Precious Portraits

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Feeding Frenzies

So for the 1st 2 weeks of Landon's life, we were convinced we had a pissed off baby. We spent every other night or more sleeping on the couch because holding Landon was the only way he would sleep. He was like clock work...Every night about 1am he would scream and scream and there was no getting him calm. So...I would wake up my loving husband and tell him it's time to move downstairs. Feeding Landon was the only way to get him to sleep and continuing to hold him after that was the only way for everyone to get a little shut eye. By the 3rd week I finally called his pediatrician to get some advice. With the crying and all the tummy aches we thought it was a sensitivity to something in my milk...so we tried switching to a hypoallergenic formula to see if it was dairy causing the problem....I was so worried that it was because in that case I would have to take all dairy out of my diet...umm not sure how I would manage!!! HELLO!! Milk and cheese are my lifeline. So the bad news was the formula didn't help his tummy feel better but the good news is that meant it was not a dairy problem. Hooray! We went to the lactation nurse and the first thing she said was feed him more! He was not gaining nearly enough weight and his fussiness was because he was still hungry. So we doubled the food and put him into food comas at every feeding. What do you know?? He's a whole new baby! After 5 days on the food coma diet...or the "turkey dinners" as we call it, he gained 10 oz and is so much more content. I never thought that his crying would be his way of telling us he is a hog kid and wants more food! So FOOD FRENZY it is! Since we doubled the food, we still have to supplement since my milk isn't up to par with his need for so much but it's going well and it gives my husband the opportunity to feed him as well. Win Win Win!

Turkey Dinners!

The back half of pregnancy till now

Oh the sweet 3rd trimester...sweet? well...something like that. The aniticipation of meeting this little guy who had been the root of all heartburn and swollen feet was building by the day. We spent the 3rd trimester nestling into the new home and making sure we knew how to install the carseat.






My dad came for Thanksgiving and stayed until landon was born. He was due on Dec 6th however chose to be 10 days late! I was beginning to lose hope that this child would ever come out of me. I became so used to the woes on my body and the contractions that were not happening that I began to think the pregnancy was all in my head :) Dr visit after dr visit I was not progressing towards labor. Finally my dr decided to put me on the calendar to be induced. I was scared because of the stories I had heard about Pitocin but I was also so happy to have a set date in my mind that Landon would be here by.






Bless his little heart, he went all the way till the induction date. On Dec 15th I checked into the hospital and got all setup on my IV and hospital food. My dr started me on a little pill that is designed to get your cervix to ripen. By 3:30am I had started going into labor! From 3:30am until 12pm I di every tactic I could think of to stay comfortable and positive....yoga ball, hot tub, laying in different positions, pain meds in my IV....all of it. Finally the God-sent hour of noon arrived and I was dialated enough to get my epidural. Praise to the epidural! It was incredible and I was able to relax and prepare for what was to come. 7pm hit and I was in full swing of getting Landon out. 2 hours later my dr came in ready to deliver and Landon decides now is the time to speed things up. After 41.5 weeks of feeling like he would never come, he flew out before the dr could put on her gloves! What an overwhelming feeling. We laughed and we cried and we sat in awe. He was perfect at 8lbs 9oz and 21" long.







Every family has their story and their journey. Our first journey as a family (besides learning what in the world to do to stop this kid from crying!) is to fix the club foot he was born with. It's going to be a couple years to get through this journey but it will be our story forever. Landon's right foot was a little clubby at birth. By the time he was 2 weeks old we had him in his first baby cast. Oh man did mama cry seeing my 11 day old baby in a cast to his hip. Landon is a champ. He is now on his 3rd cast and has not paid a care to it since. He gets a new cast every week for 6 weeks and then he gets to wear a Ponseti shoe brace for 3 months straight followed by 2-3 years of wearing it to bed. Although this is not how we pictured the first few years of life to go, it's our journey and I plan to capture every memory I can with it so that when Landon is older we can show him how strong he was as a baby.

Today Landon is 1 month and 3 days old. I feel like he is 6 months old! He already has quite the personality. He loves to be swung in daddy's football hold, eat till he's in a food coma, keep his hands near his face when he sleeps and play on his activity mat. And by play, I mean stare at the hanging butterflies...eh it's easy entertainment. He hates the end of a bath, getting his diaper changed when he wakes up, putting clothes on and being passed around when he is trying to sleep.

Where have my blogging manners gone?

I started this blog with every intention to post about my pregnancy at least every other week. Welp...I failed at that one as you can see my last post was halfway thru pregnancy. I can say I have reasons and I do....So let me explain. We moved twice in 2 months, drove to Sacramento to see Brooks & Dunn perform their last rodeo tour (*tear*)

BOUGHT A NEW BABY HAULER
Watched the Giants take home the World Series Championship

Celebrated my husband's 1/4 century mark

Watched the Ducks make it to the BCS Championship game

And ate a lot of chocolate chip cookies (Cafe Brent....yum!). So as you can see, I had a hard time staying current with my blog. But give me another chance okay?

Belly Shots

Here's some belly shots of the last 2 weeks. We are working on more nursery projects that I want to share with you but until then...here's the most recent belly poppin pictures.

Week 23

Week 24

Week 22

The last time we met, I still didn't know the gender of our baby....But as you all know by now...it's a BOY! And his name is LANDON CALVIN. Hooray! The ultrasound was incredible. So what if I didn't know what exactly I was looking at the entire time...I knew I was looking at my son. As of the last week or so I have been able to feel him move. People kept telling me it will feel like butterflies....How nice and pretty that sounds. Well mine feel more like a bubbling tummy...not as attractive sounding. But nonetheless, we all know that feeling him move is the best feeling. At least you know he is moving right? So we have another dr appt and another ultrasound tomorrow. Landon was a little stubborn at the last visit and the dr was not able to get all the measurements she needed so she is going to try again tomorrow. He is much bigger now which makes for an excited momma!

I have OFFICIALLY moved past the sickness and having to take the nausea pills. Yay! Now I feel like I'm checking myself out in every mirror or piece of glass I walk by to see if my tummy has grown any since the last time I looked at myself in the reflection. It's really hard to see the progress in my belly. I know it's growing but I also feel like it's staying the same size day in and day out. Today as I was standing in the shower, I realized....I can't see my toes unless I back by booty up a little. hmmm....so when can I start asking my hubby to paint those toes for me?

Some belly shots for you

Week 21

Week 22

A few weeks ago Brent won a Nordstrom gift card...holla! So I did a little damage in a store that I typically pass up. The best part....besides new shoes...was my new diaper bag! I scored a 2010 winter collection Petunia Picklebottom bag. It's gorgeous!

As you can see here, I'm anxious to start using it...

Like that Landon sign? It's 6' long! and it's our first project for his room. We're pretty proud. Now Brent wants to make more Landon signs. haha not sure how many we can have but I think he's more into going in business for name sign making. He's funny.

18 weeks and 4 days

Today is the big day! Boy....or Girl?? Lame of me to make a 4pm appointment though. I tell ya! Been waiting for months and then I make the last appt of the day so I just sit here and wait...and wait...all day long! What was I thinking? I should have been there at sun up ready to show me that baby! I told the baby this morning to spread those legs! We need to see your stuff. Today is not the day to be bashful...mama needs to know what you are! I'm trying to convince Brent to participate in a fun way of telling my family back home what the gender is...so far he just says (in a very monotone voice) "sure." I'm trying to capture memories here and have a little fun and he says "sure." Well he also knows we'll do it regardless of "sure." As Bill Engvall says "she wins because she has boobs!" He's so smart!!

So I started reading Jenny Mcarthy's Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and let me tell you it's hilarious! I find myself on the couch cracking up thinking..."yup! That's exactly how it is". Every pregnant woman that needs a break from the "don't eat this or do that" should read this light hearted...yet vulgar...book.

This morning I put on my new yellow maternity shirt that I love so much....I looked like Big Bird! Brent thought it looked nice...yeah for a big yellow bird. So I changed. Twice. It's hard trying to wear your normal clothes for as long as you possibly can and then realize that shirt is a lot shorter on you now than it usually is. I mean my stomach now sticks out farther than my boobs. This is something I vowed never to come to. Granted there's a baby in there...yeah I know.

Belly Shot for the week:I'll be sure to post the little something we want to do to tell everyone the gender. Stay tuned...