Long Time, No Blog

I admit, tt's been far to long since my last blog. However, while my life has been completely crazy and wonderful, there hasn't been that much blogworthy stuff happening. JJ is 15 weeks old now, and has been growing like a maniac. He isn't the wotld's best sleeper. He had been sleeping for 3 to 4 hours at night, but he has regressed and now is only sleeping for 2 hours at a time. its tons of fun.

He is finally out of newborn diapers, and just recently grew out of his newborn jammies. Most if his newborn clothes still fit him, and even have a little room to grow, some of the pants are getting a bit snug in the waist. On his 3 month birthday, JJ discovered he could roll over. It was pretty fantastic, and I managed to catch it on video (though the camera was the wrong direction).



I'll try and come up with some more stuff to add to this later, but for now, just know we are still here, and trying to enjoy life :)

Back to Work...

After 6 weeks home on maternity leave, I'm heading back to work tomorrow a bit earlier than anticipated. In an effort to both ease back into work, and also to compensate for all the work I did while on leave, JJ and I will be heading into the office one day a week for the next 3 weeks. From there, I'll be working 4 days a week through November. I'll be in the office with JJ 1 day a week, working 1 day from home. He'll go hang out with Grammy 1 day, and with Daddy when I work on Sundays.


I've got the all the gear ready to go... space saver swing, diapers, wipes warmer, and Baby Bjorn (though I think JJ is still too small for it). Rabbi Kinberg is loaning us her co-sleeper bassinet (which apparently has a 4th side) and her baby monitor. As you can see, my office will quickly be doubling at the Temple B'nai Torah nursery. Check out all the gear:

Swing n' Seat Space Saver

Co-Sleeper Bassinet

Baby Bjorn

Wipes Warmer

I'm actually looking forward to ging back to work for the day. I'm certain I'll be exhausted by the end of the day, but hopefully, I'll still be glad to be getting back to "normal."

4 Weeks

So after 4 weeks of motherhood, I am in heaven. I could never have imagined that I would be so functional on so little sleep. I really haven't slept well in the last 3 years, which definitely helped prepare me for the all night marathon of having a newborn. Thankfully (or maybe not?) Paul sleeps like a rock. We usually start the night with JJ in his crib and me attempting to sleep in bed. He sleeps for 2-3 hours and I get up to feed him. We usually move out to the living room for some Nick at Night and quality snuggling time together. JJ will either sleep in his Pack n' Play or with me on the couch.

I am not one to toot my own horn, but I will say that I am a very compassionate and loving person. Even with that, I will say, I never knew I was capable of so much love. I have killed 4 spiders because they were in JJ's room and I was afraid they would get near him. Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I don't go near spiders. I am usually dancing on the bed waiting for Paul to remove it. Although JJ is still in preemie clothes, I do laundry every day. They are often the tiniest loads known to man, but they still get done every day. Again, I hate laundry, but somehow I stopped minding doing it.

So, with 4 weeks under his belt, little JJ is now up to 6 pounds, 6 ounces. He has officially surpassed my birth weight by an entire ounce! He is an awesome little guy and brings us so much happiness. I'll be heading back to work with JJ one day a week pretty soon, and haven't decided if I'm looking forward to it or not. Thankfully, it's only one day a week. Then I go back 4 days a week, with one day from home through November. I am looking forward to my new schedule and my new job upon my return.

Below are some pictures of the little man's first month.

 

And Then There Were Three...

On July 21st at 5:10 in the evening, our little miracle, Jeremy Jonah Kleinstein made his arrival. After 48 hours of contractions two trips to triage, 1 epidural, 12 hours of active labor and one hour of pushing – all 5 pounds 7.5 ounces of the little man can into our lives. He is absolutely perfect in every way and Paul and I are loving parenthood.

JJ is the most incredible baby. He is super calm, sleeps great, and has finally figured out the whole nursing thing. We had some initial challenges, and he wasn’t gaining weight, but in the last 3 days he gained 4 ounces! We’re confident he’ll be back up to birth weight at his two week check up tomorrow.

It’s hard to believe that for 38 weeks and 6 days this perfect little being was inside of me, and now he’s here brightening our lives. Every time look at him, I am overcome with joy. There are truly no words to describe the amount of love I have for him. Everyone tells you that the love you have for your children is inexplicable. I never doubted that to be true, I just never could have anticipated how powerful it would be.

It’s been a fabulous 2 weeks for us. Yes, we’re tired. Yes, there are things that we are learning. Yes, I’m sure we are doing lots of things wrong. But the truth is, neither one of us cares. Our son is happy, healthy and amazing.

We spent a fabulous week with Paul’s mom. She flew out from New Jersey on the 26th and stayed for a week. She and JJ spent lots of time together bonding and enjoying each other’s company. Of course he is special regardless, but JJ is the first grandson on Paul’s side and the “last hope” to carry on the Kleinstein family name. Combined with the fact that he is named after my dad and Paul's dad, the boy truly is a blessing to our family.

Yesterday we spent time over at my mom’s house with Grammy, Auntie Jenny and big cousin Aaron. Aaron is adorable with JJ. He is so sweet and loving , and extremely interested in everything involved in his care. From the diapers, to the breastfeeding, Aaron needs to be sure his baby cousin is in good hands. Its adorable to see him in a protective role, and for the most part, he is handling the transition well. For 3 ½ years Aaron has been the one and only, and the center of all our universes. I love him as if he were my own, and would do anything for him. It’s fantastic to see him with JJ and everyone is ensuring Aaron knows that he is still the best and just as loved as ever before.

I’m sure there is a whole ton of details I left off, but I think I covered the important stuff. Hopefully I’ll be able to find a few minutes to update the few people who actually read this. The little guy seems to change every day, and we want to be sure to have some sort of record. There are lots more pictures floating around in cyberspace, but below are a few of my favorites. I think if you click on it, the collage gets bigger...

Baby Shower

My sister and my cousin hosted an amazing baby shower for me today. It was possibly one of the most enjoyable days of my life, and I feel SO fortunate to have such amazing people in my life. We had 25 people at my mom's house, and thankfully, the weather cooperated. It was warm, but we were able to stay cool, and had plenty of room for activities, eating and gift opening.

I am finally feeling like I can actually go have this baby now... he has a place to sleep, a car seat, bath products, lots of receiving blankets, tons of clothes, and plenty of activities (including a swing and jumperoo!). Aside from bringing him home, we can also go out and about thanks to the diaper bag and several offers to babysit :)

Jenny took lots of fabulous pictures, and even managed to get a couple of relatively cute ones of me. Below are a few of my favorites. Make sure to click on it to see the larger version...

Nursery Furniture

The furniture for the nursery was delivered today. It's more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. When the guys were done building the crib and getting everything in place, I went in to look. The combination of pregnancy hormones, the reality that my son could arrive anytime in the next 4-5 weeks, and just the fact that we have been given this amazing gift (both the furniture and the opportunity to be parents) was too much for me to handle. I started sobbing. The poor delivery guys thought they screwed something up, but then they realized they were (mostly) tears of joy. They were the nicest guys and were super impressed with my scale visio diagram of where everything was to be placed in the nursery. They weren't here more than an hour, and everything was ready to go.

All we need now is the mattress to go in the crib and some clothes to fill up the drawers... I'm pretty sure most of that stuff will magically appear in the next few weeks after the shower my sister and cousin are hosting. Reality is definitely setting in that we are indeed having a baby, and I am getting anxious and ridiculously excited!

Follow Up

I had my follow up ultrasound this morning. It confirmed that the little man is indeed very small. He's about 5 pounds, which is a full pound lighter than expected at his gestational age. While my fluid levels are also low, they are congruous with his small size. I'm waiting to hear back from my doctor, but it likely means that I'll have weekly ultrasounds to check for continued growth and be monitored closely for the next few weeks. It could potentially mean an early delivery, but we'll cross that bridge when and if we get there.

A cute foot during a kick to the ribs, and his adorable little face

Everything looked good, so I'm trying to stay positive and stay calm about the fact that I'm 4 weeks away from having a baby!!!!

Head Down and Tightly Packed

The little man finally got himself into the right position. He's head down which is great news... kind of. His current size and position are causing me a decent amount of discomfort, and I definitely have developed a nice waddle to combat the pain. I'm more than willing to endure it, and I'm not really complaining about it as much as simply acknowledging its presence. During my appointment today, my doctor commented that "he seems really crammed in there." Which can be attributed to many things, but perhaps is to to my shape and size and the potential for the little man to take after his Papa Jerry and be a tall boy. My amniotic fluid level was "bordeline" so I have to go for a fluid and growth check on Friday. My doctor promised me he wasn't worried, he was just trying to be safe. I must say, I'm pretty glad to know that I'm not the only one who feels like he's quite well packed in. Everything else looked good... heart rate was strong and I measured pretty right one.

38 days to go!

Still Kicking... Literally

We had our regular check up today and while it wasn't quite the in-and-out that it normally is, everything was perfect. Even though I have been paranoid about gaining too much weight, the doctor assured me I was right on track. She also put my fears of delivering a giant baby to rest by confirming that he is measured exactly where he should be for his gestational age. His heart rate was strong, and minus being short of breath these days, everything is peachy keen!

We've got 66 days to go and I'm fighting the urge to panic and freak out. I know everything will be fine, and one way or another, this place will be ready for the little man's arrival.

Allergies

For the last few years I've suffered from terrible allergies. I never had them growing up, and they haven't really been consistant in my adult life. However, this year, like so many others, they have hit me hard. It's especially unpleasant, because my normal remedies (Dayquil, Sudafed, Benadryl, etc) are no-nos during pregnancy. My doctor oked me to take Claritin, but being the nervous nelly that I am, I would rather not take anything. There has been some evidence, albeit inconclusive, linking Claritin to birth defects. While the FDA seems to have deemed it safe during pregnancy, I would rather just avoid it if possible. I don't feel any need to open the door for any risk of harm to the little man if there is an alternative.

Well, yesterday at lunch one of my friends mentioned this product called the Neti Pot. I've heard it mentioned several times throughout the last few years by various people here and there. It always seemed really bizarre to me, but people swear by it. Its an all natural sinus cleanser and, like I said, it gets consistently great rating. I asked Paul to pick one up for me last night on his way home, and being the gem that he is, of course he did.

I knew it was going to be a little awkward, since it is basically sticking a mini tea pot up one nostril and letting the saline solution drain out the other nostril. Nevertheless, I was nervous that I wasn't going to do it right, so Paul came into the bathroom and "spotted" me. Sure enough, it started working. It was a little odd having water flowing from one nostril to the other, but dammned if I couldn't breathe when I was done!

Obviously, it doesn't have the lasting effect of the afore mentioned medications, but its all natural and super easy to do. The directions say you can do it as many times as you want, though I don't see myself in the bathroom at work flushing my sinuses. That may be a little too odd... even for me!

If you suffer from allergies, I highly encourage you to check out the Neti Pot. Even if you are taking cold medicine, this will supplement you routine, and after you get over the slight grossness and feakiness of it, you will be glad you did!

28 Weeks

Today was my 28 week appointment. I always get a little freaked out before appointments and my mind wanders to dark places of the "what ifs." Thankfully, everything is perfect with my and the little man. His heart rate was strong and even, my blood pressure is great, measuring exactly 28 weeks. The highlight of the appointment was the glucola drink. It tastes like what I'd imagine the syrup that goes into a soda fountain is like. It's thick, sweet and pretty foul all around. They did a blood draw to test for gestational diabetes and iron deficiancy, and the results should be in later this week.

Because I'm a paranoid freak, they hooked me up to the fetal monitor for 20 minutes to do a non-stress test. The little guy was very active, and hasd a steady heart rate. I know I've said it before, but I'm starting to relax a little more - especially now that I'm officially in my third trimester and I'll now see my doctor every two weeks instead of every four.

In case you are interested, baby boy Kleinstein looks something like this at this stage:

28 Weeks Pregnant

UPDATE: All my lab tests came in and I do NOT have gestational diabetes, nor am I amemic. Woo hoo!

Ugh...

Maybe its too much work. Maybe its having been home alone for 5 days. Maybe it's just the pregnancy blahs. Whatever it is, I've been on edge for the last few days. People are saying harmless things that would normally just roll off my back, but they are frustrating the heck out of me. I've gotten into spats with the 3 people I am closest to, and it just stinks.

Granted, I'm exhausted, and I would love to get a good night sleep. I also get really nervous and anxious a few days before every doctors appointment. I'm sure that has a big something to do with my cruddy attitude.

So, I suppose if I snap at you, or seem like I am on a short fuse, I apologize. I think now that I am aware of this, it may put me into check. However, this isn't a free pass to everyone in my life. I may be a little more sensitive than usual, but if you are annoying, I'm entitled to say so :)

Hot Water

Its one of those things that you kind of take for granted. Yesterday, Paul took a shower in the morning, then threw a load of towels in the wash and went to work. About an hour later, I went to take a shower, and the water never got hot. I assumed it was because of the towels, and luckily I had taken a shower the night before. Annoyed, I went off to work unbathed. Not my idea of a good, refreshing, or hygenic way to start the day.

When we came home that night, there was still no hot water. We reset the circuit breakers, thinking maybe one of them had been tripped. Unfortunately, we woke up this morning and still had no hot water. Upon further investigation, our hot water heater was installed in 91, and it looks like the heating element was replaced at one point (this is based on the fact that the box from the heating element was on top of the tank). I put out a desperate plea to my friend, Jerry. He's an amazing fix it person and a licensed electrician. He did some juggling of his schedule and is on his way over to take care of us right now. He assured me that he would have us taking hot showers by tonight, which was music to my pregnant ears.

Aside from the venting, and appreciation of friends, my only purpose in writing this is to tell you all to think twice about your hot showers... and enjoy them!

Another Dose of Reality

At 23 weeks, it's gotten to the very exciting point in my pregnancy that our little man's punches and kicks can be felt from the outside. Do to some anatomy positioning, I've had to wait a little longer than most women to feel his kicks at all. It's only been a week or so that I've been able to tell its actually the baby moving and not just gas or something.

I was curious if it was strong enough for people to feel so I was checking the outside of my stomach after drinking orange juice. Sure enough, I felt the jab from the inside and the outside. Pretty exciting for us, but he won't be on a "regular" activity schedule for another 3-4 weeks, so its been hard for Paul to catch it. Never the less, its pretty darn exciting, and just more proof that this kid is happy and healthy. I'll take as much of that as possible!

Baby Reality

So I've been really cautious to make my pregnancy "real" to the world. We posted it on facebook, and of course here, but I have been really wishy-washy about a shower, and even more so with a baby registry. Paul and I just want to have our little man in our hands before we start celebrating. Now that he's moving almost constantly, and his presence is much more noticible to the outside world (thanks to my steadily growing baby bump) I am settling down a little bit more.

In the last week or so, I've started rethinking the shower and the registry. So much so, that last night Paul and I went to Babies R' Us and started our baby registry. I must say, that while having the scanner and the store at our ready was fun, it was an exhausting and overwhelming process. I ended up coming home and going online to figure out exactly what ended up on there. We didn't do to bad, and only missed a few things, that I was easily able to add online.

I'm still not sure if I am comfortable having a party in honor of the little man before he is actually safely in our lives, but I think the registry was a good first step. I do love to open presents, which is one incentive to have a shower, but I'm just not sure if its a big enough one to outweigh my superstitions. We'll have to see how I'm feeling when the 3rd trimester rolls around next month.

It's a...

BOY!! Our doctor thought he saw a little boy part at our 15 week ultrasound, but today at our 20 week ultrasound, there was no doubt about it. Baby Kleinstein is an absolutely perfect little boy! We are SO super excited for our summer arrival, and can't weet to meet the little guy.

His beautiful little profile

A front shot of his face. You can see they eyes and nose pretty clearly.

Proof of his manhood :)

Adorable little foot

Big News!!

Although I'm pretty sure that everyone who reads this already knows, I still feel its a blog-worthy announcement. After a much anticipated journey, Paul and I are expected our first child in late July! We couldn't be more excited to welcome the little sweet pea into the Kleinstein family.

Predictions of the baby's gender are in full force. The overwhelming majority (Aaron, Jenny, Laura, Molly, Ella and Jackie, Sr) feels the sweet pea is a girl, however Paul and I are leaning towards boy. We honestly don't have a preference either way, and are just thrilled to welcome the little one this Summer... ever if it means no Jersey Shore for us this year. We are hoping to find out the sex at our 15 week appointment on Wednesday, but it may be too early to tell, still.

Below are the pictures of the little one from our 11 week appointment. I'll have some better - less alienlike - ones on Wednesday.

Profile picture... it looks like we got the baby's good side :)

The classic "alien" shot from the front. You can see the face pretty well.

Lazy Day with Family

Paul is back in New Jersey visiting his family for the weekend, and I had all these grandiose plans to clean and organize the house. That didn't end up happening. I ended up feeling under the weather, and laying in bed/on the couch all day. For the most part, It was fabulous. But around 4 or 5 I ended up getting pretty bored and lonely. Thankfully, Jenny seemed to be in the same boat as me, and she brought some dinner over. My mom came over too - I lured her with cookies. We watched the football game and had a good old time... doing nothing. At least we were all doing nothing together :)

Seahawks

Yesterday Jenny and I went to the last Seahawks game of the year. Jenny's friend Mike gave her the tickets, at around 10:00 on Saturday night, the text came through from Jenny saying that she didn't have anyone to go to the game with - which I took as an invitation. I was thrilled to have even made it on her list, as my entire family thinks I don't like sports*. So, Sunday morning, I dug throug the closet to find my Seahawks shirt and sweatshirt, grabber my raincoat and headed to Jenny's. We left her house around 11:30 for the 1:00 game, and made it there in time to see Ken Griffey Jr. raise the 12th man flag! That was an awesome start to the game, and the place went nuts when they saw him.

Jenny and I went into the game with a very honest inventory of our beloved Hawks - they kinda stink. We didn't expect too much from them, but we were determined to have a good time. This was only further ensured by the free hot dog and bottle of water they gave away for fan appreciation. The game wasn't terrible, but we, of course, lost. We got a couple cute pictures at the game. We definitely looked like we had never been to a sporting event - but it was my first Seahawks game (there is a slight chance my dad took me to a game a really long time ago when they played in the Kingdome, but I don't remember it at all).

The view from our seats

We met the Seahawks mascot - Blitz

All in all, it stayed mostly dry, and we had some hilarious neighbors. Thanks for inviting me Jenny. It was tons of fun!

*I don't much care for golf - live or TV, and baseball on TV. I am a huge fan of all other live sports. I go to all the Husky football games, love hockey and think basketball is a hoot.