the dresser and watched Sarah Kate while Lauren TRANSFORMED my bathroom.  I could only cry.  My parents, husband, in-laws, everyone was in on it.  I'm not an easy target to surprise and Lauren outdid herself.  Jim helped replace the faucet, light fixture, and switches.

We received a ton of great gifts from friends and family, but this was probably by far the best (in addition to all the work my parents helped us do).  I can't describe the weight that was lifted off my shoulders that I did not have to do anything to get the bathroom ready.  I also cannot express my gratitude to Lauren, Jim, and her dad Tim.  Thank you so much for everything you did, have done, will do for Alex, myself, and Kiff.  I know Kiff can't wait to meet his Aunt Lauren and Sarah Kate.  Thank you for always being there for me, especially when I'm being ridiculous and hormonal!

Nursery Debut

When I found out we were having a boy, I knew (according to Alex) we had two options for nursery decor: baseball or outdoorsy.  If you know me, you know I do NOT like baseball (I know, un-American) and therefore was not an option for Kiff's nursery.  We decided to go with an outdoor theme, specifically what I call "woodland".  There were things I knew that I did not want.  I did not want cutesy, baby, bundled bedding set, tall back crib, and I could go on.  The harder part was trying to decide what I did want, so I did what any girl would do: I turned to Pinterest (check out my nursery board here). You'll notice on the board, I had TONS of owl things pinned and most of those did not end up in the nursery, but I do have a few of them!  Without further rambling, here are pictures of Kiff's nursery.

View from the door.  I would try and pick one or two things from this pic that I'm in love with, but really I love it all.  The crib is perfect (Alex found it).  I love the branch (found in the woods next to our house) with his name hanging.  I love the bright green furniture, chair, and curtain.  Both the dresser and nightstand were pieces we already had that we decided to refinish.

You can see here that we also used a branch as a curtain rod.  I love the cubed bookshelf with the burnt orange cubes.

Delilah trying to figure out what happened to her room.

The rest are some details of the nursery.

These are the silhouettes of woodland creatures I made.  There are five: squirrel, deer, fox, duck, and raccoon.  These hang above the dresser (which I just realized I didn't take a picture of, I'll update later).

Duck lamp

 My dear friend, Lauren, made this for Kiff.

I would say Kiff has plenty of clothes; I seriously doubt he will even be able to wear them all.

I really love the glider, our biggest splurge for the nursery.  I picked this out before we were ever pregnant.

I love the wipe container that was specifically made with Kiff's name we received as a gift.  

(And yes, that is a pee pee teepee in the shape of a baseball)

That's all of the nursery (except for the dresser which I will add later).  I hope you enjoy.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  I really wish I would have taken a before picture.  This room was the dog's room for 3 years.  Where the dresser is sitting there was an additional closet that we tore out.  Macy had her puppies on the carpet, so that had to be ripped out and replaced.  There were holes in the wall that had to be filled.  The closet shelving had to be replaced.

If it were not for my parents and my husband the nursery would still NOT be finished.  My parents took a week off of work to come and close in our back porch to make a sun-room for our dogs (pics to come).  While dad, with Alex's help when he wasn't working, did soooo much work on the sun room, Mom was working extremely hard on the nursery.  I tried to help with painting, but I couldn't be around the fumes.  While everyone else was working hard, I was piddling around in the house, feeling completely useless.  I will never be able to show the amount of gratitude I have in my heart for my parents and all they did to help us get ready for Kiff's arrival.  I know he will right at home in his nursery.

Coming soon** to the blog:
- Kiff's/guest bathroom (tears will be shed in the writing of this post)
- Sunroom
- Update on pregnancy (35 weeks!!!)