Baby

Four weeks old!

I can’t believe it’s been four weeks since Joe was born! It seems like just a few days ago.

Joe is currently celebrating with a nice nap, but earlier this morning he spent some time kicking his feet and looking around in the little “baby gym” our friend Lisa got for him:

We spent the weekend at my parents’ house for Independence Day. Joe got to meet his Uncle Rich and his two cousins, and he was such a good baby. He likes when there are new faces and things to look at.

Patrick and I slept in the guest room, and Joe took the office across the hall. That’s the cradle I slept in when I was a baby:

He just gets cuter and smarter and BIGGER every day!

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Joe's First Road Trip!

Yesterday the three of us drove up to Manassas to pick up Patrick’s new car (new to us, anyway). It’s a cute little white Scion xA! (With a Russian flag on the back, courtesy of the previous owners. I’m sure that’s soon to be replaced with a Geneseo sticker.)

Anyway, we were worried that 5+ hours on the road would be a problem for Joe. He loves being in the car, but if he slept the whole way we’d surely be in for trouble at night when he was supposed to be sleeping.

But he traveled like a champ! He slept the whole way there, then woke up but stayed calm long enough for us to wolf down a Panera dinner, and then was calm and alert the whole way home. What a good boy!

He still sleeps like nobody’s business (5-6 hours on the first night home — I was afraid to check on him after all that quiet!), but getting there has gotten to be more of a struggle. We’re trying to establish a routine — bathtime, jammies, etc. — to let him wind down, but sometimes he just wants to be up until 11:30. And sometimes he wants to spend that time screaming for no apparent reason. Patrick has started driving him around at night when he can’t settle down. By exit 61, he’s usually out. I hope we don’t have to do that until he’s in high school.

Tomorrow we’re headed to Fayetteville for the Fourth of July. We’ve skipped the Fort Bragg festivities for the past few years, what with all the little ones in the family now. (Those cannons are probably the reason I can’t hear a thing now. What?) So, until they’re all old enough to appreciate field artillery, we’ll just spend the Fourth relaxing at my folks’ house. Joe hasn’t even met his uncle or cousins yet, and my dad hasn’t seen him since he was just a few hours old. He’s already so different!

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An Anniversary

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Five years ago today, Patrick and I went on our first real date. We had beer and calamari at Huske Hardware House. Patrick swears I told him that very day that I wanted to have children in the next few years. Who knew that five years later we’d have one together?

This past weekend, Joe got to meet his Grandpa Mike and Grandma Mary, who came down from New York just to see him. He was on his best behavior and slept most of the time. When he did fuss, Mary showed us her patented over-the-leg trick, which calmed him right down. We’ve been doing that ever since.

We’re going to attempt to have his portrait made tomorrow. In the meantime, we continue photographing his every move at home. Here he is relaxing in the guest bed:

Such a serious face!

Baby

Joe's First Checkup

Today a nurse practitioner confirmed what I had already suspected: Joe is a perfect baby.

Patrick has to go back to work today, so my mom is in town helping us get through the days without him. He’s such an easy baby, though — he sleeps for good long stretches, and when he does cry it’s because of something that’s easy to figure out and fix: hunger, messy diaper, whatever.

The first night home with him was rough, though. I was nervous about every little thing and too keyed up to sleep even when he was sleeping. My sister spent a night with us over the weekend and forced me to go to bed as soon as she arrived. I have to remember, if I’m ever in a position to help a new mom out, what a gift that is. Getting enough sleep makes everything better.

This weekend, Patrick’s folks are coming from NY to meet their first grandchild. I’m looking forward to introducing him to them. He’s so much cuter in person than in his photos. Hard to imagine, I know!

Here’s something cool: This peace lily in our dining room bloomed on the day Joe was born. We’re plant-sitting it for our friends Alecia and Matthew, who dropped it off on their way to Boston at Christmas.

We’ve uploaded a few new photos of Joe on the Flickr account. Videos are coming soon!

Baby

Finally!

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Joseph VanderClute Tremblay arrived at 4:14 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was 20 inches long. He’s handsome and sweet-natured and already a genius.

Here’s how I feel today:

More later — I’ve got a baby to snuggle!

Baby

This is getting really old …

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Thanks for the update, BabyCenter, but my 2-week-old baby HASN’T COME OUT YET!

Since Thursday evening, I have been experiencing prodromal labor, which is mostly contractions that don’t get longer or closer together but can go on for days. They sure feel like the real thing, but they just aren’t. We were up late timing them on Thursday night, until they just stopped. And then last night from 3 to 5 a.m. I was tiptoeing around the house wondering what time I should wake Patrick and tell him (I’m glad I didn’t; they stopped as soon as birds started chirping outside).

The good news is that all these false alarms are supposed to be accomplishing something, in terms of dilation and all that — so there may be less work to do when I’m really in pain.

I’ve been a bit of a recluse all weekend (more than usual, I mean!) while waiting for the real deal to get going. That’s partly because it’s about 100 degrees outside, and partly because when we went to dinner Friday night, a man in the parking lot OPENLY POINTED AND LAUGHED at me. I know I’m big and round, but dang. Wait until you get in the car before you start making fun!

Tomorrow, Joe and I have a 2:00 appointment for the same ultrasound/non-stress test routine as the past two weeks. I am really hoping to miss that appointment because of real labor, but it doesn’t look hopeful right now.

Sorry to keep everyone in suspense … he’ll be worth the wait!

Baby

Today at the Doctor's Office

Same routine as last week, with the ultrasound and the non-stress test. Joe passed everything with flying colors, although he was a bit stubborn about moving on the ultrasound at first. After a quick pep talk, he did finally give us a reassuring wave.

The tech zoomed in on his face and we could see two little nostrils at the top of the screen, with his little mouth opening and closing below. He even stuck his tiny tongue out. You can already tell he’s a good-looking kid!

Then we met with the doctor, who said that I’m one centimeter dilated (that’s the size of a Cheerio, but hey, it’s something). She asked what we’d like to do about induction. I have been doing some research and decided that the risk (to him and me) of inducing labor is greater than the risk of letting him determine his own birthday.

Don’t get me wrong — the idea of induction is tempting, especially given that:

  • It’s in the 90s and getting hotter every day
  • We are really eager to meet this kid
  • I’m running out of clothes that fit

Still, there’s no sense in rushing things if he’s not ready yet. We’ve got the rest of our lives to push him around; no reason to start now!

The doctor was surprisingly cool about the “wait and see” approach, but she does want me to come twice a week for the ultrasound routine until he’s born.

So, I’m guessing that (in keeping with the family tradition of late, huge babies) Joe will turn up on his own within the next week, tipping the scales at 9 pounds plus. Yikes!

Baby, Home

Monday

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Still no Joe. He seems quite content in there, wiggling around a lot and poking me in the ribs. What are you waiting for, child?!

We’ve resorted to reverse psychology, loudly yelling towards my belly things like, “IT’S A GOOD THING HE’S NOT HERE YET SO WE CAN TRY THAT NEW RESTAURANT!” and “I HOPE HE DOESN’T COME TODAY BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT WE NEED TO GET DONE!”

He’s not falling for it.

Every week, babycenter.com has been sending me an email to explain what’s happening in that week of pregnancy — the baby’s size, what organs are developing, what symptoms I might have, etc. Here is this week’s e-mail. So helpful!

Amy and the kids woke up with nasty colds today and so won’t be visiting after all. They may be here on Wednesday — if Joe doesn’t get here first!

Baby, Family, Home

Weekend!

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After sleeping in this morning, we went to the Petersburg Farmers Market to browse the veggies and herbs. We came home with a parsley plant and a basil plant. We also zoomed up and down the cobblestone streets in the hopes of shaking Joe loose. It didn’t work, but I like to think he was in there going, “Wheee!”

A quick stop at the stationery store (to look at baby announcements, which are absurdly expensive) and then the Wawa (to pick up lunch, which is delightfully cheap) were about all the public appearance I could handle — everywhere I go now, people stare and say “OH MY GOD, WHEN ARE YOU DUE?!” So then I have to say “Last week,” and they start in with the well-meaning advice. What cracks me up is that at least three total strangers have said, “Oh, you have definitely dropped.” Uh, do I know you?

Anyway. Tonight for dinner we finally went to The Phoenician, this new Lebanese place I have been dying to try. Oh, it was so good! Our friend Lisa and her friend Dan joined us, and the four of us tore into a whole spread of baba ghanouj, tabouleh, hummus and about a dozen other yummy things. Dessert was namoura cake, which was like a honey-soaked, coconutty piece of cornbread. So good!

Tomorrow we’ll probably just kick around the house — I really need to clean again before the kid gets here, and Patrick is probably going to mow the lawn. Plus we have new herbs to plant!

On Monday, my sister and her kids are coming to visit, which will be a nice distraction for me. We can walk down to the playground and listen for the ice cream truck, or sit on the patio while Lola licks the children to death. Good times!

Since 2008