Yes, I know it’s been awhile since our last post, but we fully intend to make up for that by overloading you with information. Grab your favorite beverage and settle in, because we have been very busy the last few months, so it’s going to be a long one……
When we last left you, we were burning up the interstate between North Carolina and West Virginia and spending lots of time with family. That did not stop in the months of July and August. Towards the middle of July (just shortly after Rhea celebrated her 4th birthday) Kaden, Mommy and Kiesel loaded up the 4-Runner and headed to WV to welcome home a hero and allow Kaden to meet his Uncle Shaney for the first time in person. Kaden was happy to meet the guy he had heard so much about, and this was reflected in his smiles and admiring stares. We were able to spend a few days at Granny’s cabin, enjoying the breeze as it combated the unusually hot (though not as hot as NC) weather. During that trip, there was much discussion about Kaden and his size compared to his Uncle Shaney at his age. As it stands right now, Kaden is trending a bit bigger than his rather large Uncle Shaney, though time will tell.
We did not stay in WV long, because we were missing Daddy. However, we did not leave all of WV behind. Shane, Shaunna, Rhea and Kya made the long journey to NC to spend a few days with us in Charlotte. Daddy was happy to have all of us back. It was an added bonus as well to have a golf buddy for a few days and Lance and Shane braved the crazy hot weather to spend some time on the golf course. Kaden, Rhea, Shaunna and I took the slightly smarter approach and found some fun air conditioned activities to occupy our time. The most memorable of those being a trip to the local animal farm, the Lazy 5 Ranch. At Lazy 5 we were able to drive through the park (windows up and air on) and see a myriad of animals up close and personal. Unfortunately the Rhino and the Giraffe’s were restricted from being able to access our car, but we got some pretty up close views of them just the same. Having a very large ostrich pecking on the window right next to your head is an experience you don’t want to miss!
I should also mention that Uncle Shaney (aka Daddy to his baby girl, Rhea) got to go on his first “adventure” to Chuck E Cheese. Rhea was so excited to take her Daddy to Chuck E Cheese, as it is on her list of favorite places. At the risk of blowing his tough guy cover, I would say that both Daddy and Daughter had an excellent time playing air hockey and other games. If you are reading this little brother, work on your football throwing skills as we are going to need more tickets next time!!
In between travels and fun stuff, we also spent the latter part of summer focusing on physical therapy for Kaden’s neck and working with a company called Cranial Technologies to ensure Kaden maintained an appropriate head shape. I would not have believed that this process would make our perfect little boy any more perfect, but I was amazed! The physical therapy visits were conducted at our house in Charlotte and we worked with a great lady named Tiffany. Tiffany came twice a week and worked with Kaden on stretching his neck muscles and ensuring that he developed properly on both sides of his body. She also worked with Mommy and Daddy to teach them the proper methods for working with Kaden on his stretching and strengthening exercises. It was amazing; in a few short weeks Kaden went from a very visible neck tilt, to a perfectly straight and level neck. He also began rolling over during these sessions and grabbing at toys and other objects.
Step two of the process involved Kaden getting fitted with a DOC band, often referred to as a helmet. The plastic/styrofoam band was fitted to Kaden’s head and designed to help his head mold and his ears align as he grew. He wore the band 23 hours a day for 8 weeks and was very rarely even bothered by its presence. As they say with many things, the whole experience was tougher on the parents. With the exception of a few incidents where Mommy’s maternal instinct to maim was triggered by the ignorance of a few people, we all came out of the experience with many positive things. Those incidents were few and far between though, and the general response was the typical Kaden reaction, with people talking about how cute he is, how much they liked his paint job, how sweet his smile is and how he makes a helmet look good! In fact, Granny was such a fan of the helmet that she was sad when it was taken off; mostly she was a fan of the chubby cheeks factor produced by the helmet.
The need for physical therapy and the DOC band all stemmed from a condition call Torticollis. In basic terms, Kaden was “squished” in the womb and the lack of space to move around prohibited his ability to fully stretch out and allow the neck muscles and tendons on his right side to stretch and develop appropriately. As such, Kaden was unable to fully turn his head to the right for the first two months of his life. The downstream reaction of that being he developed an asymmetrical head shape. While it can be a very emotional process for the parents, it’s a virtually pain free condition with only some minor discomfort coming from the initial stretching and strengthening exercise for the baby. Kaden’s neck position and strength is something that we will continue to monitor through the first 18 months of his life, to ensure his development remains on target and bilateral. We know that many parents face much more challenging and even life threatening conditions with their babies and we count our blessings every day that we were given such a healthy and thriving baby.
A google search will produce lots of results on Torticollis and Cranial Technologies has a great website explaining the in’s and out’s of the DOC band if you would like to learn more. And of course Lance and I are happy to share our experiences and information for anyone who find they are facing a similar challenge.
The month of August brought more sweltering heat to the South, and you guessed it, more trips to the mountains of WV to cool off and be outside. For our August journey the whole family was able to make the trip (minus Louie and Kitty who prefer the comforts of the air conditioned house). We spent a week relaxing and visiting.
To start the week, we set up camp at Stuart’s Park in Grandpa Conley and Pappaw John’s campers. For three nights we hung out in the woods, made s’mores and relaxed. Our camping party continues to grow as we added Uncle Shaney, Aunt Shaunna, Rhea and Grandma Nee to the festivities on this trip. Rhea as you know is a seasoned veteran as of this summer, but it’s been awhile since her Mom and Dad joined us out in the woods. We also had a very special day when Aunt Casey, Riley and Madison dropped by to spend the day with us. Aunt Casey cooked up some tasty mountain pies and Riley, Madison and Rhea had loads of fun playing around the campsite. I think the group favorite was standing under the awning as we cleared the pooled rain water. Kaden in particular thought the girls were funny. Keeping watch over them pretty much wore down the little guy. I think he’s looking forward to next year when he can run around the campsite with his cousins.
Our outdoor adventures did not stop at Stuarts. After three slightly rainy days, we packed up camp and headed to the higher elevations of Granny’s cabin. While there we enjoyed some amazing summer weather and spent some time visiting family in the big town of Harman. Lance and Shane once again found some time to hit the links and we all enjoyed a very healthy round of skeet shooting off Granny’s front porch. I would say hundreds of shells and 3 shotguns constitute a “healthy” round. Kaden and Kiesel wore themselves out running around and playing and as always Kaden enjoyed spending time on the porch overlooking the fields and playing in his exersaucer, in between keeping an eye on the various activities of his little blond haired cousin of course. We suffered a minor setback when we realized the spring had dried up and we were without water, but we were able to work through that with a trip to Grandma Simmons and Granddaddy Pete’s and several bucket brigade trips to the pond.
We rounded out our vacation with a very successful trip to Pappaw John’s garden and one more rainy trip to the golf course. We found ourselves heavily laden with a variety of vegetables as we made our way back to North Carolina to finish out our summer. Upon returning to NC Kaden “helped” can 24 quarts of pickles and 18 pints of green beans. His favorite part was chewing on the raw green beans.
In the spirit of chewing, Kaden got his first teeth in the month of August. It was at times a very painful process for all involved, and still continues to be on occasion, but happy to report that Kaden has two very healthy bottom, front teeth that rise higher and higher every day. Who would have thought that such a sweet smile could be made even sweeter!
Our final weeks of August were spent completing last minute errands and preparing ourselves for the very big change that fall would bring. We also took the opportunity in the last week of August to meet Kaden’s growing demand for nourishment by introducing vegetables to his bland diet of formula, rice cereal and oatmeal. All of the orange vegetables have been a success, followed by the greens. Sweet potatoes seem to be his preferred favorite, but he’s generally pretty enthusiastic about whatever is given to him. We have since started adding fruits to the menu, but are finding that he still tends to lean more towards the veggies. Thankfully he seems to have gotten his Daddy’s preference for good food and not his Mommy’s pension for sweets. When possible we are preparing the food ourselves, using fresh veggies and a food processor, but he is equally happy with the contents from the Gerber jar.
With the end of summer came a big change for the Marcum household. Mommy was slated to start work on 9/30 and Kaden was signed up to attend daycare for the first time. It was sad to see our summer end along with frequent trips to WV, visits from family and leisure time outside, but the anticipation of the upcoming change also added an air of excitement.
The first days of “school” turned out to be quite successful. Mommy got up, put on her big girl clothes and went to work as planned, while Daddy and Kaden enjoyed breakfast before Daddy dropped Kaden off for his first big day. Everybody had their sad moments that first day, but all in all we held it together pretty well. Daddy did not make a scene when he dropped off his baby boy, Mommy only called the school once to check on her baby bug and Kaden adjusted to the environment and fell in to his normal sleep routine by that afternoon. By the second day the routine was running like clockwork and with each day we all got a little more comfortable and a little happier with the adjustment. This isn’t to say that we aren’t still having occasions where Mommy runs a little late for work because she wants extra snuggle time with her baby in the morning or Kaden gets dropped off a little later because he and Daddy are enjoying the morning. I would warn anyone traveling North on 1-85 between 4:30 and 5 during the week to make a hole when you see a black 4-Runner coming through, because there’s a very excited mommy behind the wheel headed for the best part of her day……but like I said, we are adjusting well over all.
Fortunately for all of us, our change of routine was made a little easier by the Labor Day Holiday’s. We used the weekend to make a quick trip to WV to celebrate Erich and Savanna’s wedding, and then used the short work week to catch up on household chores and lots of missed cuddles and belly kisses. We are pleased to report that Kaden made the trip wonderfully and seemed to rather enjoy the comforts of his new “big boy” car seat.
9/11 was full of varying emotions for us this year. As we remembered those who lost their lives and those who continue to defend our country against cowardly terrorist bastards, we also celebrated Kaden’s 6 month birthday. Just like every month, it’s hard to understand where the time goes and how it’s possible that the healthy and vibrant baby boy we wake up to every morning was just a tiny speck in his Mommy’s belly this time last year. Now we are his parents and some day he will come to us full of questions about what happened so many years ago on 9/11. I hope we answer those questions honestly and clearly and that he is able to benefit and not be part of a future that makes the same mistakes or faces the same tragedies. I hope he also learns about pride, honor and defending your loved ones as well as those who cannot defend themselves.
And that pretty much brings us to current day. Kaden went for his 6 month check up this week and continues to be off the charts in height. He is currently a lengthy 28 inches and weighs 19lbs and 1 ounce. His health and development are right on par and within seconds of getting his vaccinations he was smiling at the nurses and bringing his usual happiness to everyone at the doctor’s office. He’s a smiling happy boy when Mommy picks him up at school and we are pretty sure the afternoon ladies fight over who gets to play with him the most.
We are truly blessed and hope this very lengthy post finds you all the same!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
It cannot possibly be July already - June 2010
I don't know how it happened, but here we sit on July 12 with almost half the summer already gone. It probably has something to do with all the fun we've been having in the last few weeks, because you know what they say about time and fun......at any rate the last few weeks have been chock-full of firsts.
We started the month out with our first single parent trip to West Virginia to spend a long weekend hanging out with friends and family. Lance (aka Daddy) stayed in Charlotte to do a few things around the house and enjoy some much deserved personal time. The trip was a success with both Kaden and Kiesel traveling like pros!
When we returned to the steamy south we brought some very precious cargo with us. Rhea, Shaunna and their dog Kya made the long trip down to spend some time with us in the month of June. Having 2 full grown german shepherds, 3 adults, 2 cats, a three year old and a baby in the same house would probably have been a site to see at times; but it was great having so much life in the house. Rhea was a great helper always wanting to help change Kaden's diaper, pick out his clothes and of course entertain him during tummy time. Likewise, Kaden was very intent on watching Rhea and observing her activities. I think they will be great friends and playmates. It was also great to have Aunt Shaunna's energy around to help out with the big man. She did a lot of entertaining and a lot of walking/bouncing when the situation called for it. Shaunna was even gracious enough to give the new Mommy and Daddy a date night.
Of course a visit to see Uncle Lancey and Aunt Manda is not complete without a trip to Chuck E Cheese. I have a feeling Chuck E Cheese will be part of our future for years to come, because not only does Rhea have a great time there ,but Kaden really enjoyed all the lights and sounds as well. We also took a trip to Discovery Place where we watched a very impressive 3D film about sharks and played with some interesting "experiments".
During Rhea and Shaunna's visit Kaden took his very first dip in the pool. He was not a fan of the sun in his eyes, but once we got him situated in his frog float with the half cover he had a great time bobbing around the kiddy pool with his cousin Rhea. It was also a monumental time for Rhea in that she began putting her face in the water and feeling much more secure in the pool. We might have future swim stars on our hands, one just never knows!
Towards the end of the month we packed up the dogs and the kids and headed north again. Lance stayed behind to finish up his work week and then joined us in WV on the first of July. During our time in WV we had lots of important firsts. My personal favorite being that Kaden slept through the night for multiple nights in a row. (note we have been unable to replicate this phenomenon since we have returned to NC). We also went on Kaden's first camping trip (and I believe Rhea's first overnight camping trip as well) with Pappaw John and Grandpa Conley. Kaden loves being outside and enjoyed hanging out by the campfire and playing outside in his exersaucer. It was unusually cold at night (down in the 40's), but Grandpa Conley had us covered and let us borrow his ceramic heater for inside Pappaw John's camper. And speaking of Pappaw John, while we were home he reached the monumental milestone called retirement. Though I think he had mixed feelings about leaving a job he had been doing for almost 30 years, we are looking forward to hopefully seeing him in NC a little more this year (hint, hint).
In other firsts, Kaden met his friends Austin and Savanna for the first time. We spent the afternoon hanging out poolside with Austin, Savanna and their Mommy, Tarra. Tarra and I have been friends since the third grade, so it was pretty cool to see each other and see our kids together. Savanna is only 2 months younger than Kaden.
Of course we should not forget Kaden's first trip to Granny's cabin. He had a great time enjoying the clean mountain air, watching the dogs frolic by the pond and of course riding atop Granny's new John Deere. We hope to make many visits to the cabin in the future, provided of course we find a way to keep everyone out of the pond (yeah right).
After celebrating my Grandad's 90th birthday and a few other fun activities, Lance, Kaden, Kiesel and I made our way back to NC. We were greeted with the 100 degree weather, which is quite hot for this time of year, even in the South. Since we have been back we have been spending most of our time in-doors and are all missing the mountain air, the cool weather and our family & friends back in WV. However, it's been nice to catch up with some of our Charlotte friends and hear what they've been up to lately.
I'll close out this month's blog with one more first....Kaden's first (and only) 4 month "birthday". It's hard to believe that he is already 4 months old. Everybody always wants to know how much he weighs, and today's official answer is 16lbs and 14 ounces. Which is a perfectly healthy weight for someone who is 27 1/2 long! Kaden celebrated his 4 month milestone by "finding" his feet for the first time. The ability to see, grab and almost chew his feet (yes, he is millimeters away from getting them in his mouth) has also sparked a lot of new sounds and babble, which is a lot of fun for Mommy and Daddy as well.
We started the month out with our first single parent trip to West Virginia to spend a long weekend hanging out with friends and family. Lance (aka Daddy) stayed in Charlotte to do a few things around the house and enjoy some much deserved personal time. The trip was a success with both Kaden and Kiesel traveling like pros!
When we returned to the steamy south we brought some very precious cargo with us. Rhea, Shaunna and their dog Kya made the long trip down to spend some time with us in the month of June. Having 2 full grown german shepherds, 3 adults, 2 cats, a three year old and a baby in the same house would probably have been a site to see at times; but it was great having so much life in the house. Rhea was a great helper always wanting to help change Kaden's diaper, pick out his clothes and of course entertain him during tummy time. Likewise, Kaden was very intent on watching Rhea and observing her activities. I think they will be great friends and playmates. It was also great to have Aunt Shaunna's energy around to help out with the big man. She did a lot of entertaining and a lot of walking/bouncing when the situation called for it. Shaunna was even gracious enough to give the new Mommy and Daddy a date night.
Of course a visit to see Uncle Lancey and Aunt Manda is not complete without a trip to Chuck E Cheese. I have a feeling Chuck E Cheese will be part of our future for years to come, because not only does Rhea have a great time there ,but Kaden really enjoyed all the lights and sounds as well. We also took a trip to Discovery Place where we watched a very impressive 3D film about sharks and played with some interesting "experiments".
During Rhea and Shaunna's visit Kaden took his very first dip in the pool. He was not a fan of the sun in his eyes, but once we got him situated in his frog float with the half cover he had a great time bobbing around the kiddy pool with his cousin Rhea. It was also a monumental time for Rhea in that she began putting her face in the water and feeling much more secure in the pool. We might have future swim stars on our hands, one just never knows!
Towards the end of the month we packed up the dogs and the kids and headed north again. Lance stayed behind to finish up his work week and then joined us in WV on the first of July. During our time in WV we had lots of important firsts. My personal favorite being that Kaden slept through the night for multiple nights in a row. (note we have been unable to replicate this phenomenon since we have returned to NC). We also went on Kaden's first camping trip (and I believe Rhea's first overnight camping trip as well) with Pappaw John and Grandpa Conley. Kaden loves being outside and enjoyed hanging out by the campfire and playing outside in his exersaucer. It was unusually cold at night (down in the 40's), but Grandpa Conley had us covered and let us borrow his ceramic heater for inside Pappaw John's camper. And speaking of Pappaw John, while we were home he reached the monumental milestone called retirement. Though I think he had mixed feelings about leaving a job he had been doing for almost 30 years, we are looking forward to hopefully seeing him in NC a little more this year (hint, hint).
In other firsts, Kaden met his friends Austin and Savanna for the first time. We spent the afternoon hanging out poolside with Austin, Savanna and their Mommy, Tarra. Tarra and I have been friends since the third grade, so it was pretty cool to see each other and see our kids together. Savanna is only 2 months younger than Kaden.
Of course we should not forget Kaden's first trip to Granny's cabin. He had a great time enjoying the clean mountain air, watching the dogs frolic by the pond and of course riding atop Granny's new John Deere. We hope to make many visits to the cabin in the future, provided of course we find a way to keep everyone out of the pond (yeah right).
After celebrating my Grandad's 90th birthday and a few other fun activities, Lance, Kaden, Kiesel and I made our way back to NC. We were greeted with the 100 degree weather, which is quite hot for this time of year, even in the South. Since we have been back we have been spending most of our time in-doors and are all missing the mountain air, the cool weather and our family & friends back in WV. However, it's been nice to catch up with some of our Charlotte friends and hear what they've been up to lately.
I'll close out this month's blog with one more first....Kaden's first (and only) 4 month "birthday". It's hard to believe that he is already 4 months old. Everybody always wants to know how much he weighs, and today's official answer is 16lbs and 14 ounces. Which is a perfectly healthy weight for someone who is 27 1/2 long! Kaden celebrated his 4 month milestone by "finding" his feet for the first time. The ability to see, grab and almost chew his feet (yes, he is millimeters away from getting them in his mouth) has also sparked a lot of new sounds and babble, which is a lot of fun for Mommy and Daddy as well.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Welcome Summer - May 2010
Summer 2010 is off to a great start in the Marcum house! Kaden is doing amazing, he is quite the handsome fella (totally unbiased opinion) and we couldn't be more proud of him.
We started the month of May with a visit from the family of Amanda's long time friend, Jen. The VanLef crew came and spent the day with us and I can already see a lifetime of friendship budding between Kale and Kaden. Kale is about 8 months Kaden's senior, but that's almost the exact age difference between Kale's Momma, Jen and Kaden's Mommy. The main chaos makers on this visit were Kiesel and Kale's dog Moby, but I feel certain that Kale and Kaden will be stepping it up on future visits. We loved having the VanLef's for the day and it was great to see how much Kale has grown and changed since their last visit with us. It's also good to see what we are in store for in a few months with Kaden....Thanks Jen and Trish for paving the way!!
Kaden had his 2 month doctor's appointment and continues to keep right on thriving in the 90th percentile for height and weight. Our Big Man checked in at 24 1/4 inches and 13.6 pounds. As of this post we can assure you that he has continued to grow. Almost over night we had to replace just about all of Kaden's 6 month clothes with 9 month size. At this point he is growing in to his clothing sizes in weeks instead of months.
Towards the middle of the month we had a visit from Grandma Karen and Grandpa Tim. They drove all the way from Alabama to spend a long weekend visiting and spoiling their grandson. It was also a milestone weekend for Mommy and Daddy as they left their precious baby boy with Grandma Karen for a few hours and went out for their first "date" in a very long time. It was a strange feeling to be out without our big man, but great to spend some alone time. Thanks for making that possible Grandma Karen!
The month rounded out with a visit from Pappaw John and Grandpa Conley. They come down every year for the Nascar race weekend and camp out at the track. However this year found them lingering at the house a little more than normal spending time with their new grandson. Kaden also made multiple appearances at the campsite near the track and absolutely loved it. Kaden was the only kid in the campground with his own oscillating fan. Pappaw John ensured the fan stayed in optimal position for Kaden's comfort and Grandpa Conley kept the generator running to supply the power. I think we may be raising a future race fan, though there seems to be some discrepancy about who his driver of choice will be.
If the start of the summer is any indication, summer 2010 is going to be a great one. We are looking forward to more visitors, more travel and many new experiences!
We started the month of May with a visit from the family of Amanda's long time friend, Jen. The VanLef crew came and spent the day with us and I can already see a lifetime of friendship budding between Kale and Kaden. Kale is about 8 months Kaden's senior, but that's almost the exact age difference between Kale's Momma, Jen and Kaden's Mommy. The main chaos makers on this visit were Kiesel and Kale's dog Moby, but I feel certain that Kale and Kaden will be stepping it up on future visits. We loved having the VanLef's for the day and it was great to see how much Kale has grown and changed since their last visit with us. It's also good to see what we are in store for in a few months with Kaden....Thanks Jen and Trish for paving the way!!
Kaden had his 2 month doctor's appointment and continues to keep right on thriving in the 90th percentile for height and weight. Our Big Man checked in at 24 1/4 inches and 13.6 pounds. As of this post we can assure you that he has continued to grow. Almost over night we had to replace just about all of Kaden's 6 month clothes with 9 month size. At this point he is growing in to his clothing sizes in weeks instead of months.
Towards the middle of the month we had a visit from Grandma Karen and Grandpa Tim. They drove all the way from Alabama to spend a long weekend visiting and spoiling their grandson. It was also a milestone weekend for Mommy and Daddy as they left their precious baby boy with Grandma Karen for a few hours and went out for their first "date" in a very long time. It was a strange feeling to be out without our big man, but great to spend some alone time. Thanks for making that possible Grandma Karen!
The month rounded out with a visit from Pappaw John and Grandpa Conley. They come down every year for the Nascar race weekend and camp out at the track. However this year found them lingering at the house a little more than normal spending time with their new grandson. Kaden also made multiple appearances at the campsite near the track and absolutely loved it. Kaden was the only kid in the campground with his own oscillating fan. Pappaw John ensured the fan stayed in optimal position for Kaden's comfort and Grandpa Conley kept the generator running to supply the power. I think we may be raising a future race fan, though there seems to be some discrepancy about who his driver of choice will be.
If the start of the summer is any indication, summer 2010 is going to be a great one. We are looking forward to more visitors, more travel and many new experiences!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Smile for Daddy!
Wow! Here we are staring down Kaden's 2 month mark. It's been a whirl wind month and he has changed so much in a short time that it's hard to know where to start.
We started out the month with a visit from Aunt Amy and Uncle Justin. They flew all the way from Indianapolis to spend the weekend with us and meet their nephew for the first time. We couldn't have ordered better weather for their visit and of course Kaden had a great time getting spoiled by his aunt and uncle. As all good Aunt's do, Amy came loaded with gifts and Kaden is now properly outfitted for all Pittsburgh sporting events, including of course the hockey playoffs.
Speaking of hockey playoffs, Kaden has enjoyed each Penguins game in the series from the comforts of his Daddy's lap. A couple of bottles and a Penguins game make for some pretty happy father and son moments. I would say it's pretty safe to say that the next generation of sport's loving Marcum's is in development.
We have also been getting out and about more locally and have been visiting with friends in the Charlotte area on weekends. Kaden even made his first trip to the town of Waxhaw and continues to be an excellent traveler. He seems to have a fan base wherever we go and is enjoying all the attention and love.
With regards to the Big Man himself, Kaden continues to grow like a weed. He is now wearing 6 month clothes and in some cases 6 - 9 month clothes. We go tomorrow for our 2 month checkup and expect to hear that he is developing perfectly! And of course the big news for the month is that Kaden has started smiling. Daddy was the first to get to see Kaden's beautiful smile, but there have been many more since then shared with Mommy and others. Kaden has also discovered the various sites and sounds of his baby einstein gym and spends up to 30 minutes at a time playing and cooing in his gym. He is also showing signs of being interested in books as he kicks, grins and coos when being read to. So far he seems to like his animal book best with the bright colors and big pictures.
We are still not sleeping through the night, but Kaden is occasionally surprising us with 5 and 6 hour stretches, so we are hoping a full nights sleep is on the horizon. For now though we will do our best to enjoy the late night feeding/cuddling sessions and know that someday we will long for him to smile and cuddle with us at 2 in the morning.
Speaking of feedings, it is getting to be close to that time when Kaden will be demanding lunch (and I do mean demanding) so it's probably best if I wrap this up and get lunch prepared.
Best Wishes to all!
We started out the month with a visit from Aunt Amy and Uncle Justin. They flew all the way from Indianapolis to spend the weekend with us and meet their nephew for the first time. We couldn't have ordered better weather for their visit and of course Kaden had a great time getting spoiled by his aunt and uncle. As all good Aunt's do, Amy came loaded with gifts and Kaden is now properly outfitted for all Pittsburgh sporting events, including of course the hockey playoffs.
Speaking of hockey playoffs, Kaden has enjoyed each Penguins game in the series from the comforts of his Daddy's lap. A couple of bottles and a Penguins game make for some pretty happy father and son moments. I would say it's pretty safe to say that the next generation of sport's loving Marcum's is in development.
We have also been getting out and about more locally and have been visiting with friends in the Charlotte area on weekends. Kaden even made his first trip to the town of Waxhaw and continues to be an excellent traveler. He seems to have a fan base wherever we go and is enjoying all the attention and love.
With regards to the Big Man himself, Kaden continues to grow like a weed. He is now wearing 6 month clothes and in some cases 6 - 9 month clothes. We go tomorrow for our 2 month checkup and expect to hear that he is developing perfectly! And of course the big news for the month is that Kaden has started smiling. Daddy was the first to get to see Kaden's beautiful smile, but there have been many more since then shared with Mommy and others. Kaden has also discovered the various sites and sounds of his baby einstein gym and spends up to 30 minutes at a time playing and cooing in his gym. He is also showing signs of being interested in books as he kicks, grins and coos when being read to. So far he seems to like his animal book best with the bright colors and big pictures.
We are still not sleeping through the night, but Kaden is occasionally surprising us with 5 and 6 hour stretches, so we are hoping a full nights sleep is on the horizon. For now though we will do our best to enjoy the late night feeding/cuddling sessions and know that someday we will long for him to smile and cuddle with us at 2 in the morning.
Speaking of feedings, it is getting to be close to that time when Kaden will be demanding lunch (and I do mean demanding) so it's probably best if I wrap this up and get lunch prepared.
Best Wishes to all!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Country Roads...Take Me Home
To commemorate Kaden's first month, we took our very first family road trip to West Virginia.
Yep, last Friday we got up early in the morning, loaded up the new luggage hauler and Kiesel, fed and changed Kaden, got the cats situated and three hours later we were on the interstate headed north. (yes....our get up and go now days are over)
Fortunately for us Kaden and Kiesel are both excellent travelers and slept the entire duration of the trip. We were able to make the full trip with only stopping once to feed Kaden and ourselves and allow Kiesel to stretch his legs. For first time parents we were pretty pleased that we only added an hour on to the trip, though I think we have to give most of the credit to our extremely cooperative baby. Mommy and Daddy learned quite a few things about traveling with a little one and have already made improvements.
Our weekend in West Virginia was spent introducing Kaden to many of his family members and life long family friends. He met so many important people for the first time that it's hard to call them all out, but family members ranged from first meetings with aunts and uncles through first time meetings with his great-great grandmother and all of his great-grandparents. We did manage to get some pictures of some of the first time introductions, so check those out on our shutterfly page. Kaden is truly blessed with a very large number of family and friends who are head over heels in love with him already!
Upon our return to Charlotte, Kaden had his one month check up. On April 13, 2010 he weighed 11 pounds and 5 ounces and was 23.25 inches long. Both his height and weight put him in the top 90-95 percentile for all babies. We are so fortunate and thankful to have such a healthy, thriving baby boy.
We are looking forward to the summer, many more road trips and watching our big man grow!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Three Weeks Old
While not an official milestone, Thursday marked Kaden's three week "birthday".
Just like the weeks before he continues to change and become more aware/observant of his surroundings. Mommy and Daddy continue to improve their skills and slowly but surely we are all starting to fall in to a rythym and signs of once again being a somewhat organized household are starting to appear. He is still keeping us on our toes with his schedule, sometimes going 3 hours between feedings sometimes a little longer and sometimes a little less. Though he still wakes up about every 3 hours at night to eat, he's getting much better about eating and going right back to sleep during the night and eating and "hanging out" for a bit during the day. Hopefully over time we'll start to see the night time feedings get spaced out further and further.
We've learned a lot about Kaden in the past three weeks:
He very much likes: music (Jimmy Buffet seems to be a preferred choice), warm baths in his bathtub, cuddling with Mommy, Daddy and anyone who is warm and loving, being outside and riding in his stroller.
He does not like: cool air, being cold or waiting for his meals for any period of time (when the tank is empty, it's empty)
He was not intially a fan of, but is reconsidering: spending time in his swing, his bouncy chair, before bed time massages and diaper changes.
We can't wait to see what next week brings!
Just like the weeks before he continues to change and become more aware/observant of his surroundings. Mommy and Daddy continue to improve their skills and slowly but surely we are all starting to fall in to a rythym and signs of once again being a somewhat organized household are starting to appear. He is still keeping us on our toes with his schedule, sometimes going 3 hours between feedings sometimes a little longer and sometimes a little less. Though he still wakes up about every 3 hours at night to eat, he's getting much better about eating and going right back to sleep during the night and eating and "hanging out" for a bit during the day. Hopefully over time we'll start to see the night time feedings get spaced out further and further.
We've learned a lot about Kaden in the past three weeks:
He very much likes: music (Jimmy Buffet seems to be a preferred choice), warm baths in his bathtub, cuddling with Mommy, Daddy and anyone who is warm and loving, being outside and riding in his stroller.
He does not like: cool air, being cold or waiting for his meals for any period of time (when the tank is empty, it's empty)
He was not intially a fan of, but is reconsidering: spending time in his swing, his bouncy chair, before bed time massages and diaper changes.
We can't wait to see what next week brings!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Major Milestone - Umbilical Cord
We are pleased to report that Kaden's umbilical cord officially fell off today!!
Sniffle, sniffle....one of many signs of growing up!
Sniffle, sniffle....one of many signs of growing up!
Our First Week Home
Our first week home as a new family has been an overall success! Every day we all learn something new about the world and each other, but even the tough moments are completely worth it when we get to gaze at our new baby boy!
Pappa John, Grandma Nee and Grandma Karen were all on hand for our first day home from the hospital. We were released on Sunday, March 14, 2010 and greeted by a spectacular carolina blue sky and sunshine. Of course we had our obligatory bad driver cut in front of the car about 4 miles from home, but Daddy was able to stop in time and with the exception of some irate parents the ride home went without incident. Kaden slept through the entire event. At home, Pappa John carried Kaden from the car in to home and made sure everyone was settled before he and Grandma Nee returned to West Virginia.
Kaden's first night home went very well. Much of the day and most of the evening were spent curled up in the recliner with Grandma Karen. After two weeks of waiting patiently for his arrival, she was able to enjoy some alone time with her new Grandson before returning to Alabama the following day.
On Tuesday, Kiesel came home from his vacation at Don and Kelley's and the house was complete again. After many days spent romping and playing with his dog friend Smokey, Kiesel was ready to relax and lay in his spot by the couch. Kiesel was happy to see Kaden and maintained a constant visual getting up to supervise each time Kaden woke or fussed. In fact, Kiesel is so in love with our new addition that we've had a hard time explaining to him why puppy kisses are not appropriate for little babies.
At first we thought Kaden was trying to set a record for number of wardrobe changes in a single day, but quickly learned that efficiency with the diaper changes saves on the laundry. As Mommy and Daddy have gotten better with the diapers and dressing we've been going through slightly less outfits and linens each day. We have also learned pretty quickly that Kaden does not like to wait for his meals. Working on our system and our technique has produced fewer tears, though we are finding out that sometimes the crying is inevitable and will pass with time. And speaking of eating, Kaden went from eating around .5 ounces of milk about 7 times a day when we came home and is currently demanding 4 ounces of milk around 7 times a day. For those keeping track, there are 16 ounces in a pound...so Kaden is consuming almost 2 pounds of milk in a 24 hour period. This explains why at our last check up on 3/19 he was weighing in at 8lbs and 9 ounces, just 3 ounces shy of his original birth weight.
We have even managed to venture outside of the house on multiple occasions. Kaden seems to really enjoy walks around the neighborhood with his puppy. Thanks to Granny, who came to spend a long weekend, we've also made our first of many shopping trips. A little more tricky than normal to make sure you have all the necessary gear and baby travel items, but Kaden is showing signs of being a very agreeable traveler and quite adaptable to being out and about.
Even in just a weeks time it's been remarkable for us to see how much Kaden has changed. Every day he opens his eyes wider and stays up longer visually exploring and processing his surroundings. His features are becoming more and more defined and his muscle control increases every day. What was once a balled up little bundle is stretching out his arms and his legs and growing by leaps and bounds. Every day brings a new facial expression, a new learning, etc.
If all of our weeks are like this one, we are in for an experience beyond anything we could have imagined!
Pappa John, Grandma Nee and Grandma Karen were all on hand for our first day home from the hospital. We were released on Sunday, March 14, 2010 and greeted by a spectacular carolina blue sky and sunshine. Of course we had our obligatory bad driver cut in front of the car about 4 miles from home, but Daddy was able to stop in time and with the exception of some irate parents the ride home went without incident. Kaden slept through the entire event. At home, Pappa John carried Kaden from the car in to home and made sure everyone was settled before he and Grandma Nee returned to West Virginia.
Kaden's first night home went very well. Much of the day and most of the evening were spent curled up in the recliner with Grandma Karen. After two weeks of waiting patiently for his arrival, she was able to enjoy some alone time with her new Grandson before returning to Alabama the following day.
On Tuesday, Kiesel came home from his vacation at Don and Kelley's and the house was complete again. After many days spent romping and playing with his dog friend Smokey, Kiesel was ready to relax and lay in his spot by the couch. Kiesel was happy to see Kaden and maintained a constant visual getting up to supervise each time Kaden woke or fussed. In fact, Kiesel is so in love with our new addition that we've had a hard time explaining to him why puppy kisses are not appropriate for little babies.
At first we thought Kaden was trying to set a record for number of wardrobe changes in a single day, but quickly learned that efficiency with the diaper changes saves on the laundry. As Mommy and Daddy have gotten better with the diapers and dressing we've been going through slightly less outfits and linens each day. We have also learned pretty quickly that Kaden does not like to wait for his meals. Working on our system and our technique has produced fewer tears, though we are finding out that sometimes the crying is inevitable and will pass with time. And speaking of eating, Kaden went from eating around .5 ounces of milk about 7 times a day when we came home and is currently demanding 4 ounces of milk around 7 times a day. For those keeping track, there are 16 ounces in a pound...so Kaden is consuming almost 2 pounds of milk in a 24 hour period. This explains why at our last check up on 3/19 he was weighing in at 8lbs and 9 ounces, just 3 ounces shy of his original birth weight.
We have even managed to venture outside of the house on multiple occasions. Kaden seems to really enjoy walks around the neighborhood with his puppy. Thanks to Granny, who came to spend a long weekend, we've also made our first of many shopping trips. A little more tricky than normal to make sure you have all the necessary gear and baby travel items, but Kaden is showing signs of being a very agreeable traveler and quite adaptable to being out and about.
Even in just a weeks time it's been remarkable for us to see how much Kaden has changed. Every day he opens his eyes wider and stays up longer visually exploring and processing his surroundings. His features are becoming more and more defined and his muscle control increases every day. What was once a balled up little bundle is stretching out his arms and his legs and growing by leaps and bounds. Every day brings a new facial expression, a new learning, etc.
If all of our weeks are like this one, we are in for an experience beyond anything we could have imagined!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Introducing Kaden John-Conley Marcum
Hey all!
Wanted to “officially” introduce you to the newest member of our family, Kaden John-Conley Marcum.
Kaden was born in to the world on March 11, 2010 at 5:35pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 14.7 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. We couldn’t be more excited to have our beautiful baby boy! We are still undecided as to whom he favors in the looks department, but I think I see more and more of Lance in him everyday. Size wise he seems to take a little more after the male genetics in the Yokum family, sporting some sizable hands and feet. We were told he was the biggest baby born at the hospital on 3/11/10.
Needless to say it has been a long few days. We were admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 so that the doctors could start the process of inducing labor. By Thursday morning, labor had begun and by around 12pm that same day Mommy was full of “happy juice” and fully dilated. It looked like Kaden would be born at any time. Unfortunately God and Kaden had other plans. After an afternoon of labor that I’m sure all of the participants would like to have missed, the doctors provided the option of a c-section. Within 16 minutes of starting the procedure Daddy and Mommy finally got to see their beautiful baby boy. Hearing him cry for the first time and seeing him for the first time was an amazing moment neither of us will ever forget and worth every bit of the day’s prior events. The first notable comments in the operating room were regarding the impressiveness of his size and everything after that was a blur of tears and happiness.
I’ve posted lots of pictures to my shutterfly page, which you should be able to access via the following link and you are not required to be a member to do so. If you have any problems, let me know. It’s something new I’m trying out, so feedback welcome.
http://kadenjohnconleymarcum.shutterfly.com/
Wanted to “officially” introduce you to the newest member of our family, Kaden John-Conley Marcum.
Kaden was born in to the world on March 11, 2010 at 5:35pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 14.7 ounces and is 21.5 inches long. We couldn’t be more excited to have our beautiful baby boy! We are still undecided as to whom he favors in the looks department, but I think I see more and more of Lance in him everyday. Size wise he seems to take a little more after the male genetics in the Yokum family, sporting some sizable hands and feet. We were told he was the biggest baby born at the hospital on 3/11/10.
Needless to say it has been a long few days. We were admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 so that the doctors could start the process of inducing labor. By Thursday morning, labor had begun and by around 12pm that same day Mommy was full of “happy juice” and fully dilated. It looked like Kaden would be born at any time. Unfortunately God and Kaden had other plans. After an afternoon of labor that I’m sure all of the participants would like to have missed, the doctors provided the option of a c-section. Within 16 minutes of starting the procedure Daddy and Mommy finally got to see their beautiful baby boy. Hearing him cry for the first time and seeing him for the first time was an amazing moment neither of us will ever forget and worth every bit of the day’s prior events. The first notable comments in the operating room were regarding the impressiveness of his size and everything after that was a blur of tears and happiness.
I’ve posted lots of pictures to my shutterfly page, which you should be able to access via the following link and you are not required to be a member to do so. If you have any problems, let me know. It’s something new I’m trying out, so feedback welcome.
http://kadenjohnconleymarcum.shutterfly.com/
It’s really amazing to think that this time last week we were writing to share stories about all the activities we were undertaking with hopes of inspiring our little guy to come out, and this week we are sitting here with an amazing baby boy and our life has completely changed. I am positive this is just the start of some amazing times for us all!
Thank you to everyone who has been part of our lives and particularly this most important part. We are blessed to have such an amazing collection of family and friends.
Love,
Lance, Amanda and Kaden
Blog: http://lanceandamandabigadventure.blogspot.com/
Photos: http://kadenjohnconleymarcum.shutterfly.com/
We have a plan - March 9, 2010
Another beautiful day in Charlotte, NC but still no baby Kaden. However, we are excited to report that we do have a plan and should be seeing our little guy in just a few days.
We had our final checkup at the doctor’s office today, and the ultra-sound and fetal monitor show that Kaden is healthy and apparently quite comfortable. Unfortunately he’s a little too comfortable showing no signs that he plans to depart his happy space anytime soon. Numerous miles of walking and a day of yard work (yes, I mowed the back yard yesterday) don’t seem to be coaxing Kaden to join us, so the doctors have agreed that moving forward with an induction is in everyone’s best interest.
Tomorrow night, we will be admitted to the labor and delivery floor where they will start the process for inducing labor. While no results are guaranteed, the chances are good that we’ll be holding our baby boy in our arms sometime Thursday, March 11. As you can imagine Mommy and Daddy are ready for him to get here ASAP and overjoyed to know that the beginning of our newest adventure is just around the corner.
We appreciate the calls, emails and facebook messages checking in on us during this waiting period. We know everyone is anxious to meet Kaden and we can’t wait to introduce him to everyone very soon. There have been a few times in the last few days where I’m quite certain that Granny, Grandma Karen and even Daddy have considered Chinese tickle torture and various other methods to get Kaden to join us. I’m sure many of you have had similar urges and we appreciate the restraint and patience everyone has shown.
Hoping our next message includes pictures of our amazing baby boy!
Love,
Lance and Amanda
We had our final checkup at the doctor’s office today, and the ultra-sound and fetal monitor show that Kaden is healthy and apparently quite comfortable. Unfortunately he’s a little too comfortable showing no signs that he plans to depart his happy space anytime soon. Numerous miles of walking and a day of yard work (yes, I mowed the back yard yesterday) don’t seem to be coaxing Kaden to join us, so the doctors have agreed that moving forward with an induction is in everyone’s best interest.
Tomorrow night, we will be admitted to the labor and delivery floor where they will start the process for inducing labor. While no results are guaranteed, the chances are good that we’ll be holding our baby boy in our arms sometime Thursday, March 11. As you can imagine Mommy and Daddy are ready for him to get here ASAP and overjoyed to know that the beginning of our newest adventure is just around the corner.
We appreciate the calls, emails and facebook messages checking in on us during this waiting period. We know everyone is anxious to meet Kaden and we can’t wait to introduce him to everyone very soon. There have been a few times in the last few days where I’m quite certain that Granny, Grandma Karen and even Daddy have considered Chinese tickle torture and various other methods to get Kaden to join us. I’m sure many of you have had similar urges and we appreciate the restraint and patience everyone has shown.
Hoping our next message includes pictures of our amazing baby boy!
Love,
Lance and Amanda
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Is it time yet?
As you are all well aware, yesterday was Kaden’s “due date”. March 3, 2010 came and went and we are still waiting for our baby boy to join the world.
It’s fairly common for first babies to arrive a bit late, so we still remain patient and generating positive thoughts that Kaden will join us any time now. We are continuing our regiment of walking and staying active, as well as introducing some suggested methods of encouraging labor, such as massage and Mexican food. I would like to emphasize the word some, because as time goes on we are receiving an increasing number of those suggestions…..a few of which sound less than pleasant (castor oil cocktail anyone?).
Here's hoping the next post contains pictures of our baby boy!
It’s fairly common for first babies to arrive a bit late, so we still remain patient and generating positive thoughts that Kaden will join us any time now. We are continuing our regiment of walking and staying active, as well as introducing some suggested methods of encouraging labor, such as massage and Mexican food. I would like to emphasize the word some, because as time goes on we are receiving an increasing number of those suggestions…..a few of which sound less than pleasant (castor oil cocktail anyone?).
Here's hoping the next post contains pictures of our baby boy!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Baby Countdown - March 2, 2010
Happy snowy Tuesday all!
So far our hopes that the winter storm would inspire Baby Kaden to make his way in to the world have been thwarted. We have snow falling in West Virginia and North Carolina, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to inspire him just yet.
We had our weekly check up with the Doctor today and were given two thumbs up for everything looking good and being as it should. Unfortunately they are still estimating an arrival time spanning from any time now to late next week. The signs of progress are there, but nothing to give a reliable expected delivery date.
We are getting pretty anxious to hold our little guy and start our new adventures, but guess we’ll have to wait until he’s ready to join the outside world. Our first exercise in patience, with many, many more to follow I’m sure.
Mommy continues to remain fairly uncomfortable, particularly in the evenings, but finds that walking and staying active during the day with various errands and activities seems to help. Daddy remains excited and ready and has been logging some miles on his boots the last few days in support. He even completed a very necessary garage make-over to ensure that we are able to safely and easily move Kaden’s car seat in and out of the car. (those of you who have seen our garage know this was no small job).
Grandma Karen arrived safely on Sunday and just finished putting fresh linens and clean clothes in Kaden’s room. Kiesel is keeping her entertained and quite busy with playing ball. Granny is rumored to be driving around Elkins, WV with a packed car resembling someone who is moving and a cell phone clutched in her hand waiting for the word that labor has started.
I know many of you are checking your phones, email and facebook pages waiting to hear the good news…keep hanging in there and sending positive thoughts. J
We hope to be making the “big announcement” any day now.
So far our hopes that the winter storm would inspire Baby Kaden to make his way in to the world have been thwarted. We have snow falling in West Virginia and North Carolina, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to inspire him just yet.
We had our weekly check up with the Doctor today and were given two thumbs up for everything looking good and being as it should. Unfortunately they are still estimating an arrival time spanning from any time now to late next week. The signs of progress are there, but nothing to give a reliable expected delivery date.
We are getting pretty anxious to hold our little guy and start our new adventures, but guess we’ll have to wait until he’s ready to join the outside world. Our first exercise in patience, with many, many more to follow I’m sure.
Mommy continues to remain fairly uncomfortable, particularly in the evenings, but finds that walking and staying active during the day with various errands and activities seems to help. Daddy remains excited and ready and has been logging some miles on his boots the last few days in support. He even completed a very necessary garage make-over to ensure that we are able to safely and easily move Kaden’s car seat in and out of the car. (those of you who have seen our garage know this was no small job).
Grandma Karen arrived safely on Sunday and just finished putting fresh linens and clean clothes in Kaden’s room. Kiesel is keeping her entertained and quite busy with playing ball. Granny is rumored to be driving around Elkins, WV with a packed car resembling someone who is moving and a cell phone clutched in her hand waiting for the word that labor has started.
I know many of you are checking your phones, email and facebook pages waiting to hear the good news…keep hanging in there and sending positive thoughts. J
We hope to be making the “big announcement” any day now.
Baby Update - February 18, 2010
Happy February! I think this has been a memorable month for everyone. I will be referring to February from here on out as the longest month in history. I’m going to guess our family and friends in West Virginia and Ohio will be remembering it more as the month that the snow never stopped. Whatever February has meant to you so far, hope it’s been a decent one!
Everything is as it should be on the baby front. Kaden is healthy and comfortable, Mommy is healthy and uncomfortable and Daddy is healthy and trying to survive. From here on out we go Army style and just hurry up and wait.
We officially passed the 37 week milestone, which is the point when the baby is considered full term and possible to deliver at any time. At our 37 week appointment the doctor showed us how the baby was laying and even showed us how to feel his head. I’m sure it’s a little wrong to be squeezing on your babies head, but we only did it once under medical supervision and it was really cool to feel! The Docs best guess is that Kaden will come out somewhere in the 7 ½ lb range, though he’s not letting us hold him to that. His actual words were somewhat to the effect of “big enough to be healthy, but no so big as to be mean”.
As of today we are at week 38 and 13 days away from his March 3 due date.
Some of you have been asking about visitors after the baby is born, how will we know when he’s here, when can we come see him, etc, so thought I would share with you guys what we know at this point.
We are planning to deliver at Presbyterian in Matthews
Our expected stay would be between 2-3 nights depending on how the delivery goes
Kaden will be born, bathed, etc all in the same room and with the exception of the brief period of time for circumcision, unless medically necessary he will not be leaving that room until we come home – ie he will not be in the nursery
It is generally 1 to 1.5 hours after his birth before the hospital allows visitors back in to the birthing suite. This gives time to clean everybody up, do necessary checks, get a bath and babies first meal. In the event of a c-section it could be a bit longer.
The labor and delivery floor is a secured floor, so they do require sign in and ID before they let you back on the floor.
The flu warnings are still in effect, so nobody under the age of 18 is allowed on the L&D floor for any reason
We are most definitely planning to have our cell phones, laptop, email, facebook and internet access so that we can do our best to share the great news with everyone as soon as we can. Having never done this before I’m not sure what “as soon as we can” means, so please be patient with us.
We have secured the services of highly trained professionals to help us acclimate to life as new parents. Granny (aka Grandma Carolyn) and Grandma Karen have volunteered to make the long trip and stay with us during the first few days to help us keep things afloat while we all adjust. We are also expecting a visit from Pappa John and Grandma Nee….provided they can dig their way out of WV.
Kiesel will be going to stay with the Lambiotte’s while we are at the hospital to ensure he is not without love and attention during our brief absence from home.
We are planning to make a trip to West Virginia in April, but dates are TBD based on when he arrives and when we feel comfortable making the trip with him. More details forthcoming on that trip.
We know that everyone is crazy excited to meet our little guy and we are excited to introduce him to all the people who are going to be part of his life….I mean really, can you have too much love? So whether we see you in the hospital, see you after we get home or somewhere in the future we look forward to it. Please just be patient with us as we feel our way through everything.
Baby Update - February 6, 2010
Happy winter weekend everyone! Doesn’t look like we are going to get any snow in Charlotte this weekend, just a lot of cold, damp rain.
As you can imagine we are counting down the days now until our little guy arrives. Less than a month away from his March 3, 2010 due date (please be on time, please be on time). Our last check up with the doctor was this past Tuesday and all reports are good. Kaden’s heart was beating at a healthy 155 beats per minute and he’s head down in the proper position to make his debut.
As far as mommy…well let’s just say we are all trying to maintain a sense of humor in the Marcum house. Everything is healthy and as it should be, it’s just dealing with all the “fun stuff” that comes with the last part of pregnancy. Daily challenges start with lopping out of bed and run the range of picking up dropped articles thru putting on shoes and everything in between. All part of the experience though, and most importantly temporary.
We have been busy this past week washing, organizing and putting away all of the amazing gifts we received at our baby shower last weekend. We have to express a huge Thank You to the Dooling’s (Aunt Cassie and Unlce Jose) for putting together Marcum Baby Bash 2010, then basically putting it together again when the weather messed up everything. Thank you, of course, to our friends and family for braving the highly unusual winter snow/ice storm to come out and celebrate with us. The weather didn’t let everyone come out that wanted to be there, but we felt the love just the same. Yes, if you are counting, this was our second baby shower and coincidentally the second time it’s been obstructed by record setting winter storms.
In addition to the great baby shower, we also had a visit with Aunt Amy. Aunt Amy braved the weather and flew down from Indianapolis to hang out for the weekend, attend the baby shower and bring lots of great gifts for her nephew. We are sorry we couldn’t provide more hospitable weather for her visit (and her flight home) but really enjoyed having her for the weekend. Kiesel was highly upset when she left, so don’t know what she’s going to do on the next visit about splitting her attention between Kiesel and Kaden.
As you can imagine we are counting down the days now until our little guy arrives. Less than a month away from his March 3, 2010 due date (please be on time, please be on time). Our last check up with the doctor was this past Tuesday and all reports are good. Kaden’s heart was beating at a healthy 155 beats per minute and he’s head down in the proper position to make his debut.
As far as mommy…well let’s just say we are all trying to maintain a sense of humor in the Marcum house. Everything is healthy and as it should be, it’s just dealing with all the “fun stuff” that comes with the last part of pregnancy. Daily challenges start with lopping out of bed and run the range of picking up dropped articles thru putting on shoes and everything in between. All part of the experience though, and most importantly temporary.
We have been busy this past week washing, organizing and putting away all of the amazing gifts we received at our baby shower last weekend. We have to express a huge Thank You to the Dooling’s (Aunt Cassie and Unlce Jose) for putting together Marcum Baby Bash 2010, then basically putting it together again when the weather messed up everything. Thank you, of course, to our friends and family for braving the highly unusual winter snow/ice storm to come out and celebrate with us. The weather didn’t let everyone come out that wanted to be there, but we felt the love just the same. Yes, if you are counting, this was our second baby shower and coincidentally the second time it’s been obstructed by record setting winter storms.
In addition to the great baby shower, we also had a visit with Aunt Amy. Aunt Amy braved the weather and flew down from Indianapolis to hang out for the weekend, attend the baby shower and bring lots of great gifts for her nephew. We are sorry we couldn’t provide more hospitable weather for her visit (and her flight home) but really enjoyed having her for the weekend. Kiesel was highly upset when she left, so don’t know what she’s going to do on the next visit about splitting her attention between Kiesel and Kaden.
Doctor's Visit # ??? - January 20, 2009
As of today we are officially 34 weeks, meaning only 6 weeks before we should be meeting our little guy. We are remaining optimistic that he will make an on-time arrival, but statistics and genetics are not in our favor, so let’s all hope and pray that he doesn’t keep us waiting too long.
Our last check up was yesterday and the doctor gave us two thumbs up for everything progressing as it should. Per “the baby book” he should be weighing in around 5 pounds or more at this point. They don’t give any sort of estimate on length, but Mommy’s at-capacity torso and sore ribs seem to be indicating he’s going to be taking after his Daddy in the height department. We can’t wait to see for ourselves!!
We are pleased to report that we have also been hard at work checking off the list of “to-do’s”. We have completed his room, attended breast feeding class, participated in a hospital tour and sat through 8 hours of child birth class. For any inquiring minds, child birth class was completed without incident. In fact, between the two of us, Lance was probably the better study and the better receiver of information. I would classify the course as TMI in a lot of cases and have chosen to block some of the information from my mind. J
Probably the biggest update is that we have settled on his name! It is officially decoupaged (thanks again Aunt Cassie!) and hanging above his crib in anticipation of his arrival.
Kaden John-Conley Marcum
Kaden is a name we selected after searching through multiple baby name websites and various other sources. It has origins in English, American and German depending on which sites you search and is typically cited to mean “a fighter or companion”. Kaden’s middle name is a multi-faceted tribute to both our families. John is his maternal Grandfather’s first name and Conley is the first name shared by his paternal Grandfather and his Uncle CJ. The hyphenated middle name and the tradition of being named after his grandparents is something he will have in common with his Uncle Shane(y) and his cousin Rhea.
Our last check up was yesterday and the doctor gave us two thumbs up for everything progressing as it should. Per “the baby book” he should be weighing in around 5 pounds or more at this point. They don’t give any sort of estimate on length, but Mommy’s at-capacity torso and sore ribs seem to be indicating he’s going to be taking after his Daddy in the height department. We can’t wait to see for ourselves!!
We are pleased to report that we have also been hard at work checking off the list of “to-do’s”. We have completed his room, attended breast feeding class, participated in a hospital tour and sat through 8 hours of child birth class. For any inquiring minds, child birth class was completed without incident. In fact, between the two of us, Lance was probably the better study and the better receiver of information. I would classify the course as TMI in a lot of cases and have chosen to block some of the information from my mind. J
Probably the biggest update is that we have settled on his name! It is officially decoupaged (thanks again Aunt Cassie!) and hanging above his crib in anticipation of his arrival.
Kaden John-Conley Marcum
Kaden is a name we selected after searching through multiple baby name websites and various other sources. It has origins in English, American and German depending on which sites you search and is typically cited to mean “a fighter or companion”. Kaden’s middle name is a multi-faceted tribute to both our families. John is his maternal Grandfather’s first name and Conley is the first name shared by his paternal Grandfather and his Uncle CJ. The hyphenated middle name and the tradition of being named after his grandparents is something he will have in common with his Uncle Shane(y) and his cousin Rhea.
Doctor's Visit #7 - December 2009
Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Wherever you are, we hope you are having a wonderful Christmas! We made a snowy trip home to WV last weekend and are back in Charlotte thinking of everyone today.
Our last doctor’s appointment was on Wednesday, December 23 (Happy Birthday Daddy to-be). It consisted of our normal check-in (weight, blood and Doppler to hear the heartbeat) and 3 hour glucose screening (not a stellar time). We are very pleased to report, that everything is still tracking perfectly and we are all healthy and developing as we should. Baby’s heartbeat and growth rate are right on track and I did not test positive for gestational diabetes.
During this visit, baby displayed his first signs of authority. When the nurse was applying the Doppler to my belly she hit right on the baby and he gave a pretty quick and hard kick to let her know. It actually caused the Doppler wand to move, and it sounded like someone was doing a microphone check. J As you can imagine, I am feeling more and more of those soccer style kicks every day.
For security reasons we won’t be disclosing my new fighting weight, but let’s just say that as of last night, we were able to inform the police and an APB has been put out for my belly button. Should you see my belly button or know where it might have gone, please let me know as it seems to have disappeared.
In other baby news we completed one awesome baby shower and the babies’ room is coming along nicely.
The plans for our baby shower in Elkins were almost thwarted by the massive snow storm that hit the night before, dumping around 2 feet of snow and prompting the governor to call a state of emergency. Fortunately we were able to postpone and dig ourselves out to have the shower only one day later. We want to thank everyone who was able to join us and a big THANK YOU to Kristie and Becky for coordinating everything. We finally broke down and disassembled Shaunna’s awesome diaper cake yesterday and all of the great clothes and gifts we received have been put away in babies’ room.
While we were in WV enjoying the snow and spending time with family and friends, Aunt Cassie was back in Charlotte working her fingers to the bone painting the babies room. When we left Charlotte the walls were a boring off-white, when we came back they were a beautiful blue color and you could see the characteristics of a little boys room starting to form. Thanks Cassie!! Inspired by Cassie’s efforts, Lance was able to assemble the crib and populate the room with the rest of the furniture. Bedding has been washed and it’s really looking like a baby’s room. Granny (aka Grandma Carolyn) is coming this weekend to help decorate and we should have pictures to share with everyone soon.
As we hit the home stretch (only 2 months and some change left to go) the Doctor’s visits will become more frequent. We will do our best to keep sending out the emails, but can’t promise you will get one with each visit. Don’t be afraid to call, or stop by and see us…as my tummy grows my pension for leaving the house gets a little smaller, so you’ll likely find us at home a little more these days. ;-)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!
Wherever you are, we hope you are having a wonderful Christmas! We made a snowy trip home to WV last weekend and are back in Charlotte thinking of everyone today.
Our last doctor’s appointment was on Wednesday, December 23 (Happy Birthday Daddy to-be). It consisted of our normal check-in (weight, blood and Doppler to hear the heartbeat) and 3 hour glucose screening (not a stellar time). We are very pleased to report, that everything is still tracking perfectly and we are all healthy and developing as we should. Baby’s heartbeat and growth rate are right on track and I did not test positive for gestational diabetes.
During this visit, baby displayed his first signs of authority. When the nurse was applying the Doppler to my belly she hit right on the baby and he gave a pretty quick and hard kick to let her know. It actually caused the Doppler wand to move, and it sounded like someone was doing a microphone check. J As you can imagine, I am feeling more and more of those soccer style kicks every day.
For security reasons we won’t be disclosing my new fighting weight, but let’s just say that as of last night, we were able to inform the police and an APB has been put out for my belly button. Should you see my belly button or know where it might have gone, please let me know as it seems to have disappeared.
In other baby news we completed one awesome baby shower and the babies’ room is coming along nicely.
The plans for our baby shower in Elkins were almost thwarted by the massive snow storm that hit the night before, dumping around 2 feet of snow and prompting the governor to call a state of emergency. Fortunately we were able to postpone and dig ourselves out to have the shower only one day later. We want to thank everyone who was able to join us and a big THANK YOU to Kristie and Becky for coordinating everything. We finally broke down and disassembled Shaunna’s awesome diaper cake yesterday and all of the great clothes and gifts we received have been put away in babies’ room.
While we were in WV enjoying the snow and spending time with family and friends, Aunt Cassie was back in Charlotte working her fingers to the bone painting the babies room. When we left Charlotte the walls were a boring off-white, when we came back they were a beautiful blue color and you could see the characteristics of a little boys room starting to form. Thanks Cassie!! Inspired by Cassie’s efforts, Lance was able to assemble the crib and populate the room with the rest of the furniture. Bedding has been washed and it’s really looking like a baby’s room. Granny (aka Grandma Carolyn) is coming this weekend to help decorate and we should have pictures to share with everyone soon.
As we hit the home stretch (only 2 months and some change left to go) the Doctor’s visits will become more frequent. We will do our best to keep sending out the emails, but can’t promise you will get one with each visit. Don’t be afraid to call, or stop by and see us…as my tummy grows my pension for leaving the house gets a little smaller, so you’ll likely find us at home a little more these days. ;-)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!
Doctor's Visit #5 - November 2009
Happy belated Thanksgiving all!
We had our last doctor’s appointment on 11/20 and everything checked out perfect. His heart rate was a perfect 148 beats per minute and sounding strong like always. The doctor has started measuring my belly on each trip and we are happy to say it’s right on target. We’ll skip the part about getting weighed in on the old school, slide the blocks over scale. (Let’s just say I’m back to my old college weight and leave it at that.)
Our little guy is growing by leaps and bounds at this point and continuing to be quite active. What previously felt like butterflies in the stomach is starting to take on a much stronger feeling. He’s even caught me off guard a few times resulting in what I’m sure are some interesting faces. He is also waking me up fairly regularly with his movements in the morning.
In the week before Thanksgiving Lance was able to feel him moving around for the first time; which was a pretty cool experience for both of us!
I’m proud to say that we are making excellent progress on our baby preparations. Thanks to the help our great friend Brian, who can now add “mover” to his resume, we have been able to get all the furniture moved around and/or cleared out. The rooms upstairs are really starting to take on their appropriate future state.
Our Thanksgiving trip to WV was great as always and extremely productive. The pool table is stored safely in my Mom’s basement, we got to spend at least a little time with a lot of loved ones, our freezer has fresh deer meat, and we checked off some big items on our need for baby list. A big thanks to my family in WV (Mom, Dad, Petey, John, Shaunna and Ma), as we now have furniture for the babies bedroom and a good base of baby items to get us going. And if all of those things weren’t enough to be thankful for this month, we got to talk to my little brother on Thanksgiving day!
Still no final decision on the baby’s name yet. We are finding ourselves at a little bit of a stand still on his first name, but we should be able to come to a conclusion soon. We’ve still got 3 months and at the current rate may need every bit of that time. ;-)
We had our last doctor’s appointment on 11/20 and everything checked out perfect. His heart rate was a perfect 148 beats per minute and sounding strong like always. The doctor has started measuring my belly on each trip and we are happy to say it’s right on target. We’ll skip the part about getting weighed in on the old school, slide the blocks over scale. (Let’s just say I’m back to my old college weight and leave it at that.)
Our little guy is growing by leaps and bounds at this point and continuing to be quite active. What previously felt like butterflies in the stomach is starting to take on a much stronger feeling. He’s even caught me off guard a few times resulting in what I’m sure are some interesting faces. He is also waking me up fairly regularly with his movements in the morning.
In the week before Thanksgiving Lance was able to feel him moving around for the first time; which was a pretty cool experience for both of us!
I’m proud to say that we are making excellent progress on our baby preparations. Thanks to the help our great friend Brian, who can now add “mover” to his resume, we have been able to get all the furniture moved around and/or cleared out. The rooms upstairs are really starting to take on their appropriate future state.
Our Thanksgiving trip to WV was great as always and extremely productive. The pool table is stored safely in my Mom’s basement, we got to spend at least a little time with a lot of loved ones, our freezer has fresh deer meat, and we checked off some big items on our need for baby list. A big thanks to my family in WV (Mom, Dad, Petey, John, Shaunna and Ma), as we now have furniture for the babies bedroom and a good base of baby items to get us going. And if all of those things weren’t enough to be thankful for this month, we got to talk to my little brother on Thanksgiving day!
Still no final decision on the baby’s name yet. We are finding ourselves at a little bit of a stand still on his first name, but we should be able to come to a conclusion soon. We’ve still got 3 months and at the current rate may need every bit of that time. ;-)
Doctor's Visit #4 - October 25, 2009
Happy daylight savings time everyone!
I hope some of you got to enjoy an extra hour of sleep this morning. Unfortunately Kiesel and my bladder are still on the old time….so here we are this morning.
We had a regular check up with the doctor and everything is in tip top shape. The baby’s heart rate is clocking in at 153 beats a minute, which is right on target. This time it sounded like he was having a party in there; the beats almost sounded like club music. I can feel him move pretty regularly now. Sometimes in the mid-afternoon it feels like he might be having a party in there, or practicing for his debut in the 100 meter butterfly.
We learned that our baby boy is weighing in around the weight of a can of coke and is likely to be around 12 inches or more long.
Everything is good with Lance and I as well. I’m starting to “expand” and it’s getting obvious to most people that I’m pregnant, (no Shaney, it is not time to send the tarp just yet). Some of my energy has come back as well, so we are working on getting ready for our new arrival. We’ve been able to knock one big thing off our list, which was to get Lance a truck that would have room for a car seat. Lance picked up his 2009 Chevy Silverado extended cab (that’s right, the 4 door job) earlier this week. It seems like he’s been on the road for work ever since, so he’s getting fast acquainted and seems pleased with the new purchase.
We still have many things to do, but slowly and surely we are working the list.
Oh, and before I forget, no we do not have a name picked out. We each independently developed a list of first names and compared them at dinner a week or so ago. To our surprise we didn’t have one single name the same on our lists. We think we have the short list though, so we are on the right path. We aren’t sharing names at this time, but we’ll keep you posted once we make a decision.
I hope some of you got to enjoy an extra hour of sleep this morning. Unfortunately Kiesel and my bladder are still on the old time….so here we are this morning.
We had a regular check up with the doctor and everything is in tip top shape. The baby’s heart rate is clocking in at 153 beats a minute, which is right on target. This time it sounded like he was having a party in there; the beats almost sounded like club music. I can feel him move pretty regularly now. Sometimes in the mid-afternoon it feels like he might be having a party in there, or practicing for his debut in the 100 meter butterfly.
We learned that our baby boy is weighing in around the weight of a can of coke and is likely to be around 12 inches or more long.
Everything is good with Lance and I as well. I’m starting to “expand” and it’s getting obvious to most people that I’m pregnant, (no Shaney, it is not time to send the tarp just yet). Some of my energy has come back as well, so we are working on getting ready for our new arrival. We’ve been able to knock one big thing off our list, which was to get Lance a truck that would have room for a car seat. Lance picked up his 2009 Chevy Silverado extended cab (that’s right, the 4 door job) earlier this week. It seems like he’s been on the road for work ever since, so he’s getting fast acquainted and seems pleased with the new purchase.
We still have many things to do, but slowly and surely we are working the list.
Oh, and before I forget, no we do not have a name picked out. We each independently developed a list of first names and compared them at dinner a week or so ago. To our surprise we didn’t have one single name the same on our lists. We think we have the short list though, so we are on the right path. We aren’t sharing names at this time, but we’ll keep you posted once we make a decision.
It's a...... - October 12, 2009
Boy!!
The ultra-sound tech said everything looked good and as it should be with our baby boy!!! We couldn’t be more pleased with the news. It was quite an experience to see our little guy moving his little arms and legs around and moving his mouth up and down. Quite surreal actually.
Lance was the first to identify that the baby was a boy, and all but jumped out of his chair. He declared two weeks ago that he knew it was a boy…and of course we are now getting several folks who said “they knew that too”.
We also found out that I’m measuring at 19.5 weeks, as opposed to the 18 weeks they originally estimated. So either baby boy is already a big boss-hoss, or he should be here to see us a little sooner than we thought. Our new due date is March 3.
It’s a toss up for me, but my favorite pics are his profile and his little foot. I think you can all guess which one was Lance’s favorite.
Lance was the first to identify that the baby was a boy, and all but jumped out of his chair. He declared two weeks ago that he knew it was a boy…and of course we are now getting several folks who said “they knew that too”.
We also found out that I’m measuring at 19.5 weeks, as opposed to the 18 weeks they originally estimated. So either baby boy is already a big boss-hoss, or he should be here to see us a little sooner than we thought. Our new due date is March 3.
It’s a toss up for me, but my favorite pics are his profile and his little foot. I think you can all guess which one was Lance’s favorite.
Doctor's Visit #3 - September 30, 2009
Everything checked out normal and good at the appointment. We got to hear baby’s heart beat, which sounded a little more like a washing machine this time, at a very healthy 158 beats per minute. We got a little nervous when the nurse couldn’t find the heartbeat at first, but that then turned in to laughter when the second nurse quickly found the heartbeat. Apparently baby was on the move, so it took a little more searching. I guess when you’re somewhere around the size of a turnip in a space that’s the size of a small watermelon you’ve got a little room to roam about.
They also took some blood, which is apparently going to be a routine thing at this point (groan). My Mom will be proud to know that once again I looked the floor directly in the eye and did not pass out. They found out my iron is a little low, so I started on some iron supplements today. I’m looking forward to the energy boost that I should get out of those little suckers. Apparently I’ll be taking them for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Outside of the doctor’s visits we are slowly but surely working on preparations for the baby. Step 1 of converting Lance’s man room was completed this weekend. With a closet now installed, it is well on the way to being our guest bedroom. Now we just have to paint, move out the pool table and move in the bedroom furniture.
Our newest furry addition, Kiesel, is doing well. He’s definitely doing his part in getting us accustom to waking up early in the mornings, (even on weekends), and having a constant dependent in the house. We’ve been focused mostly on socialization with other dogs, other adults, babies and kids. We are planning to start obedience training soon. He’s definitely a lover who wants to be around either a person or another dog as much as he can, though he seems to adapt well to the times when he’s “home alone”. So far I’ve got a slightly torn chaise lounge cover, but everything else seems to be in tact.
I have recently given in and started shopping for clothing in the maternity section. At this point I’m wearing almost exclusively pants with elastic waste bands. I have to tell you, I was not pumped to start sporting the elastic, but now that I’ve given in, I’m not so sure I’m ever going back….it is like wearing sweat pants all the time! If you get the chance, I must say I recommend trying it at least once. I’m also approaching the point where people are starting to feel comfortable coming out and asking me if I’m pregnant. So far I haven’t had any real creative ways of folks asking the question, but I’m still hoping for a good one soon.
We are looking forward to our next update, where with a little luck we’ll be able to share the sex of the baby. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that baby doesn’t decide to play shy next Monday when we go for the first ultrasound!! We will of course keep you posted on what we find out.
They also took some blood, which is apparently going to be a routine thing at this point (groan). My Mom will be proud to know that once again I looked the floor directly in the eye and did not pass out. They found out my iron is a little low, so I started on some iron supplements today. I’m looking forward to the energy boost that I should get out of those little suckers. Apparently I’ll be taking them for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Outside of the doctor’s visits we are slowly but surely working on preparations for the baby. Step 1 of converting Lance’s man room was completed this weekend. With a closet now installed, it is well on the way to being our guest bedroom. Now we just have to paint, move out the pool table and move in the bedroom furniture.
Our newest furry addition, Kiesel, is doing well. He’s definitely doing his part in getting us accustom to waking up early in the mornings, (even on weekends), and having a constant dependent in the house. We’ve been focused mostly on socialization with other dogs, other adults, babies and kids. We are planning to start obedience training soon. He’s definitely a lover who wants to be around either a person or another dog as much as he can, though he seems to adapt well to the times when he’s “home alone”. So far I’ve got a slightly torn chaise lounge cover, but everything else seems to be in tact.
I have recently given in and started shopping for clothing in the maternity section. At this point I’m wearing almost exclusively pants with elastic waste bands. I have to tell you, I was not pumped to start sporting the elastic, but now that I’ve given in, I’m not so sure I’m ever going back….it is like wearing sweat pants all the time! If you get the chance, I must say I recommend trying it at least once. I’m also approaching the point where people are starting to feel comfortable coming out and asking me if I’m pregnant. So far I haven’t had any real creative ways of folks asking the question, but I’m still hoping for a good one soon.
We are looking forward to our next update, where with a little luck we’ll be able to share the sex of the baby. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that baby doesn’t decide to play shy next Monday when we go for the first ultrasound!! We will of course keep you posted on what we find out.
Welcome Furry Baby - September 2009
In preperation for our new roles as parents, we decide to adopt a german shepherd puppy.
On memorial day weekend, September 2009, we bring home 12 week old Kiesel.
Doctor's Visit #2 - August 26, 2009
Completed baby doctor appointment number 2 and everything looks good. Most of the time was spent meeting with the business office manager on the financial aspects of the deal, discussing what not to eat and things that I should not be doing…..apparently contact sports are out for the remainder of the pregnancy. They also did some routine blood tests, and Amanda did not pass out (very big score).
For the grand finale of the appointment we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time! She put a high powered microphone with some cold goo on my stomach, moved it a little and a sound like a train came pumping out the speakers. (I said train, Lance said washing machine). The baby’s heart was beating at 168 beats a minute, which they assured us was completely normal and a good rate for an 11 week old baby. There was no crying….but definitely a lot of big smiles and wide eyes.
In 7 weeks, (Columbus day actually), we go back for an ultrasound. Provided the little one is cooperative we will find out if it’s a girl or boy at that time.
On the non-medical front, we have initiated our first steps towards preparing the house for the baby. We have a contractor coming to the house this week to give us an estimate on putting a closet in the pool table room, which we are planning to convert to a guest bedroom. Though we are sad to be parting with our pool table, we know it will be safe in my mom’s basement and hope the spacious new living quarters will attract many babysitters…I mean “guests”…. to visit us next year.
For the grand finale of the appointment we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time! She put a high powered microphone with some cold goo on my stomach, moved it a little and a sound like a train came pumping out the speakers. (I said train, Lance said washing machine). The baby’s heart was beating at 168 beats a minute, which they assured us was completely normal and a good rate for an 11 week old baby. There was no crying….but definitely a lot of big smiles and wide eyes.
In 7 weeks, (Columbus day actually), we go back for an ultrasound. Provided the little one is cooperative we will find out if it’s a girl or boy at that time.
On the non-medical front, we have initiated our first steps towards preparing the house for the baby. We have a contractor coming to the house this week to give us an estimate on putting a closet in the pool table room, which we are planning to convert to a guest bedroom. Though we are sad to be parting with our pool table, we know it will be safe in my mom’s basement and hope the spacious new living quarters will attract many babysitters…I mean “guests”…. to visit us next year.
First Doctor's Appointment - July 27 2009
One day after Amanda's 31st birthday.
We had our first Dr appointment. Nothing new to report. They confirmed we are pregnant and the estimated due date is March 15. That puts us at 7 weeks.
We go back on August 26 for blood tests and the first ultrasound.
I am most proud of Lance who went with me and stayed with me for the whole experience. Even when I was stressing watching the large uncomfortable pregnant ladies come out of the office he did not even bat an eye.
We began sending out emails to our friends and family to share the status of our progress, the above being the content of the very first email.
We had our first Dr appointment. Nothing new to report. They confirmed we are pregnant and the estimated due date is March 15. That puts us at 7 weeks.
We go back on August 26 for blood tests and the first ultrasound.
I am most proud of Lance who went with me and stayed with me for the whole experience. Even when I was stressing watching the large uncomfortable pregnant ladies come out of the office he did not even bat an eye.
We began sending out emails to our friends and family to share the status of our progress, the above being the content of the very first email.
The Adventure Begins - July 2009
The summer of 2009, we were constantly on the move. We started the summer with an amazing bike trip through the North Carolina and Georgia mountains and rounded out the summer with a dream vacation to Montana and Wyoming. Along the way we snuck in several camping trips, bike trips and trips North to West Virginia and Ohio.
On a rare evening home in mid July we found out that we were going to be parents......and that's when our Big Adventure's really began!
On a rare evening home in mid July we found out that we were going to be parents......and that's when our Big Adventure's really began!
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