Observant little guy

Lucas is starting to become more aware of his hands, mainly because of the constant use of his new gym, and is also starting to become much more aware of his surroundings. I especially notice it when we go out on our walks. Today I went walking with my neighbor Nadine who has an adorable 7 month old baby, Astou. It is obvious that Lucas stares at everything as we walk by and especially loves the fans in our house. When we were done with the walk, Astou reached over and touched Lucas' face and they both smiled - so cute! Lucas also entertained himself in the swing for a few minutes after waking up from a nap with cooing and gurgling. He might have continued a bit longer except that Andres and I were so astounded by the noises that we entered the room to see if Lucas was ok. It is also obvious, to me anyway, that Lucas is now starting the teething process. He is blowing bubbles, drooling, shoving his fingers in his mouth and was even biting the side of the front carrier today. He has also been moodier than usual. I initially thought that he might have an ear ache because I also noticed that he seems to grab his ear lately. When I asked Faith in class what that means she said "that he has noticed his ear." Ha! I also asked Faith about vaccines today since Lucas is getting his two month vaccines next week. She recommened I read a book called "The Vaccine Book" by Robert Sears and personally prefers the Dr. Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule to the AAP Vaccine Schedule. From what I can gather, the difference is that in the alternative schedule your baby is getting half as many shots every month up until 7 months versus once every two months. Andres and I continue to read to him every day and I recently bought him two very beautiful books called "I Love You Through and Through" and another book about Sleepy Time...an important topic for mommy these days!! Gramma is coming to visit tomorrow for a week, which we are very excited about. Andres and I are going to attempt another date night AND Gramma is going to give Lucas the first bottle that he will have in the past three weeks or so since the incidence of his last Boob Boycott.

My Two Cents on Pregnancy

I am dedicating this post to my friend, and Andres' cousin, Maria Andrea that just found out she is two months pregnant. She lives only 10 minutes from us and I'm so excited that we will have children the same age. Being pregnant was not easy for me and I learned the following:

1. Don't listen to what anyone else has to say about what you should and should not eat. That is between you and your baby. My baby wanted me to eat a lot of carbs and that helped me fight the horrible nausea. It's the only time in your life that it will be ok to eat junk since you're going to get fat regardless - might as well have fun doing it!

2. You should take it easy during the first trimester. It is the most important developmental trimester for the baby.

3. You should forget about wearing mascara for the next 9months...and you may want to extend that for a few months
after the baby arrives. Pregnancy did cause me to be a little
more emotional and being nauseous all the time didn't help!

4. Always plan each outing and carry snacks with you. Not
only was I nauseous if I didn't eat every two hours, but once I
also felt my blood pressure go down and I needed to eat
ASAP!

5. Don't make yourself crazy by actually going to Target or Babys R Us (or whichever store you happen to choose) to select items for your registry. It is way too overwhelming as there are sooo many choices! I found it much easier to select items online where I could read all the reviews left by other mommies and make decisions based on the reviews.

6. Don't put clothes on your baby registry. Your friends and family will buy you TONS of clothes anyway - they don't need any additional encouragement.

7. Remove your wedding and engagement bands a month or two before your due date. You don't want your rings to become uncomfortably stuck on your finger.

8. If anyone asks you how many babies are you having during your last trimester, tell them you have quints!

9. You may want to consider sleeping on an inflatable mattress during the last month. It was much more comfortable for me as my sides tended to go numb from the added weight. A prego pillow was also helpful so that you have something to rest your extended belly on at night. (The pregnancy pillows are those extra long pillows that are almost as long as you are.)

10. Your memory will go from bad to worse - accept it and expect it!

Stroller, Sling or Front Carrier...

...what do you think? As mentioned previously, I have started walking for half an hour either in the early morning or late evening (and sometimes both) in an effort to get out and about with Little Lukey AND regain my previous figure. I am pleased to say that not only have I shaved off 35 lbs from my peak prego weight, BUT I have lost the horrendous second chin and cellulite that was creeping up on my arms. Stretch marks is a different story...we won't go there as that will surely take much longer to correct. Anyways, back to my original point, I currently own a sling, a stroller and a front carrier. From what I remember with my little neice Sofia, she loooved going for a ride in the stroller as that would put her right to sleep. A ride in the car would also calm her down and get her to sleep. NOT LUCAS. Out of the 12 or so times he has been in a car, he has screamed his bloody head off for 10 of those rides. He cries so hard that when we get to our destination you can hear a gurgley sound in his throut. It's awful. Especially since there is precious little that I can do to calm him down. Not even the butterfly rattles attached to the seat that he likes so much and I have caught him smiling at on several occassions calms him down. I tried putting a chupo in his mouth, but he spits it right out. All I can do is hold his little hand, as he clings onto my finger for dear life, and tell him it's going to be ok. Talk about anxiety invoking..UGH! The first few times I experienced Lucas' "Road Rage" I felt so extremely anxious that my voice almost felt trapped in the back of my throut as I would try to tell him it would be ok while croaking out a lullaby. Faith from my Mommy and Me class suggested that I roll down the windows and turn up the music in the car. Another mommy in the class said that if he is crying so hard then that must mean I am not driving fast enough. ;-) Lucas functions slightly better in the stroller. However, it certainly does not have the calming effect that it produces in so many other babies! During my walks Lucas is calm, actually has this strange "deer in headlights" look on his face for the first 20 - 25 minutes or so. After that, the tears roll down and the crying begins. A solution that I came up with is to take him out of the stroller and carry him as I push the stroller. It is quite an effort to carry him as I push the stroller, but certainly better than hearing the heart wrenching crying. Recently, however, I started tucking the front carrier under the stroller and plopping Lucas in THAT to stop the crying...as I push the stroller. Finally, I ditched the stroller and now only go walking with Lucas in the front carrier. Lucas has always held up his head on his own very well since he was around two weeks old, so that is not an issue. Regarding the sling, my sister Gabriela gave me the sling that she used for Sofia, but Lucas seemed to big for it. So I ordered a larger one. I had Faith from Mommy and Me show me how to use it as it can be scary to useif you don't know how. Lucas absolutely hated it. Faith suggested putting him in the sling outside as babies seem to like being outside better since the cold from the AC bothers them much more than heat. I will try that and see how that goes before throwing in the towel on the sling and stickin' to just the front carrier.

What I Have Learned

It's amazing how much I have learned in the past two months about being a mom. Considering I have previous experience "being a mommy" with my little brother Derek that is 10 years younger then me and my little niece Sofia that is three and a half, I thought I knew it all. Boy was I surprised at everything that I didn't know! But I have been a sponge in the Mommy and Me classes absorbing as much as I can. The first month I was in a hazy shock with the lack of sleep and adjusting from being a completely independent person to caring completely for a totally dependent little being and repetition was key. Although the same information is taught on both Tuesdays and Thursdays, I am one of the few mommys that attends both days. It is really interesting to see how far I have come when you see other first time mommys with their newborns in class. Last week a woman was in tears because breastfeeding her 2 day old baby was so painful. I was able to reassure her from experience that it will get MUCH better in the next two weeks. Today we spoke about dental hygiene for babies and weaning your baby off the breast. As part of my new bedtime routine I should be cleaning Lucas's gums and tongue with a piece of wet gauze. Also as part of my new bedtime routine, as per the "No Cry Sleep Solution" I have designated specific pajamas so that Lucas will start associating bedtime with the star sleep sac PJs. Since he is no longer swaddled, I am not sure if this will affect how long he sleeps....or if his little arms will wake him up. With that said, he keeps squirming in the monitor as I am writing this so I think it might be almost SHOWTIME!!

Getting Back into Shape

My doctor told me that it took me 9 mths to put on the baby weight so I should expect it to take about that long to come off. I am not that patient. I would like to get back to my pre-baby shape much faster than that..and while I'm at it, maybe a bit thinner than that even! ISo I am T-40 lbs away from my goal. I have started walking for half an hour every morning or evening, as baby permits, and also started with my 10 minute pilates. I choose 3 different workouts for a total of a half hour workout including one dedicated to ABS! I put on 65 lbs during my pregnancy and have already lost 35...so I am well on my way! I am debating whether or not I want to train to run another marathon. The Disney Marathon has my name written all over it...but not sure that I am up for the Goofy Challenge at this stage. (Two marathons in one weekend.) I have also been working very hard on my diet. I figure that I had my fun eating to my culinary delight when I was preggers and the fun has to stop at some point. Andres and I buy lots of fruit and we have salad almost every day. Sweets and fried food are a distant memory...

Almost 2 Months Old

I can hardly believe that Lucas will be 2 months old on Sunday - time flies! Lucas was born 9 lbs even and was in the 75th percentile of all babies born. Now weighing 12 lbs he has moved down to the 50th percentile. He has a fiery personality and is constantly either smiling forcefully at everyone he meets or crying ferociously because something is bothering him. From what I can gather, crying generally means one of the following is bothering him (in this order): he's hungry, he has gas, he has a dirty diaper...and lately I've discovered he can be quite the crankster when he's tired as well. I am really working hard with my sleep study guided by the book "No Cry Sleep Solution" as I would really like to get some of my independance back AND a full night's sleep would be pretty sweet as well. We have not made that much progress as of yet and Lucas's daytime nap schedule is completely erratic. He will nap for little half hour to 45 minute nuggets which is not even considered a nap according to the book. Between birth and 4 mths it says he should be sleeping between 6-7 hours during the day and he has slept a total of 2 hours today! Because of this, Andres and I are giving him his bath a little early so we can put him to sleep for the night a bit earlier. The NCSS book stated that the MORE a baby sleeps during the day the MORE they will sleep at night. Additionally, it said to make night time sleep different from daytime naps so I have started putting Lucas to sleep anywhere except his crib during the day and in his crib only at night. I have also started letting him sleep belly down during the day under very close supervision. Finally, in the mornings when he gets up at 5 or 6 am...especially on those nights when he has already woken me up at 3 am, I bring him into bed with me and feed him in my sleep. Not literally, but I lie on my side and prop Lucas up with pillow on his side and feed him. Another trick that I have started is doing the "Dream Feed" in the middle of the night. I take him out of bed at 1 or 2 in the morning and without waking him up completely bring him to the breast. The first time I tried this, little Lucas was too asleep and there was nothing that I could do to get him to eat so I finally put him back in his crib.

Sleep Studies

As I am reading the No Cry Sleep Solution, I am trying to work towards getting Lucas on something that resembles a schedule and get him sleeping through the night. The book was recommended by Faith Ploude and it is excellent so far - I am half way through it and have learned so much. I have also created charts to track when Lucas is sleeping during the day and night and what pre-bed routine I have established. I learned that the MORE baby sleeps during the day, the more he will sleep at night...and here I had been trying to have Lucas not sleep that much during the day. In the next week, I will look over the results from the charts and see if I can figure out what Lucas's schedule is like before getting him to mold into mine. We have not made any tremendous progress as of yet, but have established a rather nice bedtime routine that has him sleeping from 8 or 9pm - 1 or 2 am. From there, he is still pretty much waking up at 3 am and 6 am to feed although a few times, he has only woken up at 1 or 2 and then slept until 6 or 7 am. Anyways, our evening routine is as follows: 7 pm --> half hour walk around neighborhood in stroller. 7:30 pm --> bath time 8 pm --> nurse in dark bedroom with Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and sleep.

Mommy and Me class

I look forward to the Mommy and Me class taught by the **AMAZING** Faithe Ploude every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30- 4pm at Mercy Hospital. Not only have I learned so much from the instructor, but I have also picked up tips from the other moms. To be completely honest, this hour and a half in my day is also therapy and a way to validate what I am doing as a mom and realize that I am not alone. Additionally, it is a way for MOMMY to socialize and get out of the house and to realize that Lucas is not the only baby in Miami that cries uncontrollably at times! On June 24th I went to class for the first time and was horrified when Lucas screamed in the car seat for the entire 15 minutes it took to get to Mercy Hospital and there was nothing that I could do to calm him. I almost turned around and headed back home assuming that he would be kicked out of class for crying so much anyways. Of course when I walked into class...half an hour late as I couldn't find the Lactation Center and having a hysterical baby in the car with me did not help matters...I realized that ALL babies cry and one of the other moms even commented on the fact that Lucas had a soft cry which was news to me. In fact, when a baby is crying uncontrollably in class, Faith will ask that you hand the baby to her and she will calm them down. :-) She had to take Lucas twice so far. Other times she has mentioned that I need to hold him and walk around to calm him...or that he needs to be burped, etc. The monthly topics are as follows: 1st week - Parenting. Faith spoke about the harm of television and advised that babies not be put in front of a TV until they are at least two years old. She also emphasized that babies should not be left to cry in bed for any reason as they are bonding with parents until they are 6-7 months old and can not be spoiled. 2nd week - Pumping and Working. Faith went over the schedule for pumping for the working mom and advised that I should pump first thing in the morning when I wake up and just before going to sleep. She told me to freeze 4 oz at a time and that every mommy should have at least a two week supply of milk in the freezer before returning to work. 3rd Week - Starting Solids. Faith said that although most babies will not begin eating solid foods until they are approximately 6 months old, it is important for us to know now what to expect so we can prepare. 4th Week - Weaning and Dental Health. Although the material is identical on both Tuesday and Thursday, I go to both classes as I feel that I need to get out and I always learn something from the other mommy's questions and I absorb information that I didn't grasp the first time around. At the beginning of each class Faith goes around the room and has each mommy state her name, her baby's name, how old the baby is, whether they are breastfeeding or formula and any questions they may have. Another benefit of going to class is that there is a scale to weigh your baby. In this picture taken during the last class (July 22nd), Lucas is loungin' in his Sponge Bob outfit on the scale and weighing in at 12 lbs.

First Date Night Fiasco

Andres and I took advantage of Anabel being in town by setting up our first Date Night since the birth of Lucas. On Saturday July 10th, six weeks into parenthood, we went out - just the two of us - to a very nice restaurant called Virgillio's in Merrick Park in the Gables. We strategically picked a restaurant only minutes from our house and told Anabel to call me if Lucas woke up and she wasn't able to calm him within five minutes. (I am not sure who chose such a rediculously short amount of time! Seriously, it wasn't me...) We ordered our appetizer and enjoyed it as we discussed how we felt about being parents, etc. When the entree arrived, my phone rang. Anabel told me that she just wanted to call me because she was not able to calm Lucas, he had been crying for five minutes and she had promised she would call. I could hear Lucas screaming in the background and something snapped in me and I started crying too...in the middle of the restaurant! I just couldn't help myself. My heart broke when I heard Lucas crying and I couldn't help but think that he felt that his Mommy and Daddy had abandoned him. Alas it wasn't Lucas that wasn't ready for us to go on a date night, as he calmed down a few minutes later...it was MOMMY that wasn't ready. Oh well...we will try this again when my mom comes to visit on July 30th. Lucas will be almost nine weeks old at that time AND I will tell my mom to call me only if she feels that she can't handle him and Lucas is crying for considerably longer than five minutes!

Tia Anabel

From June 9th - June 13th, la Tia Anabel came to meet little Lucas. It was sooo nice to have Anabel with us as she was great with Lucas and jumped right in to calm him and put him to sleep. Lucas was going through his 6 week growth spurt so it was an especially challenging time. Anabel taught me a maneuver which she called "the Giselle" that involved leaping an bouncing Lucas up and down as a means of lulling him to sleep. Anabel also practised her salsa moves as she put little Lucito to sleep - very creative! (Other nicknames that we have for Lucas are as follows: "Lukey Strike", "Lukey", "Chirrimplin") Anabel even came to my Mommy and Me class where I had a little melt down in the beginning of class from the stress of it all and Anabel took little Lucas as I composed myself. I was not only stressed about little Lucas eating 'round the clock with his growth spurt which equaled little sleep for me, but additionally, I had bad pain from my C-section incision that Sunday and spent every second that I was not feeding Lucas in bed sleeping for the entire day. On Wednesday, July 14th I had my 6 week follow up appointment with my OBGYN and I asked them to have an ultrasound done to make sure that I was healing properly. Everything looked just fine and the doctor recommended that I apply Mederma (an aloe product) on the scar daily. I was cleared me to exercise, and AHEM...other things. ;-) I started a walking routine of half an hour per day around the neighborhood either in the early morning or late evening so that Lucas is not bothered by the sun. I also ripped out the prego pilates tape that I used sporadically during the pregnancy and decided to give that a go again. Finally, I also decided that it was high time that I stopped using the granny panties that I was given at the hospital that were so comfortable for recovery, but so unattractive!

First Outing - World Cup Soccer Match at Novecento

It has been nice to have the World Cup Soccer to watch during part of June and July. On Saturday June 29th, I met my friend Manni at Novecento in Coral Gables to watch Argentina play Germany. It was my first real outing so I was very excited and celebrated with a mimosa. It is too bad that Argentina lost 4:0 but I had a great time none the less! The night before Andres took over baby duty and it was the only night since Lucas was born that I was able to sleep through the night. Andres and I discussed alternating nights so that we could each get sleep on the off nights, but that quickly changed when Lucas went on a Boob Strike. Getting him back on the breast the next day was torturous as we fed him milk from an eyedropper to avoid using another bottle until he transitioned back to the boob. He has not had a bottle since then and plan on only feeding him ONE BOTTLE per day when I introduce a bottle again in the next couple of weeks.

Baby milestones

Lucas was able to hold his head up by himself as you see here in this picture when he was only two weeks old. He was also smiling at his Mommy and Daddy by that time as well and shortly after was smiling at anybody and EVERYBODY that smiles hard enough at him...including the beloved butterfly rattle on his car seat. When he was one week old, he would give me a big smile after eating. These days he doesn't even wait until he's finished eating and will give me a big smile as he is still suckling from the nipple. He certainly likes food and a full belly! Lucas lost his bellybutton stub when he was twelve days old. When Lucas was three weeks old he was following objects that you move in front of him horizontally and also vertically (somewhat). We can't wait to see what he will do next and bought him a Baby Einstein play gym to encourage him to discover his hands. We also read to him every day to advance his verbal skills and have "conversations" with him. At 6 weeks he started blowing bubbles and drooling quite a bit which we think may be the beginning of his baby teeth moving around under his gums. Additionally, at about 7 weeks old Lucas stopped getting the baby rash that he would get all over his body at times. He is growing up!

Many Visitors and the Social Smile

It was only the beginning of Lucas' third week of life and he already learned to smile at pretty women. While we were still at the hospital during week one he would smile after feeding in his sleep. Andres and I called it his "drunk smile" and although we knew it was only a reflex, it melted our hearts just the same. Sometimes seconds after "smiling" his face converts into a look as if he is going to cry, but that is also only a reflex. From June 19th - June 23rd, my wonderful friends the Perkovic sisters came to visit: Mia, Ana and Tina. He was smiling away as they held him, played with him and fed him bottles. Although Lucas smiled socially for the first time as he was held by Daddy and was lifting his head at the same time. During the first month, Andres's Dad Roberto surprised us by coming to meet little Lucas with Uncle Jaime and cousin Jaime. Also, my friends Chris and Melissa also came to visit Lucas and were able to practise being parents as their little boy Dylan was just born on July 23rd. :-) Las Tias Joana and Teca came to visit Lucas as well as the Tios John, Francisco and Marwing. Lucas has a big family, what can I say. :-)

the First Month

It seems like the first month just flew on by. The first month was filled with anxiety, some tears and many wonderful moments like in this photo. I have become a complete baby paparazzi and am constantly after Lucas with the camera. It was great having Andres's mom in town for the first two weeks so she could help us care for Lucas and share her wisdom with us. She also made a special green plantain soup which is known in Colombia for increasing a woman's milk supply. On June 8th 2010, Lucas had his first appointment with his new pediatrician, Dr. Jose Bengochea. The practise is conveniently located only blocks from our house on 135 Madeira Ave in Coral Gables. Lucas was in perfect health for his appointment and weighed 8.6 lbs, was 21 inches tall and had a head circumference of 14 cm. It was encouraging to see that he had gained weight after losing weight at the hospital. We also had the doctor look at a skin tag that Lucas has on his rear and the baby rash on his skin. Both were normal. His next appointment was scheduled for a month from birth, but we ended up bringing Lucas in on June 15th 2010 because his belly button stub had fallen off that weekend and we wanted to make sure he was healing properly. (Lucas was in bed with Andres and I when it happened and at first we had no idea what the smell was.) Lucas was also prescribed Mylicon for his gas as he frequently fusses considerably after eating. We were concerned that he had collic, but were told that a baby with collic will cry for two hours straight. Lucas weighed 8.15 lbs, was 21 3/4 inches tall and had a head circumference of 14.5 cm. On June 30th 2010, Lucas had his one month appointment. He weighed 10.6 lbs, was 22 inches tall and had a head circumference of 14 3/4 cm. We discussed taking a dosage of Vitamin D to supplement the breat milk and having a surgeon remove the skin tag. Andres and I havn't decided when would be the best time to have this done, but will ask the surgeon what level of pain Lucas will experience so we can make the best decision. Once again, our pediatrician reassured us that the skin tag wasn't a problem, but that it might irritate Lucas in the future. Lucas will recieve his first vaccines on his next appointment which is on August 9th 2010. In the meantime, I am only taking Lucas out of the house very infrequently. I did have to take him to a show our listing for sale in the St. Tropez on Miami Beach as Andres was at a closing. Speaking of work, I went on two listing appointments during the first month and continue to work from home, although Andres goes on the brunt of the appointments for now. On another topic, it has been nice to have the World Cup Soccer to watch during this first month and into Lucas's second month. On Saturday June 29th 2010, I met my friend Manni at Novecento in Coral Gables to watch Argentina play Germany. It was my first real outing so I was very excited and celebrated with a mimosa. Too bad that Argentina lost 0:4! The night before Andres took over baby duty and it was the only night since Lucas was born that I was able to sleep through the night. Andres and I discussed alternating nights so that we could each get sleep on the off nights, but that quickly changed when Lucas went on another Boob Strike.

Lactation Consultant to the RESCUE!

Faith Ploude from The Family Collection was a life saver! She had been referred to me by several other mommies as well as health practioners in the community and seems to have built quite a name for herself. With all the problems that I was having with breastfeeding, I was told she was the one to call. I sent her an e-mail on Sunday night and she called me back first thing Monday morning. She was over my house for a private consultation a few hours later. She came prepared with a scale to weigh Lucas after he nursed and showed me techniques for effective breast feeding and getting Lucas to latch on without pain. Her favorite phrase: "Protect the nipple at all cost" and she taught me to put my pinky in Lucas' mouth when I need him to unlatch. Faith also left some hydrogels to sooth my irritated nipples. Before she left, she asked that I call or e-mail her every day to let her know how I was doing and that we would schedule a follow up appointment for Friday if both nipples hadn't healed by then. I was extremely surprised to see that one had completely healed, but as the second one was still irritated (actually bloody to be precise) I did call Faith to come back so I could refresh my memory of her fabulous instruction. She even showed me the best ways to feed baby the bottle with pumped milk although she did say that it is better not to introduce a bottle to the baby until he is six weeks old and has had time to master breastfeeding. Since we had already been giving the baby bottles, Andres and I would give the baby a bottle between breasts to take pressure off my nipples. Faith also insisted that I call her at any time, even the middle of the night, if I was having problems. I took her up on that and called her a couple of days later at six in the morning. I was home alone as Andres was taking his mom to the airport and Lucas was going on a boob strike. Since then I have become a Faith Ploude groupie and attend her Mommy and Me class that she teaches at Mercy Hospital every Tuesday and Thursday between 2:30 - 4pm.

My Stay at Baptist Hospital

I stayed at the hospital for three nights. I was cleared to leave after two nights if I wanted to as my catheter had been removed and I was able to get out of bed and walk around. However, the staff at Baptist was so incredible that Andres and I felt more comfortable staying one more day to learn as much as possible from the experts. It was a bit overwhelming to not only have a new born but also be recovering from major abdominal surgery! We were fortunate to have two hospital beds in our room so Andres was able to have his own bed. We kept the baby between us and constantly kept checking on him to make sure he was still breathing. It was so sweet how Andres kept saying to me "Thank you, he's perfect!" My parents stayed in town until Thursday morning and it was really nice having them with us. Andres's mom stayed for another two weeks which was even better! On Lucas' second day in this world he decided that he needed to breast feed for four hours straight and I was told in the birthing class that I had taken that babies need to "feed on demand." As it turns out, he was probably really hungry because all of my milk had not come in, which is especially common for C-section moms. Well, when Lucas woke up for his next feeding several hours later, the pain was excrutiating when he went to nurse. So much so that he brought me to tears and Andres called a nurse to help us. I was so tempted to just feed him formula and bring an end to the misery, but the nurse suggested pumping some milk, which was less painful then having Lucas feed directly from the breast. That was the beginning of the bloody nipples that I suffered through for the next two weeks. It was that night that we introduced Lucas to a pacifier as well. We were told that if he lost more than a pound in the week after his birth that it would be recommended to give him formula.

By the night of the second day, I was able to walk around a bit wheeling my IV around with me. I felt a lot of pressure from my incision but the pain was not too bad in the beginning. When it intensified, I took a motrin, but worked my way to percocet on the third day when the anesthesia wore off and I could really feel some discomfort. My doctor came to see me every morning to see how I was doing.

the Big Day

Lucas Simon Giraldo was born on Tuesday, June 1st 2010 at 2:11pm right on his due date. He weighed 9 lbs even and was 21 inches long. The birth did note quite happen as I imagined, but he was born healthy and that's what's important. My last doctor's appointment before Lucas's due date was on Thursday, May 27th. The week before the ultrasound had estimated the baby to be about 8lbs. With that in mind, I was a little surprised when my final appointment did not include a pelvic exam, ultrasound or even meeting with my doctor! We simply listened to the heart beat and I was asked if I had any questions. I explained that I was concerned about the size of the baby and expected to have an exam and ultrasound done so we could determine if I needed to be induced should baby not make his grand appearance on June 1st. (At that point he was only Baby X as we did not agree on the name Lucas until the day before his birth while we were enjoying a fabulous lunch at a Spanish restaurant with my parents and Andres's mom.) After the ultrasound it was determined that the baby was 9 lbs. Taking into account that an ultrasound can be off by a pound either way would make my baby anywhere between 8 - 10 lbs. at birth. One of the three doctors in the practise met with me and had a serious discussion with me after the ultrasound letting me know about the concerns of shoulder dystocia with large babies advising that I should seriously consider having a Cesarean section. When I asked her directly what she would do in my position, she said that she thought that I could pull off a natural birth giving me the option to be induced on Lucas's due date so that he does not get any bigger than he already is. WIth that said, the doctor told me that she would put in a reservation at Baptist Hospital on June 1st for both a natural birth with induction AND a C-section and that I could call my doctor the next day with my decision. When I spoke with my doctor the next day, Andres and I still had not made up our minds, but wanted to hear what our doctor thought would be the best decision for us. He told us directly how he had just had a baby delivered the week before that was 10 lbs with a shoulder dystocia and additionally the mother had ripped considerably. Andres immediately insisted that a C-section was the best option. I was really upset as this is not a scenario I had invisioned since the baby was not breach and had been facing down for a week or more already. I spoke with my family members and had a long discussion with a good friend of mine that is a doctor. At the end, Andres and I decided that the best decision for our family would be to go ahead an schedule the C-section. After all, if anything at all were to happen to Lucas, I could never live with myself...On the bright side, since we knew when the exact date of the birth would be, we coordinated to not only have Andres's mother at the birth (who was already in town from Colombia) but also my mother and father.

On the morning of June 1st 2010, I woke up at 4 am with the very beginning symptoms of labor. Funny thing that Lucas would have been born on his due date regardless of whether or not a surgery was preformed. What a good boy! This was to be my first time not only staying in a hospital, but having surgery of any kind. Regardless, the only time that I was nervous was when I was being wheeled into the operating room on the gurney. I decided right there and then that it was going to be okay and I wasn't going to panic. It helped that I was allowed to have my Ipod player and had Haydn's Trumpet Concerto playing in the background as Lucas popped out from my belly. As soon as I decided I wasn't going to be nervous, my only other concern was that I was completely numb, which happened minutes after being lifted onto the operating table. I couldn't feel anything from my belly button down. It was an odd feeling indeed! As the surgery was about to begin, Andres entered the room wearing scrubs and a mask. I felt like I was in a scene from "ER". As part of my Birthing Plan, I asked that the screen separating the surgery from my head be lifted as Lucas was emerging from my belly. You can't imagine my surprise when I saw this head full of hair pop out! I could hardly believe that it was my baby..or that it was a baby at all for that matter and not a toddler. After the baby was cleaned and Andres had cut the umbilical cord, they placed the baby next to my head and it seemed so surreal. After the operation I was wheeled to the recovery room and was REALLY anxious to be able to leave so that I could be with my baby. It felt so strange to have just given birth and not be able to be with him. I had also planned on breast feeding right away if it had been a vaginal delivery as I had read that that is best for the baby. They wouldn't let me leave the room until I was able to put my legs upright in a bent position, which took almost an hour. Shortly after that, I was wheeled into my hospital room in the maternity ward where I would remain for the next three nights. The nurse that greeted me in my room told me that it would take about three hours for Lucas to be prepared in the nursery, but my parents that had already been to the nursery to see him said that he already looked ready. When I told the nurse that, she said that she didn't want to bother the nursery as they were very busy. I told her that wasn't acceptable and that someone needed to go check on him right away and bring him to me immediately if he was ready as I didn't want to be apart from him any more time then was necessary. Lucas was put in my arms ten minutes later.

Birthing Class at Baptist Hospital

Andres and I signed up for the last possible birthing class at Baptist hospital (before our little bundle of joy was due) - May 1st and May 8th 2010 (Saturday classes from 9am - 2pm)...Yup, a little procrastination on our part! Between preparing for the baby shower, putting together the registry, setting up the nursery AND maintaining a heavy work load it fell to the wayside. Although much of the class discussed techniques for a natural birth and I ended up having a C-section, the class was great for connecting with other first time parents, preparing our birthing plans and learning about what to expect from the new member of the family. In this photo we are swaddling baby.

the Baby Shower

On May 17th 2010, Andres and I had our Baby Shower coordinated by my good friend Annette. The invitation read: "Join us for a fun-filled party honoring Barbara & Andres with the upcoming arrival of their baby boy! This is not your typical baby shower as both guys and girls are welcome...and no games will be played :-)Appetizers and drinks will be served." About 40 of our closest friends were invited and it was a blast. Annette made a deeelicious cake which we decorated with plastic babies and a bunch of friends helped with the appetizers. We also served wine and beer to make it more like a real party instead of a baby shower. ;-) We rented tables and chairs to set up in the back yard and it was a beautiful day. To see more pics, click here.

Parenting Books

Part of preparing to be first time parents for us included reading as
many baby books as we can get our hands on! We would make frequent
trips to Barnes and Nobles and made a point of checking out the baby name books first. Coming up with a name for our little guy was not easy and it wasn't until the day before he was born that we managed in accomplishing it. I digress, the first book that we dove into was given to me by my sister Gabriela, "What to Expect When Expecting." I tried to read each part that was relevant before each doctor's appointment so I would know what questions to ask. I would type them into my Blackberry to make sure that I had all questions with me for the appointment since my memory during pregnancy was horrendous! Other books we read included:
"The Happiest Baby on the Block"
"The Baby Whisperer"
"Scream Free Parenting"
"Baby's are from Heaven"
"The Cry Free Sleep Solution"

Blood Cord Banking

One of the most important things I did to plan for my baby's
arrival was to arrange for his cord blood to be stored. Thank god
my older sister had her baby first as I basically copied everything that
she did...and continue to harrass her with a million questions! We went with CBR, since that is who Gabriela used and they store the cells in
Arizona which seems to be a safe location away from earthquakes,
hurricanes, etc. Other things that I copied from Gabriela included the
hospital where she gave birth (Baptist off of Kendall Drive) and her
doctor, that she was thrilled with. It ended up being a great choice and
towards the end of the pregnancy I met the other two doctors in the
practice, since any one of the three could be there for my baby's
delivery. The only "joke" that I didn't find that hysterical was when one of
the doctors asked if I "ate Haggen Daz for breakfast" with all of
my weight gain.

Nesting - New Home

During the 2nd trimester Andres and I began making preparations for the baby. On March 1st we moved from our direct bayfront condo in the Mark to a single family home in Coral Gables. It was tough to get Andres to agree to leave the conveniences of a condo, but he finally agreed that with a baby it is much more convenient to be able to park right outside, have more privacy and have a back yard to enjoy. Our new home has three bedrooms, including a very large master bdrm, an office and the new nursery. It also has a garage, french doors leading to patio area and lots of closet space.

Amnio

On December 19th 2009, I had my amniocentesis done. Andres and I were told at that appointment, beginning of the 2nd trimester, that we were having a boy! We were very excited. I wasn't nervous about the amnio as both my sister and mom had said that it was no big deal..simply a prick on your belly. The nurses and doctors all told me that it simply wasn't necessary for me to have this proceedure done since I was just about to turn 34 at the time and it is only required of women 35 and over, but I insisted on having it done for peace of mind. I researched that the risk to the fetus was so minimal and many "problems" couldn't be directly linked to the amnio. I was more relieved to be done with the 1st trimester as that is when women face the highest incidence of miscarriage: 1 in 5 - Ouch! I am happy to report that my nausea did get slightly better as well, although I continued to "pray to the porcelain god"..when I made it to the toilet bowl, that is!

Home for the Holidays

The nausea was so debilitating that I decided to spend most of December in New York to be pampered by my parents siblings and my adorable neice, Sofia. I also finally broke down and bought some prego clothes...finally accepting that it would only be a matter of time before I wouldn't be able to fit into any of my regular clothes. In this picture with Sofia I am sporting my first outfit from Kohls with the pants with the stretchy belly. Ooh-la-la! Sofia is sporting a gorgeous dress that I bought her. As I was spoiled with my parents' attention, my Dad's fabulous cooking and my Mom's incredible holiday dinners, I was busy spoiling Sofia. ;-) I bought her a dry erase calender so we could track the days until Christmas and which days she had school. I also bought her an educational clock and workbook to learn how to tell time. We made snowmen together and did art projects together. It was so nice to be able to spend such a long time with my family and at the same time give hubby a break from having to wait on me AND cover most of the business!

Second Ultrasound

I was amazed at how detailed the second ultrasound was! What a difference from the first one that pretty much looked like a little tadpole. This was taken on November 10th 2009 towards the end of the horrid first trimester. It was a nice little reward after all of the nausea and vomiting. I would have never thought that "morning sickness" for some lucky women really lasts the entire day! I tried everything to make it go away and nothing worked for very long: bracelets with pressure points, ginger candy, etc. It was so horrible that my doctor had to prescribe Zofran which, coupled with eating every two hours, was the only thing that helped numb the nausea although it didn't make the vomiting go away completely.

A Life Changing Event

I new that something was amiss when I felt a low grade nausea during my celebratory lunch after a closing with one of my customers. I know my body pretty well and something was definitely different. I picked up a pregnancy test from Walgreens on my way home and you can imagine how surprised my hubby and I were to see the results! I went with the Clear Blue pregnancy test as that states the results in WORDS and doesn't make you fumble for those extra seconds wondering whether it was one line or two that meant pregnant. We were excited and a bit nervous at the same time when the results came in. I honestly couldn't believe how fast it happened! Little did I know that Lucas was conceived the very first day we tried.

Pre-prego

So there's a reason that I didn't start this blog when I was pregnant...and I tried! I really did. But I soon realized that I really didn't want to remember much of my pregnancy or I might never want to have another child. I'm not saying I want to have three or four kids, but possibly two. That might be nice. We haven't really made up our minds yet and kinda want to see how things go with little Lucas first...

So I found out I was pregnant the day before I was set to compete in the Escape to Miami Olympic Triathlon. Yup, that was me before getting pregnant. I competed in my first Triathlon on Sept 12th 2009 and ran my first full marathon in San Diego with Team in Training raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphomia Society on May 31st 2009 in San Diego. I had already started training and fund raising for the next season as a mentor and signed up for the infamous "Goofy Challenge" in Orlando, FL. Basically you run a full and half marathon all in one weekend. Crazy, huh!