Thankful Thursday

It's Thursday - time to be thankful!

1. Ahhhhhh

That's my textual interpretation of a sigh of relief.  The semester is O-V-E-R.  What does that spell?  Over!  Over!  Having a baby in the middle of a semester was incredibly challenging.  Turning in this last little bit of my research was like climbing up a mountain wearing boots filled with concrete.  It wasn't my best effort.  My perfectionist self hates this.  But, my GPA has more than a little 'wiggle room' - if my efforts earn a low grade it won't derail my funding.  Here's what I'll be doing tonight:

2. Kevin is HOME!

This should really be first on the list, but I blog based on stream of consciousness.  Kevin knows that he is top of mind while he is in a war zone - thankfully the only war zone he faces these days is the traffic on I-40 instead of Afghanistan.  It was so neat to be able to introduce him to his newest niece, and of course to watch our crazy Emma get super-pumped over seeing Uncle Kevin.

3. JD

My husband is a swell guy in case you can't tell from my other blog posts.  Not only has he been super-Dad while I struggled through the rest of the semester, he has been super-husband as well.  He cancelled night meetings at a moment's notice so he could entertain Nora while I worked on my research.  He cooked meals, ok so he is actually best at picking up meals because I stopped grocery shopping for a little while, but you get the point.  He offered to be in charge of the middle of the night diaper changes when I have to get up to feed the baby.  Sometimes I let him and take advantage of a few more moments of sleep, but mostly I tell him to go back to bed.  I have to nurse Nora anyway, so there is no point in both of us getting up.  He changes his morning meeting schedule so I can get in a run before he leaves for the day.  The list goes on and on...

4. Weather

It's true - I am a summer girl.  I won't even run when it is less than 60 degrees outside.  I'd rather have to run at five in the morning because of a heat advisory than in the middle of the day when it is 58 degrees.  Call me crazy.  This weather has been beautiful and I plan on taking full advantage of it now that I am on summer vacation.

5. Nora

This silly girl is such a joy in our lives.  She is doing SO WELL with her harness.  In fact, she just had a check-up today and her doctor thinks that her hip is staying firmly in place.  We are continuing with her physical therapy and wearing the harness to ensure that everything is as it should be by June.  Orthopedic issues almost solved!  She nurses for a speedy ten minutes every four hours, and, even bigger news, our super-trooper is also sleeping through the night!  We have moved her into her room, and from 10:30 - 5, I get blissful, uninterrupted sleep.  Some people say it's too early, I say don't knock a good thing.  Seriously.  Let it be.

6. Memphis Grizzlies

In a shout out to my hometown, I am thankful that the Grizz are doing well in the playoffs.  My economic development background knows that this is a good thing for our City, my hometown pride overflows when I watch ESPN.  We plan on cheering them along on Monday night in the Forum - Go Grizz!

Living the Pioneer Life

Day 3 of no Internet or cable at the house. Our landscape guy cut the cable when tilling up the yard. At first I thought, hey this is no big deal. I need to finish up my paper for the semester anyway. This will cut out all the distractions.

Wrong. Have you ever tried to write a research paper without an Internet connection? It's impossible. So I started thinking about the pre-Internet days of paper-writing. I guess we would reference encyclopedias. I'd be hard pressed to name a friend who owns an encyclopedia, not even counting the irony that the paper is discussing recent real estate trends in the Memphis market.

I feel like a pioneer.

Giving up on the paper momentarily, I decide to watch a movie. Except Netflix streams over the Internet. That won't work. So I spend a few hours pulling weeds in the yard praying that the Comcast van starts driving down my cove. No luck.

I spend the rest of the day trying to accomplish what I can using my iPhone with mixed results. Why aren't all web pages mobile friendly?

Then my phone dies. Thus, I lose my connection to the outside world. Staring at a sleeping baby only provides so much entertainment and reading about crafty center pieces in Better Homes and Gardens seems overly-domestic, even for me. Can't a girl get a break around here?!

Back to praying for the Comcast van...

Happy One Month!

Taking a quick break from my research to post Nora's one month stats.  Yes, I realize she is close to six weeks old, but I can assure you that this picture was taken on her one month birthday thanks to my sister's insistence.  Megan said I can't "fake" the one-month photo, but I think I still could have pulled it off;)

One-Month Stats:

Wears mostly newborn size clothes.  I put her in a three-month onesie for this photo - see all that extra fabric?  This girl needs "Newborn Tall" sizes.  However, since that doesn't exist, Nora will start wearing three-month sizes since the newborn clothes are too "short" for her.

Weighs 8 lbs, 4 ounces and is 23 inches long.  She is roughly in the 30th percentile for her weight and over 90 percent for her height.

Nurses at 10, 2 and 6 throughout the day.  She takes about 30 minutes each time. Makes for a great excuse to do a little online shopping from my phone;)

Smiles. All. The. Time.  So freakin' cute.

Sleeps well MOST nights - one or two nights a week are the exception.  Each week gets a little easier, a little more predictable.

Loves to hang out with her parents.  We are on-the-go people, so this little girl has been to the mall, run errands all over the city, hung out on a college campus, attended church and dined in nice restaurants with her parents' friends (she was asleep for all of this of course).  She never complains.

Goes to the pediatric ortho every week.  They have to adjust her harness each week as she grows.  Every time, the doctor comments on how long she is getting.  We may have another volleyball player on our hands:)

Only has THREE weeks left of full-time harness wear, and then she will just need to wear it for a few more weeks at night.  After that, her hip should be fully formed correctly and we won't have to worry about this ever again!

Most recent photo dump:

 Sleeping through her first trip to Goodwinds so Mommy can pick out her spring flower selections.  She likes to keep that pacifier close while sleeping in case she wakes up and wants it.

Emma and "Uncle Deedle".  Emma is in love with her cousin!

Emma loves to help "Uncle Deedle" with Nora

Emma wanted in on the photo - think they'll want to repeat this pose when Emma is 24 and Nora is 20?  Worth a shot.

Did I mention she smiles all the time?  JD was taking a picture of her and I walked up to tickle her cheek.  Bam - big smile!

What Is She Wearing?!

If you've seen our daughter over the past week, you may have asked yourself - what is she wearing?!

Answer: The Wheaton-Pavlik Harness to correct her hip dysplasia.

When Nora had her first exam in the hospital, the pediatrician said that she heard "clicks" when maneuvering Nora's hips, which are a symptom of hip dysplasia.  Hip dysplasia occurs in about 3 of every 1,000 live births.  Basically, it's where the hip socket doesn't form correctly, and the baby is born with a dislocated hip.  Totally fixable, not a big deal at all - unless you let it go untreated until an older age.  If untreated, people with hip dysplasia as infants could develop arthritis early on and need hip transplants as early as their 30's.  Diagnosing hip dysplasia as an infant allows for the most minimally invasive corrective action - Nora just has to wear a velcro harness for a few weeks.

We knew in the hospital that she "might" have this, but the ultrasound was negative and we agreed to have another ultrasound when Nora was a month old.  At the one week checkup, our pediatrician felt it might be occuring in both hips, and decided we needed to check again sooner.  After sending us to a radiologist and a pediatric ortho, they finally confirmed her hip dysplasia in her left hip and suited her up.  For the next six weeks (now down to five), Nora has to wear this harness full-time.  After that, there is an additional six weeks of part-time wear where she only has to wear it at home and when she sleeps.  Luckily, this harness has over a 98% corrective rate, so we are confident this will be all she needs.

How is Nora adjusting?  She has no idea.  Honestly, she is just as happy as before.  And she still sleeps great.

How are her parents adjusting?  For a few moments, we acted like the world was ending.  Seriously.  It sounds so silly now - if this is the worst thing that can go wrong with your child, a fully correctable bone issue - who are we to complain?  I think we were worried about people thinking our baby was "different", as shallow as that sounds.  At the end of the day, we are thankful to have such diligent physicians in Nora's life who ensure that she stays happy and healthy as she continues to grow and smile each day!

Conversations Between Exhausted Parents

The other night, Nora was pretty fussy.  Between having a growth spurt and a touch of diaper rash, our normally sleepy baby would not sleep on her own.  I had resorted to feeding her around the clock and holding her in bed with me as the only way to soothe her.  Some time around three a.m., JD struck up a funny conversation in his sleep (eyes closed):

JD: Honey, you've been holding the baby all night.  Can I get you anything?  A hot dog?

Me: A hot dog?  Seriously?

JD: Not a hot dog.  You know what I mean.  One of those things.

Me: I have no idea what you're talking about.

JD: You know - a peanut butter and salsa thing.

Me: What? A peanut butter and salsa sandwich?

JD: Yeah, you want one of those?

Me: Are you high?

JD: Huh? Do you want one?

Me: (knowing we have no hot dogs in the house, but wanting to mess with him) No, I think a hot dog sounds good.

JD: You want salsa on it?

Me: Sure.

And then he falls fast asleep...never a dull moment!

Welcome to the World, Nora!

It's been an interesting two weeks at the Graffam house - we had a beautiful baby GIRL!  Most everyone predicted that Baby G would be a boy, but we were blessed with a pink bundle that we named Nora Renee.

Nora's arrival didn't come without a few last-minute "hitches".  This whole pregnancy, I was never very comfortable with my OB.  To be fair, I didn't even meet him until the second trimester.  We had been seeing a fertility specialist for a few years, and my regular OB (who was also a Millsaps grad) passed away from cancer last summer.  When my pregnancy was downgraded from high-risk and I was released from the specialist to see my regular OB, I just picked a doctor from the same group that all my friends recommended.  He was a good doctor, but a popular one.  I thought before each appointment that I would feel better about him as my OB, but after each check-up I still did not feel like he knew me from Adam.  The day before my induction, I called the clinic about my reservations going forward with the induction.  Honestly, I was just thinking that we would push the induction back a little bit, but the nurse was adamant that I meet with another OB in the group that she thought would be a better fit.  Long story short, 14 hours before my induction at 40 weeks and 5 days, I switched OBs and am so glad that I did.  20 hours of labor with its own share of minor complications was much easier to endure thanks to our knowledgeable and compassionate OB.  If you live in the Memphis area and are looking for an OB, I would definitely recommend Dr. Jason Mullenix with MOGA!

Back to Nora - she has been such a sweet baby from the beginning!  It was pretty obvious from the start that she looks just like her Daddy:

JD as a baby:

She was born at 11:44 on March 13th, weighing 7 lb, 4 oz, 19 in long.  The nurses kept commenting on how big her feet are - that's how we know she is also my daughter!  

Since birth, she has regained her birthweight and grown an inch.  Currently she is in the 25% range for her weight, and the 75% range for her height.  Long and skinny:)

JD has been wonderful about changing diapers and taking care of both of us while he was on paternity leave.  These past two weeks have been filled with family and friends meeting Nora, and bringing us wonderful food and sweet baby gifts.  Nora doesn't need to spend a day without wearing pink for a very long time:)

About 75% of the time, Nora will sleep through the night, only waking for me to feed her.  Other nights, she prefer that we all stay up with her.  As each day passes, she is easier to get on a schedule.  Right now, I feed her about every three hours for forty minutes.  She only "snacks" when she is upset, but I don't mind.  If I just got evicted from my warm, comfy home of nine months, I might want a snack too.

Now that JD is back at work, we are working on getting back to our routine.  I hit the gym for the first time the other day, and hope to be able to go back more often.  When the weather warms up over the next few weeks, I hope to start running again.  I have a few weeks to wrap up a research project for school, and then Nora and I will have the summer to ourselves!  My brother comes back from Afghanistan in a few weeks, and we are looking forward to spending time with him and my sister and her family over these next few months.  My niece, Emma, is totally in love with Nora and enjoys being the wise, "older" cousin:)  I can't wait to see how Nora changes as she grows!

Last Pre-Baby Update...I Hope

Since the last 32 week update, we've had four more baby showers and seven more weeks to prepare for this baby.  Feast your eyes on my uuber-preparedness:

That's right.  I have nothing done.  OK, so all of the duplicate gifts have been returned, clothing has been washed and the pack and play is set up in our room.  The nursery is just a little on the 'sparse side.'  Furniture is set to come in next week, then we are waiting on Baby G's arrival to decorate the nursery.  I guess that's the downside to waiting on finding out the gender if you ALSO don't want a gender neutral nursery, you just wait.  I hardly think that an infant cares if its name is on the wall when it comes home.

UPDATE - furniture has arrived and everything is put away.

The most fun part of all of this has been the baby showers.  The first shower was from our Sunday School, Shower #2 was hosted by my sister, Megan, and my high school best friend, Jennifer:

Shower #3 was hosted by JD's Louisiana family in Shreveport.  We had a great time catching up with relatives we haven't seen in years:

Can you tell that Julie and I both have mouthfuls of cake when this picture was snapped??  This was also back when I had ankles...

Shower #4 was a fun, relaxed Simple Focus dinner and shower hosted by Casey and Laura.  Laura went to culinary school, so I knew the food was going to be awesome:

Shower #5 was a total surprise.  JD is on the board of the Memphis chapter of the AIGA.  One night, while attending a board meeting, the other members surprised him baby gifts and treats!  After spending the evening organizing the nursery with my mother, JD showed up with cupcakes and books from the shower.  If only he'd get on those thank you notes - hint, hint...


I honestly thought that I'd be one of those glowing mommas who would post a baby bump picture every week, but I am convinced that those are the type of women who have Pinterest boards, totally organized nurseries by 30 weeks and make their own fabulous burp cloths.  Sorry, kid, your mom won't be crafty.

41 Week Update:

BABY STATS

How far along: I am in my 41st week - you can tell by how tired I look! Maybe wearing makeup would help...


How big is baby: The doctor thinks the baby weighs somewhere between six and seven pounds.


Total weight gain:  I am up to twelve pounds gained.  I was holding steady for a few weeks at six pounds, but I am hoping the baby gained those extra pounds and not me!


Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes to work and out with friends.  Regular clothes for everything else.


Sleep: I am finding that I fall asleep fast, but don't stay asleep.  My sinuses have been bothering me, so I'll usually gravitate towards JD's recliner in the middle of the night if I am having too much trouble breathing.  JD has been trying to come up with the right pillow combo so I can sleep in the bed propped up, but it seems unnatural to me to try to sleep that way.


Best moment of the week: Scheduling the induction.  Which was also the worst moment of the week.  I am excited to know that there is an end in sight (being induced on Wednesday, March 13th), but extremely disappointed that this baby won't come on its own.  There has been very little progress these past few weeks.


Food cravings:  Starting to crave more sweets - no wonder I went from only gaining three pounds to packing on seven more pounds in seven weeks.


Food aversions:  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Just my usual texture weirdness.


Symptoms:  Swelling ankles - it's not pretty either.  So much so that I think Buddy got scared when he saw them.  I only let myself view my ankles in the morning.  The doctor assures me this will go away after delivery.


Movements: The baby has slowed down a bit on account of dropping further down to get ready for the big day.  It definitely feels more like a 'gut' and less like a baby bump.  The lower position does allow the baby to get in some painful jabs while I attempt to sleep.


Gender:  Unknown - waiting until the big day!


What I am looking forward to: This being over.  Getting my ankles back.  Being the only person occupying my body.  Take your pick.


What I miss:  Pants with zippers.  Tying my shoes without having to sit in a chair first.  Running.  Sweating when I work out.


Next appointment: We went in today for the 41 week check-up.  I used to think I was 'lucky' because I was so tall and the baby didn't poke out as much because it had more room to grow, now I am realizing that translates into a longer gestational period because it has plenty of room to hang out!  Not cool at all...we are headed to the hospital on Wednesday at 4 a.m. to evict him or her.