He's Here!

Liam Allen has arrived! 

He came via a planned cesarean on Monday, October 15 at 2:31 pm, weighing in at 7 lb 4 oz and 19 inches long :)

I had kept the fact that we knew all along when Liam would come (well, unless he decided to grace us with his presence early) a secret because of the significance of that date. You see, one of my truest & greatest friends was born on that day. Chelsea was there for me for some of the greatest moments in my life, and stuck by my side through the worst as well- everything and then some that you could ask for in a friend. In May of this year she passed away due to Cystic Fibrosis, just a few days shy of her first "birthday" (the anniversary of her double lung transplant). Throughout my pregnancy with Aldon, she kept willing me to go into labor and have him on her birthday (he came 2 weeks later), and then when she discovered I was due again on October 20 (side note- she was the first person I told that I was pregnant again, before our parents even!), she was placing bets again that baby would come on her day. Once I found out I could guarantee that she would get her wish and baby would arrive on her birthday, it was a no-brainer to do anything I could to make it happen. 

So, Monday morning we found ourselves starving (ok, that was just me- I couldn't eat the entire day of the surgery, which is just cruel to do to a pregnant person), and heading to the birthing center to be prepped for surgery! (another torture- it took two nurses 5 tries to start an IV on me. 3 veins were blown in the process. My arms now look like a domestic violence poster with all this bruising). 

A half hour into the procedure, at 2:31, Liam had arrived! This time around was a little different from my c section with Aldon- the nurses wheeled the scale around so I could watch him being weighed, and Keegan was even able to cut his cord. Dad & baby hung out for about an hour while the doctors were still working on me- since we know we are set with our two boys, I had a tubal ligation after the c section as well. 

Recovery this time around has also been a little easier on me- I was able to get up and be walking around Monday night after getting out of the OR at about 3:30 that afternoon. We spent 3 nights in the hospital (they wanted me to stay an extra, but I was so sick of that place and just wanted to be home), and then got to bring our baby home!

Liam is a spunky, expressive little peanut. He nurses about every hour and a half- 2 hours, and sleeps much better than his big brother ever did! He will actually sleep alone in his bassinet between feedings- Aldon was a co sleeper since birth. Aldon is fascinated with his baby brother, and loves to make sure he always has the most important things in life- like slippers and toys ;)

Our little family is now complete & it's safe to say it's the best feeling in the world and we could not be happier :)

Our last picture as a family of 3! headed to the hospital :)

One of Liam's first photos

6 days old & already has big brother wrapped around his finger ;)

{37 weeks!} + life lately

How far along? 37 weeks, full term!
How big is baby? on average, just over 6 pounds and 19 inches
Weight gain: 30 pounds
Maternity clothes? I live for elastic.
Stretch marks? Notta. whew.
Sleep: I now wake up every night from like 3 am to 5, unable to sleep. And then of course get about half an hour nap in before the alarm goes off and it's time to start the day! Preparation for a newborn?
Best moment this week: this week has been ucky. But it is pretty awesome to finally be full term, and know that baby could come at any time!
Miss anything? being able to reach across the counter, being able to bend down, getting off the couch without help, etc.
Movement: has slowed down quite a bit, poor guy has no room!
Food cravings: potatoes! of course. and oranges, carrots, celery... basically, any raw fruit or veg.
Anything making you queasy or sick? It's still difficult to eat meat.
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: BH, moments of intense pressure, and the fact that baby has zero room in his waterbed anymore.
Symptoms: heartburn, mostly. and though it isn't quite a "symptom", I have completely lost all motivation to do, well, anything. And the latest development has been killer migraines every day, all day. just three more weeks...
Bellybutton in or out? It's officially out.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time? I can admit it, moody. And emotional.
Looking forward to...? baby being here!

Life has been crazy busy for the Ohio Hartman's lately! I feel like I just sat down for the first time in weeks... whew. 

The past two weekends we had visitors (yay!)- my in laws first, and then my own parents just this past weekend. Aldon of course loved being the center of attention among his grandparents ;) Lots of fun was had both weekends at a nearby apple orchard picking apples & a few pumpkins! 

 

 

35 weeks in this picture! And at least there was one pumpkin there that my belly wasn't bigger than...

This past week, though, I've been hit with serious migraines every day. Basically, it sucks. With Aldon I had high blood pressure towards the end of my pregnancy, so naturally I was prepared to hear that it was spiking again at my appt today- it's not! I guess they're just par for the course at this point. 

However, baby Hartman has been much less active these past few days compared to his normal hyper self. So, I got to spend an hour hooked up to the monitors at the doctor's office having an NST to make sure everything is going ok with him. While he didn't meet the "10 kicks per hour" rule of thumb quota, he did move around 6 or 7 times in the hour I was there. We're on orders to count those kicks for the next few weeks to establish a norm for him so I {and the docs} can know better if he starts to really mellow out. {btw, the kid has a crazy rapid heart rate, jumping from mid150's to almost 170 bpm at times!}

Also, while on the monitors, I had several contractions/"tightenings" that my doctor pointed out to me {yes, I did notice them, they just didn't seem significant}, along with the speculation that maybe baby will come early... hmm? 

 At this point, I'm really, really, really ready for Liam to be here. I usually don't believe in worrying too much over things, but all I can think about is the problems I had while pregnant with Aldon & afterwards, and then the findings on baby's ultrasound {echogenic cardiac focus}, and now he's not moving around as much... plus throw in life with an almost 2 year old who tries to be more and more independent day by day, and those migraines kind of explain themselves.

For now, we're just taking it day by day, and counting down the few short weeks {or less?!} until he will be here! :)

The Hartman's :) {and yes, it is impossible to get the hubs to smile for any photo}

{34 weeks!}

How far along? 34 weeks!
How big is baby? on average, 4.75 pounds and about 18 inches long!
Weight gain: 21ish pounds.
Maternity clothes? I live for elastic.
Stretch marks? Notta. whew.
Sleep: actually hasn't been that hard to achieve {knock on wood}. I still get heartburn like crazy, but you get used to that. 
Best moment this week: all of our moments spent in MI visiting family over the weekend!
Miss anything? I miss not bumping into everything. Not that I was the definition of grace before getting pregnant, but it's absurd now.
Movement: all of his movements are so painful now. He's running out of room! I'm constantly getting kicked, jabbed, and shoved in places that nobody wants to be kicked, jabbed, and shoved...
Food cravings: potatoes! and this week, cereal. I ate four bowls in one day, mmm.
Anything making you queasy or sick? It's still difficult to eat meat.
Gender: BOY!
Labor signs: BH, moments of intense pressure, and the fact that baby has zero room in his waterbed anymore.
Symptoms: heartburn, mostly. and though it isn't quite a "symptom", I have completely lost all motivation to do, well, anything.
Bellybutton in or out? It's so close to being out! 
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy, just emotional. I cried watching a c section reenactment on the show The Doctors today. Seriously. 
Looking forward to...? Being full term in just three short weeks!

Baby Liam is so close to being here! yay! The timing was perfect for us to take one last trip over Labor Day weekend to MI to visit some family that we didn't get to see before we left, before I'm too far along to travel & baby comes. Aldon was such a trooper for the 6-7 hour car trips to Manistee {it helps that since he was three weeks old we have been traveling three hours once every other month or so to visit family, he's a seasoned veteran}. I now start seeing the doctor every two weeks, and I'm still toying with the ideas of VBAC vs planned C section.... so we'll see on that. For now, here's some pictures of my cutie at the beach in MI :)

and of course, my lovely shadow at almost 34 weeks pregnant ;)

 

{33 weeks!}

How far along? 33 Weeks! 

How big is baby? On average, a little over 4 pounds and past the 17 inch mark {baby is back to measuring right on track!} 

Weight gain: 21 pounds

Maternity clothes? I have my favorite maternity capris, I swear I could live in them (size small). Other than that most of everything is just non maternity styled a little loose.

Stretch marks? notta. whew.

Sleep: I'm an old lady and in bed every night at 9:30. He still loves to push against the side of the bed I'm laying on, but by now I'm so used to it, it doesn't even bother me {that much}.

Best moment this week: Aldon has been loving to "snuggle" with Liam. It's the cutest thing ever. He'll basically use my belly as a pillow and talk to Liam the whole time. 

Miss anything? Being able to move with even the slightest grace. At this point, I'm just so big & in the way of everything. 

Movement: This week has been full of huge, belly-morphing kicks and rolls. We've gotten pretty good at distinguishing between elbows and knees lol

Food cravings: potatoes, potatoes, potatoes! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? The texture of meat, especially red meat. It's not a flavor thing, or a smell thing, but actually taking a bite of chicken or steak and chewing it is so repulsive to me. 

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: some BH now & again, he's sitting very low to begin with, and lots of pressure at times.

Symptoms: heartburn, mostly.

Belly button in or out? it's so close to being out! 

Wedding rings on or off? On, when I remember to wear them lol

Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy, but super emotional and could cry over literally nothing it seems. 

Looking forward to: our Michigan trip tomorrow!! I'm also far enough along now that I go to the doctor's every two weeks, until I'm 36/37 weeks, which means baby is so close to being here! 

33 week belly! and tired mama. and dog that acts like my shadow.

Macy couldn't figure out what the heck I was doing...

Aldon is 22 months!

...which means he's only two super short months away from being 2 years old!

...which also means I really, really, really need to get into gear and finish up the details for his birthday party, but more on that later.


One year ago today (on his 10 month birthday) he took his very first steps!
Twelve months later and Keegan and I are still trying to keep up.

It's funny how in some ways he's everything like he used to be a year ago, and in others it's like he's a different child. 
For example- to this day he still hates peaches. He always forgets he doesn't like them, asks for one, bites into it and instantly spits it out {this happens frequently}. He could say "dada" a year ago, and "mama" if he was feeling in a very generous mood. Today? His vocabulary and grasp of language is out of this world. The latest word he stunned me with by learning was "tyrannosaurus" {thanks to his favorite dino pajama pants}, he speaks in three word sentences, and can understand & follow simple 3-part commands {such as, "put your cup on the table, your plate in the sink, and then come sit here"}. 

His favorite foods this past month have been:
- spaghetti {sga-ghetti}
- pb & j
- cheese {no surprise there. as soon as the fridge opens he instantly lunges for the cheese drawer. oh, you don't have an entire drawer dedicated only to cheese in your refrigerator? weird.}
- broccoli
- granola
- pancakes {cake-cakes}
- yogurt
- and of course milk. it wasn't until recently that he even discovered juice, and even now he's only partial to it.
~ he's been in such a "food rut" this whole month. it's been driving me crazy. Basically, if it wasn't spaghetti for lunch or dinner, he wouldn't eat it. and only granola and pancakes for breakfast, please. I've tried every trick {cutting his food into silly shapes/characters, giving something plain like carrots a fun name to entice him, etc etc} and he still doesn't want to eat anything different. He really not a "picky" eater, because he will try a bunch of different things, he's just stubborn and decides he only wants his faves. So it's been a balancing act of "how much should we give in and let him eat what he wants, and where to draw the line so he's not 25 and still only eating spaghetti for dinner." {of course, there was much unsolicited advice on this topic}. Keegan & I are assuming it's just a phase, and he'll find new favorites eventually. 

His dislikes this past month have been:
- clothing {it varies between whether or not he wants to wear just pants, just a shirt, or just a diaper. or just nothing at all...}
- diaper changes {I bribe with cookies, good mom stuff}
- my biggest pet peeve: holding hands when we are walking somewhere. He thinks he's a big boy in all areas now and idk it's not cool or something to be seen holding hands with your parents. I've totally contemplated a backpack leash.
- the second before he's about to be laid down for bed. He doesn't have a problem with bed/nap time routines- in fact, he jumps at the chance to take part in them {bath, pajamas, read a book or twelve hundred, pick up toys, brush teeth}, but it's the second he's done brushing his teeth and the kisses goodnight start, that he freaks. He still sleeps in his crib, because if he were able to get out of bed and fight sleep all night he totally would. 

His favorite toys/games/activities/etc:
- ELMO. he's familiar with Sesame Street thanks to a set of books he has, and by far Elmo is his favorite character {Abby is a close second}. I scored some mega Best Mom Ever points by turning on Sesame Street on TV one day for him. He was through the roof excited and amazed because "Melmo" was on TV!!! 
- dinosaurs. His dino pj's get worn just about every other night, and all night long he says hi to the tyrannosaurus on them. And if any dino resembles a tyrannosaurus, it's a tyrannosaurus.
- he loves playing with his play food sets {we have these,  these, these, these, and this}. again, you'll score more cool points in his eyes if you let him use real kitchen utensils, bakeware, mixing bowls, etc with his food sets. However, each night you then have to wash about every dish you own in the house... 
- he absolutely loves to be a "helper" Which of course we may or may not exploit a time or two. He loves to do the laundry, clean the floors, and start the dishwasher every night. Hey, if he enjoys doing it, it would be rude of me to not let him... ;)
- he still really, really loves reading. This month, his favorite book has been his Baby Einstein 101 First Words book {and let me just say, we've read that thing so many times that there's not 101 different words in there. there's repeats.}
- boy loves to move. He'll bust out in a dance over just about anything, music or not. And he has his own "Smarty Pants Dance" he does when we tell him he's so smart {cutest/funniest thing ever}
- he loves to look at photo books, albums and pictures on our phones, especially of himself {he refers to himself as "cutie" whenever he sees his picture. because he's modest}. I think we spent about two hours today watching all of his videos and the whole time he was amazed at the "cutie baby" on mommom's phone. {oh, did I mention that? Keegan is daddy/dada, and I'm "mommom", never mama/mommy/mom, etc. Not sure where he got it from...}

Big/New Developments this month have been:
- he has said buhbye to the high chair, and won't even use a booster seat. He has to sit at the table just like mommy & daddy do.
- he recently starting picking out his own outfits every morning, and with the exception of a little help, gets himself dressed. So far we haven't had any "going to the grocery store in your Halloween costume" moments, but he's picked out some real doozies. Yesterday it was shark pajama pants, one puppy dog slipper, one monster slipper, and a t shirt worn like a scarf, until he abandoned a shirt all together. And he rocked it.


Life with Aldon these days is anything but ordinary. There's always at least a dozen things he does daily that crack me up, and equal amounts that drive me crazy. 
We've been planning his birthday party for a few weeks now, and it's so crazy to think that he will be two soon! And then after that he will have to start looking at preschool options for him... and then kindergarten... oy.     

But, for now, we're just going to enjoy the good {& the bad} moments we have with him, because he's only 22 months for so long ;)

lately... {in pictures}

he's not sure whether or not to be impressed...

teeter-tottering with daddy.

yes, i really am as tired as i look. ugh. they always look cute, tho :)

on a nature walk.

he looks more & more grown up every day...

serious splash pool action.

facial expressions are necessary while making coffee/apple/hot dog stew.

connecting pipes at the Children's Museum water table

proudly displaying his artwork!

*keeg was a little tired of me snapping pictures every half second ;)

then & now! On the left, 29 weeks pregnant with Aldon and then on the right, a few weeks ago at 29 weeks with Liam!

That's the jist of what August has been like for us! In a few days it will be our anniversary, and then we are headed back to Michigan for one final trip to visit my side of the family :) 

{32 Weeks!}

have i really not done one of these in 6 weeks?? wow. my bad. 

How far along? 32 weeks!

How big is baby? on average, 3.75 pounds and measuring 16.7 inches {tho baby Liam has been measuring a little bigger!}

Weight gain: 19 pounds!

Maternity clothes? a few pants, size small/xsmall/petite and tops size sm/xsm. most of my "wardrobe" consists of pre-pregnancy clothes that were styled loose to begin with, and it still fits just fine. 

Stretch marks? notta.

Sleep: usually pretty good, but last night I wanted to scream. The second I lay down I get heartburn, so there was that, a stuffy nose, and a seriously over-active child.

Best moment this week: Mom's Night Out last night! I met another mom who is new to the area as well, and we chatted over coffee for hours, sans kids, and it was amazing. I love Aldon, and it's been fun to stay at home with him, but those few hours with another female were so needed!

Miss Anything? seeing the floor when I walk. 
Movement: He's still as active as ever!

Food cravings: potatoes! plain, baked potatoes being my favorite- as in, I may or may not have eaten like four one night with dinner. Seriously.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm back to where I can't stomach the idea of red meat. uck.

Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: a lot of Braxton Hicks, and I can tell that he's been staying lower in my belly which adds a lot of pressure.

Symptoms: heartburn, mostly. 

Belly Button in or out? not "out", but not "in" either. Kind of just flat.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: haha, you might want to ask my hubs this one ;) For the most part happy, but I can get emotional at the drop of a hat, which is completely unlike me. 

Looking forward to: baby being born! 

it's certainly not the most flattering picture, but it's a little hard to fit the whole thing in the camera frame these days ;)

time flies!

I know, I know. I suck at updating this. forgive me.

So, since I haven't written a new post in, about, a decade- here's what our crazy bunch has been up to!

• I'm still pregnant! Weeks 27, 28, & 29 went by in a blur. I've gained around 16 pounds total, which is a little on the small side. However, I'm still measuring 1-1.5 cm larger than average so my doctor suspects we'll be having one big baby! And all I want to eat is baked potatoes, plain, and lots of them.
• Keegan & I toured the hospital birthing center! The hospital has a Level III NICU & birthing center (as in, the highest rated), which provides so much peace of mind that in case anything should ever go wrong, they got this. 
• Liam's room is about 99.7% completely set up & ready for him! The last of the storage stuff has been put away or toted back to storage for later, and just about everything is in it's place. The only thing left to do, really, is convince Keegan that his mounts (3 of them) can have their own place in storage and don't need to go up anywhere in this house... (I know, wish me luck there)
• Aldon is 21 months old! He's so close to 2 it's scary. He must do everything "big boy" style now- sitting at the table to eat, eating with regular silverware, helping with things around the house (favorites: laundry, sweeping, and picking up toys), he must be the one who feeds the dog every day and must help take her for walks... pretty soon he'll have a mortgage and car payments, I swear. His speech is ridiculously clear now, too, compared to just a week or two ago, and usually everything is said in three word sentences. He has a severe affection for dairy products- milk, yogurt and cheese, and prefers veggies over any kind of meat, any day. 
• With Aldon being more independent every day, I have so much more free time! It's such an unsettling feeling sometimes to not have anything to do... but I can't say I mind ;) I've been sewing/crafting up a storm. In the past few weeks, I've made for him a quillow, toddler snuggie, alphabet bean bags, and have a quiet book and some cloth diapers set aside for later. Of course, Liam has some baby burp rags, blankets, and cloth wipes waiting for him. Also on my to-do list is finish putting together a "Big Brother Kit" for Aldon for when we're in the hospital with baby :) 
• We had visitors! My in-laws came down to stay with us for about a week. Aldon thoroughly enjoyed having extra attention and another animal to terrorize  love. 
• Aldon's 2nd birthday party is about 80% planned! We have the date set, the invite list, the menu, theme, decoration ideas, etc. All that's left to do is put it all together :) Last year we went big- about 80 people invited and I honestly have no clue how many actually showed up to the party because it was a busy, hectic (but fun) day. Obviously, this year things are different- Liam will be just a few days old and we're about 8 hours away from family. Even though it won't be as big as his first birthday, I'm determined to still make it awesome for him :)

 There's probably a dozen or so other updates, but that's the basics. As always, life is moving 500 miles an hour and I'm just trying to keep up. Hopefully I'll actually update this thing more than once a decade, though ;)

Oh, and seriously, I need this. In both a 2T & Newborn size, please.

 

{26 weeks!}

How far along? 26 weeks! (+1 day)

How big is baby? on average, weighs one pound and two thirds, and measures 14 inches

Weight gain: almost 15 pounds

Maternity clothes? rockin' em.

Stretch marks? notta.

Sleep: baby has decided that sleep time is play time.

Best moment this week: I finally cleared out the spare bedroom for him! All of the clutter is out, and furniture is set up and in :) His diapers are all prepped and waiting for him on his new changing table- though one or two might be in use by Aldon's Teddy. Big brother was practicing how to put a diaper on and off ;)

Miss Anything? seeing the floor when I walk. 
Movement: Naturally, baby is very active at night, right when I want to (try to) go to sleep.

Food cravings: hot fudge. hold the sundae, just give me the fudge. healthy, right?
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm back to where I can't stomach the idea of red meat. uck.

Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: are a long ways away!

Symptoms: heartburn, sore back & feet. 

Belly Button in or out? half in, half out. it never popped out with Aldon, but I'm thinking it's unavoidable this time around...
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!  

Looking forward to: next week! I'll officially be in my third trimester :) 

apparently baby has the proportions of a basketball.

one of my all-time fave tee's- from one of the first times I saw Every Avenue live :) I figure it's never too early to infuse baby with an appreciation for good music. Oh, you've never heard of EA? Get. On. It.

Teddy modeling a bumGenius Newborn AIO! The other bear on the right is modeling a Kissa's size 0 fleece fitted :)

the finishing piece on baby's room- his name on his door! Yes, we FINALLY agreed on a name. Baby Hartman will be Liam Allen :)