eight months.

Forgive the months that have gone by since posting, but with the holidays and a very busy work life--- the updates just didn't happen.

Life lately consists of chasing our little munchkin around as he is crawling and climbing on everything! He is definitely a mover.  He's everywhere. All. the. time.  And his new trick is pushing his toys while WALKING and leaning on them for support.  Insert me crying here that my big boy will probably be walking before his first birthday.  

In other news we are are venturing out to our FIRST kids birthday party this weekend.  I am immediately reminded of that scene in Problem Child where the mom adopts a kid JUST so she can be included in children's birthday parties.  While we are not in that camp, I am excited for this new phase in our lives! Luckily it's a 1-year old's party, so there will be plenty of other kiddos E's age.  


Weight: 16.15 lbs.
Length: 29 inches-- 90th percentile!
Sleep: From 9:00 until 7 ish.  Last week he wanted to get up early (Hello 5 AM!) but this week he is back to normal.
Favorite Toy: Right now it's his Lion walker.  He also loves Elmo and rolling balls around and chasing them.
Clothes Size: 6-9 months mostly-- although some things are already getting snug *tear*
Diaper Size: Pampers Swaddlers 2
Eating: 4 times a today with milk-- three times a day with solid food plus a snack.  This is a mixture of purees and some table food that I just cut up super small.  He LOVES Puffs!
Milestones Reached: Crawling, pulling up, semi-walking with assistance.

Five Months

Such a growing boy! Ezra's favorite new thing is the roll over. All. The. Time.  The boy hates being on his back.  He army crawls all over his crib at night, but still sleeps for 10 hours or so, so no complaints! I know it's just a matter of time before he is crawling.  He wants to so badly.  He will get up on his hands and knees and really doesn't know where to go from there.  He's about to be mobile!

We are gearing up for his six month pictures next Saturday and are hoping the weather will be good enough for some family pics outside--- perfect for Christmas cards!  In the meantime I will be coordinating outfits for us in my head to be coordinated, but not matchy.

Our growing boy loves to play peek-a-boo these days.  He only thinks it's REALLY funny right before bathtime, all other times just garner a smile.  The time before bathtime is really the best part of the day for me.  He is so happy and is usually laughing at Clay doing silly things. He loves being in the bath and his newfound love for splashing is really adding some extra fun into our nightly routine. He is really starting to find his voice and interact with us in the best ways!

Weight: Around 14.5 lbs... Just a guess.
Length: 27 in. Again, this is a guess since we haven't been to the doc in a while.
Sleep: From 9:30 pm until 7:45 am.  Once he mastered rolling over he was waking up a couple of times during the night, but he is now used to it and is back to sleeping like a champ.
Favorite Toy: Tags (our name for his little Taggies giraffe), and his excasaucer/bouncer.  He could bounce for DAYS!
Clothes Size: Sadly, I have packed away all the 0-3 month clothes and we are officially in 6 month onesies and sleepers.  He can still get away with 3 month pants since he's so slim.
Diaper Size: Pampers Swaddlers 1
Eating: Six times a day, but now has two servings of oatmeal during the day along with his bottle.  We are on to solid food, people! I'm going to start purees as soon as he hits six months.
Milestones Reached: Rolling over and over and over, balancing on his hands and knees.  Somewhat of an army crawl (sometimes it's backwards).

Thanks for reading.  And of course-- here are some new photos of our little man!

Four Months

We have a happy, healthy, growing four month old! Ezra is so much fun and I really think we turned a corner around month three, he is much less fussy now and loves to play and smile (until he gets tired at nighttime).

Last Saturday we enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL day at the park! It was so nice to have him outside and playing instead of cooped up inside like he was all summer.  It was too darn hot! Although he is a little congested, he was enjoying the early autumn sun and looking super cool in his shades.

Weight: 13 lbs 9 oz (25th percentile)
Length: 26 in (90th percentile) long and lean!
Sleep: Pretty consistently from 9:30 pm until 7 am.  Sometimes he wakes up and jabbers a bit, but goes right back to sleep. :)  We are starting to move his bedtime up a bit since we are coming close to eliminating the fourth nap of the day.
Favorite Toy: Baby Einstein Ocean Activity Mat and his cow, Wally.
Clothes Size: 0-3 month onesies (although they are starting to get snug!) and 3-6 month footed sleepers.  His legs are SO long, anything with feet we usually have to bump up a size.
Diaper Size: Pampers Swaddlers 1
Eating: Six times a day, about 5 oz each time.
Milestones Reached: Laughing! Rolling from belly to back, but hasn't quite mastered back to belly yet.  He will get halfway there and get stuck on his arm.

And lastly, a shot of our sweet boy playing at daycare.  His teacher, Ms. Kristen, is so sweet and will text me pictures every week! This is his, "I'm tired of pictures" face.

Ezra's Birth Story

I can't believe it's been almost three months since my last post... and I was quite LARGE then.  Only eight days away from meeting Ezra! It's gone so fast, I felt I needed to document his birth story before I start forgetting details (and with new mommy brain, that would be easy to do).  Here is how our little man came into the world:

I woke up on May 15 feeling a little off.  Super crampy, uncomfortable, and tons of back pain.  I was scheduled to have a prenatal appointment the following day, but I really didn't feel so hot, so I called and moved it up a day to check on my progress.  I was told that I was having some very early prelabor contractions, but nothing too serious yet.  I was only 1 cm dilated.  Feeling discouraged, I left to return to work, but not before running through a Wendy's drive-thru to chow down on a chicken sandwich and a salad.  Feeling starved, I started munching on the sandwich as I was driving back downtown, but again I started feeling super weird.  I couldn't finish it or even get halfway through! This was out of character for me since I was 1,800 weeks pregnant and eating everything in sight.

Once I was back at work my tiny contractions started to get worse.  So much so that I opted to work from home the rest of the day.  I immediately called Clay to fill him in since while I was driving they were getting so rough that thought I may have to pull over.

It wasn't long that I texted my team at work to tell them I was done for the day, I was definitely having contractions and they were interfering with my marketing skills! Clay arrived home and immediately started trying to help me get comfortable.  We wanted to labor at home as long as possible so I could move around and be in a familiar environment, something we learned in our natural birthing classes.

Literally ALL I wanted to do was take a bath.  It was the only thing that helped my increasingly strong contractions.  So that's what I did.  I took five, to be exact.  Clay was timing the contractions and offering me cinnamon sugar pita chips (that I will now forever associate with labor).  They were all over the place: 7 mins, 4 mins, 8 mins, 3 mins... This makes it difficult when your strict instructions are to leave for the hospital when they are 5 mins apart for one hour straight. We decided we would leave for the hospital at 8 PM.

You should know that for the duration of my pregnancy, I wanted a natural childbirth.  The thought of being hooked to a million machines and unable to move or go to the bathroom or roll over really made my stomach turn.  We took all the classes and practiced and studied so this could happen.  Literally the moment I got into the car to go to the hospital, ALL of it went out the window.  I decided right then and there that my comfort would make me a much happier person and I would enjoy the experience much more with some pain meds, not to mention Clay was secretly hoping that was the option I would choose.  

We arrived in triage and I was admitted and well on my way! We were at three centimeters dilated and they said I should be pushing by morning. We scheduled my epidural and started the waiting game.  I took naps, ate ice chips, listed to Clay read some parenting books to me, and greeted my mom and sister as they arrived in the wee hours of the morning.

Around 4 AM (12 hours into labor), the OB wasn't super pleased with my progress.  We agreed to let him break my water to hopefully speed things up.  Unfortunately, that didn't help.  I was stuck at six cm and couldn't get past it.  Hours and hours passed while we waited for more progress. I let them pump copious amounts of Pitocin to speed it up, still nothing.  At 3 PM on May 16th (23 hours into labor) I agreed to let them perform a C-section.  I wasn't thrilled, but I had been numb from the waste down for almost 18 hours with no food, water or sleep.  We were just ready to meet our baby.  From there, things moved FAST.  As soon as I agreed, there were four or five additional people in the room prepping me and putting scrubs on Clay.

The next few moments were hazy.  I started to get really upset about the surgery and being pinned down.  Clay and the nursing staff did their best to help me relax.  Before I knew it, I saw Clay stand up and say, "It's Ezra!".  I couldn't believe it.  I was so out of it that I actually had to think for a second if that meant boy or girl! It was moments before Clay held him up to my face when I think I kissed him 17 times.  It was unbelievable.  He didn't want to come out, but as soon as he did and I got to meet my son, I fell in love with him immediately and couldn't believe he was finally here.  He was perfect!  I hope he knows forever how incredibly lucky Clay and I consider ourselves to be.

Ezra Brooks Stewart was born 5-16-14 at 6:11 PM, weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz and 22 inches long. So loved by his parents. :)

38.5 Weeks, Derby & Final Nursery Details

Literally any day now! I am getting increasingly uncomfortable each day, but still trying to go to the gym or a 2 mile walk each day (only because I need to offset how much I eat).  We had made SLIGHT progress at the doctor's office last week, so I am hoping tomorrow I get news of even more! It's time for this baby to be OUT.

Last weekend was a BEAUTIFUL weekend for the Kentucky Derby! We celebrated with friends all day and had a blast betting on horses and eating yummy food.  Too bad we live in the Ohio Valley which is the worst place in the U.S. for pollen, so both of us felt pretty yucky after being outside all day (Clay and I, not baby and I, although I'm sure if the baby would have been out, he/she would have felt yucky too).  Still, we enjoyed the day and soaked up one of the final weekends of it being just us two.

 

 As you may know, Clay and I were on a mission to have one final date night before I go into labor and we are homebound for quite a few weeks.  I snagged tickets to see the band 311 from work so we decided to try out Rocky's on the River in So. Indiana (just a bridge away from Downtown Louisville), then head to the concert.  Although SUPER windy, the pizza was delicious and we really enjoyed sitting out on the patio and relaxing with a great view of the city!

 

 

 We have been working so diligently on finishing the nursery and I am happy to say that it is complete! We have one empty picture frame on the wall that is reserved for a family photo from our newborn session... and we also need the BABY to complete the room.  But otherwise, we are so happy with the results and can't wait for Jillian or Ezra to see it! (I have now had three dreams that the baby is a girl, so we are around 60/40 that it's a Jillian).  Here are the finished details!

 

Finally-- maybe the LAST bump update! It's getting quite large!

 

 

 

How far along: 38.5 weeks

Weight Gain: Holding strong at 33 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Definitely---- mostly just maxi dresses from here on out.

Stretch marks: Who knows! I can't see most of my belly.

Belly button in or out: Really flat and super sensitive (especially when I bump it into things).

Sleep: Still not great--- I think I am just gearing up for no sleep at all.

Best moment this week: Date night! I was happy I felt good and didn't let any pregnancy pains slow me down or ruin our night.

Worst moment this week: Hard to say-- everything has been pretty great!

Miss anything: Getting out of bed without trouble, wine, running, real coffee..

Movement: Lots of leg action plus hiccups once a day, usually at night.

Cravings: Still fruits with granola and yogurt, and lots of sweets!

Queasy or sick: Nope-- feel pretty good!

Looking forward to: Is it weird to say labor?

36 Weeks & Showered with Gifts!

 The home stretch! I feel like we could really have our baby any day now (although it would be best to wait 3.5 more weeks... :)  They days and weekends are just moving so quickly at this point since they are packed full of unpacking baby items, washing onesies, installing car seats, and stealing as much time as we can as a family of two.  We are really trying to do as many things as we can with just the two of us since we know that time may be seriously depleted for a few months!

This includes one special "date night" we are attempting to plan.  We want to go somewhere we have never been, somewhere local, and somewhere that is not 5-Star (since Louisville is such a foodie town, this is actually a little difficult, but we are trying not to break the bank).  Our weekends are pretty tied up for a while with weddings and Derby parties, so I think we have decided this could be just a very special Tuesday since we are quickly running out of time!

 

 

How far along: 36 weeks

Weight Gain: 29 lbs. Probably more after Easter lunch yesterday,

Maternity clothes: Oh yes-- thankfully I have generous coworkers who are letting me borrow summer maternity items.  Everything I own is winterized.

Stretch marks: Not yet!  Four tubes of Mustella and now on Palmer's Cocoa Butter until the baby gets here. 

Belly button in or out: flat as a pancake

Sleep: Not so great.  Often Clay has to push me out of the bed which makes his sleep not so great either.

Best moment this week: This entire weekend was actually really great! Lots of long walks and hanging out with friends and family.

Worst moment this week: Probably just a continuation of back pain and uncomfortableness.

Miss anything: Being able to be comfortable!

Movement: All the time.

Cravings: Fruits, granola, yogurt, apples with peanut butter.

Queasy or sick: Neither-- thank goodness!

Looking forward to: Meeting our little one in less than a month!

We are so blessed to have friends and family to throw us THREE baby showers! They were all beyond what we expected and turned out so great.  First up was my Creative Alliance shower with the "Ashley is about to POP" theme.  There were different flavors of popcorn, soda pop, ring pops, cake pops.... everything was adorable! My co-workers really outdid themselves.

Next up was the shower thrown by my mom at her church in my hometown.  It was such a great and beautiful day and she really went out of her way to make it beautiful and animal-themed for Baby S.  I imagine it is incredibly difficult planning a gender neutral shower!

Lastly was our co-ed Beer, Baby & BBQ shower at our house thrown by our friends Kristen and Mary. It was a great success! It was a backyard BBQ theme and was a great opportunity for Clay's guy friends to get involved and participate while doing things they like to do anyway (like play cornhole and listen to music outside).  We are so blessed to have such great friends and family!

32 Weeks & Nursery Updates

32 weeks and feeling especially LARGE these days! Simple acts like rolling over or getting out of bed are increasingly difficult.  Thank goodness for my pregnancy pillow and naps propped up on the couch or I really don't think I would ever get any sleep.

I can't believe our little one will be here in less than two months! I am starting to not fit so well in maternity clothes, especially when I am trying to find something to lounge in.  Luckily Clay's clothes now fit just right! I think I am the only one secretly rooting for slightly cooler temperatures for a little while longer.  All of my maternity-wear consists of sweaters or leggings, and I'm not quite ready to have to attempt to wear capris or tank tops yet while being this pregnant.

How far along: 32 weeks

Weight Gain: 25 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Just leggings and oversized shirts and tunics from here on out!

Stretch marks: No and on tube #4 of my Mustella cream.  I have now spent a small fortune on trying not to get stretch marks.

Belly button in or out: flat as a pancake

Sleep: Mediocre, at best.

Best moment this week: Meeting a new doctor in our practice that I really liked (we are trying to meet them all since we won't know which one will actually deliver us).  Also seeing the excitement on hubby's face all of Sunday night after the Cats win! Clay is really such a good one.  The game was on right smack in the middle of Lamaze class and we had to DVR the game. I'm sure it was killing him!

Worst moment this week:  Nothing really to complain about!

Miss anything: Sleeping normally and having a regular appetite.  I am hungry all the time!

Movement: All day every day.

Cravings: Recently fruits.  I pretty much ate an entire pineapple by myself and I definitely ate an entire carton of strawberries over two sittings.

Queasy or sick: Feel great!

Looking forward to: Baby showers! One a week for the next three weeks!

Also, our nursery is basically done! Our black/white/mint/gold theme really came together. We have a few things to add, and these pics are also a couple of weeks old so there are more books and a new cow stuffed animal courtesy of Aunt Kathy.  We just need a few essentials and of course, a baby!