6/7 Months!!!!!

I'm a terrible mom and so i have to combine months. i should make more time to update this blog since it's basically his baby book but i always make excuses...they were kind of a blur of activity though so it should be ok :)-
Rhys is first of all such a good boy! and second of all, changing so much lately. hold that thought....he's up from his nap so i have to go get him. be right back. FF 5 min: I'm back. where was i? oh yeah i have a big boy and he is the light of my life. LOL, that pretty much sums it up!
Recent changes include:
* He starting sitting up on his own. he was a bit wobbly at first but eventually he just got the hang of it. i still put the boppy pillow behind him though just in case he gets too tired to hold himself up. it has come in handy more than once.
* he's "talking" a lot. starting to make new noises that sound almost like he's carrying on a conversation with us. it's so cute. especially when he gets really tired and slap happy. the noises that come out of this boy are priceless.
* he's eating solid foods like a champ! as a result he's putting on some weight too. i love squeezing his little baby thighs. and his poopy diapers are so much easier to change now! still love cloth diapering. so easy, good for him, and good for our budget!
* he loves the water. since he can sit up in the tub now, bath time is more of a treat for him and for mommy and daddy. he really enjoys slapping the water and splish splashing. my mom got him some bath toys and those are proving to be a great distraction from him actually getting cleaned.
* he's reaching for faces. and loves grabbing lips....it hurts! but it's so funny that you cant help but laugh. he giggles when you make noises as he pulls your lips down. you can really tell that his little brain is a sponge and every thing we do is amazing to him. it's very humbling.
* We packed away his baby swing and bouncy seat....i cried like a freaking baby. hell, i cry each time he goes up a size in clothes. it's not that i dont want him to grow. im so happy that he's thriving. i also want him to stay a baby. i keep remembering back to when i was pregnant or when he was really tiny and we bought these things. i remember what an exciting time it was...so filled with anticipation. i'll never have that for the 1st time again and thats why i cry :( i guess we'll just have to have another one!

Learning this whole "sitting up thing."                          Now i have the hang of it!

5 months old!!!

Well considering that Rhys is almost 6 months old, i figured i should do his 5 month post!!! I know, I know, I'm a bad mommy!! I always say to myself "just go blog" and then i get started on something else. I'm really going to make an effort to update more often.

Rhys knows his name now :) which is surprising considering that we are usually making noises at him or calling him by a cutesy name instead. He's also rolling over now!.....from front to back but not from back to front yet. And really he only does it rarely. I guess he just figures that i'll bring him whatever he needs, so why waste energy rolling? LOL. He's also sitting up on his own for a few seconds at a time. It seems like each time i test him to see how long he can go, he keeps going and going. I'm predicting that in a couple of weeks, that he'll be able to sit like a big boy all by himself.

His looks are changing rapidly too....I'm convinced that those dark baby blues are starting to turn brown but some people can see green in there. Like with anything else, we'll have to wait and see but it sure would be lovely if he could keep his daddy's color! His hair is coming in a bit thicker. it's a fuzzy blonde squeezy fest especially when he gets out of the tub :)

The dreaded separation anxiety has begun :( He gets very upset when ryan or i leave the room and even more distraught when anyone besides us or my mom is holding him. his sad lip is cute as hell but it still breaks my heart when he is scared or upset. all the research im doing seems to say that this anxiety could last until he is 18 months old. lets hope not!

Since he is about a week away from being 6 months old, we started giving him solids a couple of days ago :) he had been displaying signs of readiness for a bit but our pediatrician thinks a baby should be 6 months old and we agree. speaking of food....i am making my own baby food. Its such a great way to control what goes in your baby (organic only of course) and also a great way to save money. So far I'm doing the puree/freeze method and in comparing the price of a typical organic baby food bought at the store and what i'm doing....we're paying half!!!! that makes me feel great :) and while we're on the subject of saving money, i'm using cloth wipes with a solution that i make as well and that has been going wonderfully. Since becoming a mommy, ive certainly started leaning to the "crunchy" side of things. I like to refer to myself as a Conservative Hippie. haha. I'm very well informed on the decisions i make. Keeping things as natural as possible can almost never be wrong. And if i can save money here and there and put it towards something a lot more fun than food/diapers/wipes, i'm a happy momma.

We are experiencing a heat wave in Ohio (and the rest of the country)! Staying out of the sun has been difficult for my sanity and my tan for that matter. But he's almost old enough for sunscreen so we will be spending more time outside and a week in Florida in August! Please be sure to look into the dangers of a lot of sunscreens out there on www.ewg.org. they are a great resource for the safety of a lot of products. Sunscreens, their ingredients/claims are barely regulated and therefore, scary in my book.

This age is so much fun! I'm more in love with my little man each day. Even though he has been a fussy butt the last couple of days (teething is starting), i cant imagine my life without him. I really believe that i was made to be a mom. A calling of sorts. Thanks for reading! -Cox family

                                                             Look how big I'm getting!

                                                                  *NOM* *NOM*

                                                                   Best Friends!

4 months old!!!

We've got a big boy on our hands!!! Rhys is 4 months old! Can you believe it? I sure cant. I feel like i was pregnant just yesterday. Sometimes i look at him and I'm like "where did this baby come from?" LOL.

We went for our 4month well baby check up 2 days ago and Rhys is 25" long (46%) and 12lb 14oz (6%). It looks as though our boy is going to be long and lean. He's staying steady with his numbers so the doctor still says there's nothing to be worried about with his weight. He's a very happy baby and still breast feeds normally so the advice was to keep up the good work :) He's wearing a size 6-9 month in most clothing (for length mainly) but he could probably get by with a size 3-6 month for waist size. And when he is in a cloth diaper, which is about 98% of the time, he fits in his clothes a lot better.

So much has changed since my last post. Rhys is not only Mr. smiley pants but he's laughing too. Ryan can get him to laugh more than i can but i still do my best. I tell myself it's because Ryan is just more funny looking than me. haha. He is especially happy when he first gets up in the morning. We always act over the top with our "good morning" songs/greetings so i think that helps too. I swear his smile will just melt your heart. I often think to myself "how am i ever going to tell this face NO?" But i'm sure i'll find a way :)-

He's holding his head like a pro....or more like a baby than a small infant. It's like he's less breakable. We're working on his back strength. We sit him in his Bumbo seat and just yesterday morning he sat in his exersaucer for the first time. he loves sitting on our laps and watching us talk. he really tries to pull himself forward which seems to be a good sign that he'll sit up on his own soon. He's also reached the milestone of being able to bring his hands together, bring them to his mouth and he's also able to hold his teethers. He's exploring the world with his mouth i like to say.....A slobber box for sure!

We stopped swaddling him for the most part about 3 weeks ago....he just didn't seem to need that comfort anymore. But after our doctor visit where i informed her that his naps weren't going off without a hitch like they used to, she suggesting re-incorporating the swaddle for nap time and it has worked wonders. We established a bedtime routine and a general bedtime (8pm) about a month ago as well. He's in his crib and out of our room. I did myself a favor and started him napping in his crib at 8 weeks old so that he would feel comfortable in his room for when the transition out of the bassinet finally happened. We didn't mind him in our room but it just felt like the right time to switch. And like i always say, parenting shouldn't always be about this method or ideology so much as just what feels right to you and your husband. I think God graced us with a "gut feeling" that is correct most of the time.

We took our first road trip as a family. We visited our great friends the Dezern's in North Carolina and had a blast! Rhys dipped his little toes in the ocean! Surprisingly he didn't mind the cold water. I thought for sure he'd fuss since his bath water has to be just perfect. Speaking of baths....they are going so much more smoothly. he's out of his infant tub and in the big boy tub (on a bath chair).

I'll close with saying that my first Mother's day was perfect. We had brunch with my family at Salvi's and Rhys/Ryan got me a spa day. Much needed relaxation! Thanks to everyone for the touching first mother's day cards. They meant a lot. We are looking forward to a fabulous summer (even though he cant wear sunscreen until the end of JULY!!!) I'll be sure to keep y'all posted on our adventures :)

                                                               First time in the ocean :)

                                                                   So many toys!!!

                                                              My first Mother's Day!

Mommy, I'm 10 weeks old!!!

My little boy is getting so big! He's changing so much each day it feels like. At his 2 month appointment the other day, he weighed 10lbs 2 oz and was 22 inches long. He's still on the small side of the growth charts but our Doc says that he's gaining the appropriate amount per day so there is nothing to be worried about....and last night daddy weighed him and he's up to 11lbs :)

Rhys is really getting good at focusing on toys and our faces. He is smiling all the time and we thought he might have giggled yesterday but that may have been a fluke. we are still waiting to hear him laugh. his coos are the most adorable sound in the world.

He is holding his head up like a pro and we've started sitting him on our laps and supporting his chest while he sits like a big boy! hopefully soon we'll be able put him in a Bumbo seat so he can continue to build up those back muscles.

we have also switched over to using his cloth diapers...and i love it!!! Best Bottom diapers are the best thing ever. people might think it makes diaper changes more difficult but really its a breeze. we are saving so much money and saving his bottom from all those toxic chemicals found in conventional diapers. plus we have not had a single leak in his cloth diapers...and that's always good news. LOL

nap time is almost over so I'm going to go. have a great week. more updates to come!

The first 8 weeks

Time has literally flown by! I cant believe that on Tuesday, my little boy will be 2 months old! Everyone says how fast this all will go and they're right. It seems like only yesterday i was pregnant and wishing that it would come to an end so i could meet my mystery baby. I was at the mall today and i saw a few really cute pregnant girls and i found myself missing that chapter of my life....we'll just have to wait a bit and remedy that. LOL.

Rhys really had a rough beginning. Respiratory difficulties that Ryan and I wouldn't stop mentioning to the nurses actually resulted in a 6 day stay at Nationwide Children's Hospital's NICU and life saving surgery when he was 3 days old. The surgeons removed a 1 inch long benign tumor from Rhys' sinuses! Luckily that is all behind us now and we can focus on enjoying getting to know this new person in our lives.

Other than the horrible 1st week we spent visiting him at the hospital, Rhys spent his 1st month as a typical baby. Kind of a blob of human that loved to sleep, poop, and eat :) speaking of eating.....breast feeding was a real challenge for our little guy. He needed to be nourished through iv and bottles of my pumped breast milk while in the NICU and he got what most people call "nipple confusion." Basically, he didnt have to work very hard to get milk from a bottle and very hard to get it from me...and who wants to work harder than they have to? So with the help of multiple lactation consultant's and my perseverance, we have now mastered the art of breast feeding and he's eating like a champ!

Slowly over the first weeks of having him home, he became more and more alert and started showing us little glimpses of his personality. He seemed to be a very laid back guy (just like his dad). If he is fed and changed, he's usually very content. The first month went by in a flash and at his 1 month checkup he weighed 8lbs 3oz and was 21 1/8inches long....On the small end as far as national averages go, but the doctor says there's nothing to be worried about. He just might be slow to put on weight.

During his second month, i feel like we've really become acquainted with him. He smiles at us all the time and he really likes the morning when he first wakes up. That's the time of day he's the most alert and happy. He's holding his head up like a pro now too...with the occasional wobble. We try to do tummy time everyday but he gets pretty pissed at about the 5 min mark. Bath time is also a time he isnt too fond of. some days we can get through a bath without a meltdown but usually the warm water is met with screams. luckily, new babies only need baths once every couple of days so we don't have to torture him daily.

He was diagnosed with a mild case of acid reflux 2 days ago and we've been treating it with the all natural Gripe Water and it really seems to calm his belly down. It has been a life saver on more than one occasion. I've cut down on my dairy intake and cutout yogurt totally from my diet as well.

There has been an unusual heatwave here over the past week and it supposed to last for a while. The temperatures have been on average 20+ degrees higher than normal. we didn't have any summer clothes for this age/size because we weren't expecting this hot weather so today, my mom, Eleanor, Monica, and myself hit up Easton and got him some things to hold us over. It's so hard to shop for him right now though because i feel like he's going to be growing out of his current size soon but who knows when and what the weather will be like when he does?

Overall we're having a blast being new parents. He gives us a 5 hour stretch of sleep each night and he eats about every 2 hours for the rest of the day/night. this is great for a breast fed baby im told. He's just so sweet. i cant get enough of him. i want to squeeze him and kiss him all day long! Hopefully tomorrow we'll have our first family day out together :)

Labor & Delivery....It's a Boy!!!

So i know it's been far too long since my last update but i've been....ummm.....very busy with a precious new baby boy! I'm not sure if anyone is even reading this blog any longer but i've decided to continue updating (whenever i feel so inclined) as sort of a baby journal for anyone and especially me, to look back on when he's all grown up :)

I'm going to do my best to recite, accurately if i can, our labor and delivery experience:

It was the morning of January 23rd and i was very ready to be done with pregnancy. I was just so uncomfortable and it was so hard getting around with my SPD. I had also become so impatient since being checked at 37 weeks and learning that i was 1 cm dilated. I had told myself from the beginning that this baby would be early.....i wasnt going to be one of those girls who went way past her due date right? LOL. so as my due date approached i kept going to bed thinking that tomorrow was going to be the day! i had been having some cramping for days at this point but when i woke up with pain at 2:30am on 1/23/12, it felt just intense enough for me to think that maybe this really was it. i didnt want to jump the gun so i tried to fall back asleep.....the pains continued at around 5 minute intervals for another hour until i finally decided to wake Ryan up and tell him that i was going to head downstairs and bounce on my birthing ball for a bit. i didnt want to get my hopes up but they were creeping up there on their own.

So there i was in our family room, with nothing but stupid infomercials on the tv, just bouncing away on my ball, praying that the contractions would keep up their consistent 5 minute pace.....and they did.... I labored at home for the entire day. I kept calling my mom and great friend Natalie asking them how their labors felt and how i would "know" when it was the right time to call my midwife. i ended up calling her mid morning and she told me to stay at home for as long as i could and to watch for the contractions to become more intense and closer together. so i watched and watched and watched for hours and hours. they were becoming more intense but never really getting any closer together than 4 minutes apart every once in a while. The pain was manageable but i was uncomfortable enough that i couldnt sleep. finally at 7pm i called the midwife back and asked her what to do about how tired i was becoming. she suggested taking a benadryl to see if it would help me get a nap in before the really hard labor began. i took the pills and tried to lay down for a nap. well i couldn't sleep and little did i know, i wouldnt get to sleep for a long time. my dad brought us over a pizza and i felt re-fueled. as the contractions got more intense, my adrenaline kept me going. i was so pumped at the thought of meeting my baby.

at midnight Ryan convinced me to go the St. Ann's and get checked to see if i had made any progress and if i could be admitted. off to the hospital we went! as we pulled out of the driveway i said how strange it was that the next time we came home, that we would be parents :) we arrived at triage and i was hooked up to the monitor and they checked my cervix. i was 3 cm dilated!!! great news that i had made some progress but not so great since they usually dont admit a woman in labor unless she is at least 4cm along. but since my blood pressure was really high they decided to admit me. i was whisked down to my room and the next chapter of our journey began.

i was told upon being admitted that i could labor for the next 3 hours and that they would check for more progress..... at this point, i couldnt really stand through my contractions and Ryan was having to squeeze my hips together while simultaneously rubbing my lower back. we walked around my huge L&D room for the next 3 hours and the nurse came in to check me. i was still at 3cm :( and very disappointed that my body wasnt responding to this labor. the pain was incredible and i was so tired that i was crying through the contractions. i spoke again with Becky, my midwife and we agreed that i would labor at the hospital for another 3 hours (until 6am) and then get checked again and if i hadnt made progress by then, they would consider sending me home since technically i wasnt in "active" labor. with the amount of pain i was in at this point, there was NO way that this wasnt active labor.

the next 3 hours (from 3-6am) were the most trying of my life. i was delusional with exhaustion and miserable from the contractions. they were much more in my back than i expected them to be. the nurse had said the the baby was probably posterior (head facing up) and thats the reason for the location of my pain. we made it through and the nurse was there to check me again. i had never wanted anything more in my life than for her to say that i had made some progress...because that meant that i could stay and that i could request an epidural (if i didnt get some sleep there was no way i could push this baby out). we braced ourselves for her assessment....and the verdict was 5 cm!!!!!  ryan and i worked through something so difficult and we did it! i requested my epidural and continued to labor. unfortunately i wasn't able to receive it for another 2 1/2 hours but at 8:30 am on 1/24/12 after so many hours of contractions, i was on my way to some pain relief :)

it was glorious to be able to breath and lay down without feeling like i was going to die. i was able to rest and regain some of my strength. at 10:30am Becky broke my water and checked me. i was 8cm dilated and feeling great. our families had started to arrive and i was able to visit a bit with our loved ones which was really great. at 1:00pm i got checked again and i was fully dilated!!!! it was going to be time to push soon and i was really nervous. would i be able to do this? would i feel enough to be an effective pusher? was i ready to be a mom? a million thoughts zoomed through my head but the time had arrived and there was no denying that it was time to meet our baby. at 1:12pm, on his due date, with the encouragement of my wonderful husband, his mom, and my mom, i began pushing.....and with 7 contractions and a mere 20minutes later, our son Rhys Kable Cox entered the world weighing in at 7lbs 3oz and 19.5 inches long. a true miracle. i never knew that this kind of love was possible. Im so thankful to God for this blessing.

36/37 Weeks!!!

We are in the home stretch!!! I'm now considered full term and if the baby were to arrive at any point now, it would more than likely be totally healthy (lungs etc. being fully functional). I'm due on the 24th but i try to tell people that "due dates" aren't real things. Any time 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after your supposed due date is actually when you should plan for. I'm hoping that this baby makes an arrival in the next week...

Unfortunately, with this late stage of pregnancy, comes higher levels of the relaxin hormone that started all my pelvic problems in the first place. My physical therapy and chiropractic appointments had been keeping my pain under control but in the past couple of weeks I've been experiencing a huge increase in my discomfort. I guess there isn't much more improvement that can be achieved through therapy but I'm going to continue to go in an effort to slow the progression of mis-alignment in my pelvis :(

We had a wonderful Christmas! I hope yours was great too :) We received a bouncy seat (the last baby item on our checklist) from my parents and Ryan's California family sent us a super cute baby care package! Thanks everyone! Ryan and i weren't supposed to exchange gifts this year but he surprised me with The Black Keys concert tickets and season 8 of my favorite One Tree Hill TV show....i just love him! We also made it out to our annual post family get together on xmas eve with friends at a local bar called the Galloway Tavern (many of you will remember the GT from after our rehearsal dinner). As always, the GT didn't disappoint. LOL, yes i was 9 months pregnant but no one made me feel too strange....and Ryan delighted us with a few of his karaoke greats. it was a really fun night.

The nursery is finished! the final shelves were hung last week. i cant believe we're so close to welcoming our little one! i keep going in the room, sitting in the glider, and imagining what it's going to be like when there's a baby in the house. crazy huh?! I'll try to add some pictures in my next post. we got a new camera and all the xmas/nursery photos are stored on that disk...i keep forgetting to add the software to the computer. my bad.

sorry for the short post....not too much new going on around here. just being big and pregnant....getting less sleep....and playing the waiting game. I hope everyone had a safe and happy new year (we celebrated with my bestie Natalie, her husband Steven, and their cutie pie Adeline). oh and one more thing, we are now seeing the Midwife on a weekly basis. last week i measured 1cm dilated and 60% effaced. those numbers dont mean much except for that we are on the right path....the delivery path! I just keep repeating St. Ann's Hospital, here we come!!!