Visitors

Here are some pics of the people who have come to meet Jack!


Beth


Aunt Cathy


Aunt Shayna and Shane


Nana


Pete


Papa


Grandma Anne


Grandma Sue and Pepere


Uncle Peter


Aunt Susie


Aunt Kim


Aunt Connie


Aunt Cathy


Uncle T and Michelle


Uncle Lup and his Family

Jack is sleeping!

I talked to my friend Sandra today, and she confirmed what Steve has been telling me for the last week: I cannot expect Jack to be on a schedule yet. As hard as I try to get him on a 3 to 4 hour eating schedule, sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. So I'm now trying to go with the flow more but keep myself on some sort of schedule.

After a long night last night (there was some crying, by me and Jack), we got up today around 10. I made it a point to shower right after Jack ate. I also made it a point to put on normal clothes. I think wearing sweats and pajamas all the time is taking a toll on my psyche. Anyway, that started a very productive day. I got the laundry done; I paid bills; and I got off the email to organize meals for Susie and Peter.

Time out! I need to give this the attention it deserves.

I am an aunt again! Susie gave birth to Nicholas Paul on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb 3) at 1:47 p.m. I tried to go see him, but by the time I got to the hospital they had taken him to the nursery already. I couldn't stay long enough for him to get out. Tomorrow, Jack and I are going to try to go visit the new little guy. Hopefully, the weather and the roads will clear.

Okay, back to the Barrett family. So in my new found productiveness, I'm getting to update the blog. I think I'm going to do little posts so it's easier to figure out what's going on. Enjoy the photos!

Feeding, sleeping, and pacifiers... Oh My!

I never thought I could function on so little sleep. Yet here we are, enjoying each day on about 6 hours of sleep (not continuous though, at most we get 3 hours at a time). To think, only a month ago I was sleeping for 11-hour stretches!

So we have figured out pumping and bottle feeding. Steve is definitely up for father/husband of the year. He gave the first bottle last Thursday night, and it was a success. I definitely think Jack takes after his dad. He's very laid back about everything from how he eats to where he sleeps. He'll take a bottle or breastfeed without a problem. He'll sleep anywhere in the house. It's nice for us!



Sorry, I can't figure out how to get this right-side up. Just tilt your head, you'll get the idea!

So I knew being a mom was going to be different from anything else I have ever experienced, but I had no idea how much work it would be just to take a shower and eat my own lunch! We're slowly developing a routine though. Hopefully by the time I have to go back to work in April, we'll have something worked out.

So not everything is perfect here at the Barrett household. I don't want to fool anyone into thinking my son is perfect (just very close!). We are having some trouble with fussiness every once in a while. He's started taking a pacifier, which helps soothe him. I think he might get too tired some times and can't fall asleep. The pacifier seems to help in times like those.

Okay, this is way too much for the blog. I'm sure the last thing people want to read about is the minute details of our daily life. Hopefully, I'll be able to find time to take more photos of the little guy and get them posted here.

Mom's Favorite Photos

Okay, I'm getting a little tired trying to update each day. So I'll come back and do that later. Until then, here are a few of my favorite photos of our Buddy Bear (aren't we just too sickeningly sweet about our baby boy? Just humor me for now!)



















And yes, this is only a few! I do have lots more!

Jan. 11 - Jack's Birthday!

Friday is when the excitement started. However, it didn't really start until Friday afternoon.

We had another doctor's appointment Friday at 11:15 or somewhere around there. We went. I had progressed a bit, but not that much. It turns out I am unique in my laboring process. The doctors didn't quite understand me. Even though my doctor didn't think I'd make it through the weekend (which he was right about!), we scheduled an induction for Thursday, Jan. 17. We left the office to wait for water, pain or blood since any one of those things meant going back to the hospital to have the baby!

We headed to Panera for lunch. I ate light considering I didn't know when I would go into active labor, and you really don't want a full stomach for active labor.

From there, we decided to go to Huntley Outlets to do a little shopping. We hit up the Maternity store one last time. We bought a little sleeper from Osh Kosh, and we found a bunch of cute little things for our son at Carter's. The last place I really wanted to go to before we went home was The Children's Place. So we walked over there, and about 5 steps from the doors I felt a gush. My water had broken. This was not as clear as it sounded, but I'm still not going to go into the details. We called the doctor to see if what I had experienced was indeed my water breaking, and she said go to the hospital. (by the way, I have several doctors, both male and female).

We stopped at the house to pick up the camera (we had everything else in the car). My smart husband had thought ahead and had taken Breyer to Ruffners, the doggie day care/kennel that morning, so all we had to do was make a phone call to keep her there overnight. We got to the hospital at about 4 p.m.

Labor and delivery stories are a little boring and often exaggerated. I'm going to spare the details here and just summarize. It was a wonderful experience. I would not describe it as extremely painful or horrible. In fact, most of my experience was very calm. If you want to know more, just ask.

Jack Reilley Barrett was born at 9:52 p.m. He weighed 7lbs 4 oz and was 21 inches long. Steve and my mom were with us in the delivery room. I'd highly recommend these two as birthing coaches if you ever are in need. We had lots of people in the waiting room too. Almost all of our immediate families were able to be there.

Of course, we have a ton of photos, but I don't want to clog the blog, so I'm only going to post a few here.

Arriving at the hospital (yes, I am in labor!)

Proud Dad and his son

Our first family photo

For more photos, check out my Flickr site. If you aren't a part of the Barrett group yet, just email me.

Jan. 8, 9, 10 Catch Up

This was the day we first found out I was "in labor." I put that in quotes because it wasn't active labor. I was in the early stage of labor, and to my doctor's amazement I was not in any pain or discomfort. Most other first time moms with my measurements on this Tuesday are in the hospital asking for an epidural. I had been at work all day and didn't think anything unusual was going on!

I went home to relax and start timing contractions. Breyer knew something was up. She would come check on me if Steve or I called her. Otherwise, she ran to the basement and hung out on her couch. This picture is of Breyer and my belly resting on the couch in the basement.



My contractions did get to be about 5 minutes apart on this Tuesday night, so Steve and I went to the hospital. I was in denial that I was in actual labor. They kept us over night, but I didn't progress any. In the morning, we had to make the decision of whether to start inducing methods or to go home and wait it out. Since I was still only about 37 weeks, we decided to go home and wait it out. My doctor thought for sure we'd be back Wednesday afternoon. We were not. So started the labor waiting game!

Since early labor had started, my doctor ordered me not to work anymore. No problem! So we went home on Wednesday and took naps. It turns out as uncomfortable as I was trying to sleep with baby and contraction monitors on, Steve had it even worse in the reclining "Dad" chair. Neither of us had too much trouble napping on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Steve went in to work in the morning. I just hung around the house and rested. I really don't remember too much else from Thursday to be honest. I know I was getting a little cabin fever trying to figure out if my contractions were changing at all or if I was just looney. Not much really happened on Thursday.

So tired and a bathroom remodel

I was not very enthusiastic about going back to work today. Most of this lack of enthusiasm was caused by the realization that I could not just take a nap anytime I felt tired. That kind of freedom is such a blessing. I did take a nap after school today though, and it was lovely.

In my first big picture-a-day venture, I am actually over-achieving. The three things for today are:

The Bathroom Remodel
Steve has already done most of the demolition work for the remodeling of the hall bathroom. We had a guy come over tonight to take a look and give us an estimate on the putting-it-back-together part. Here are some photos of the bathroom in its current state.





Doggie Love
Breyer has been my shadow lately everywhere I go; but that does not mean she has lost any love for Steve. Here, Steve is watching the BCS Championship game and Breyer is letting him know she cares.



Giving Thanks
I'm in the process of writing Thank You cards for all of the wonderful baby presents we have received so far. People are so generous it is almost overwhelming. I was trying to be artsy here with a pic of one style of thank-you that I am using.



Okay, that's it for today. Check back tomorrow night for another exciting update from West Dundee (especially since the Writer's Guild strike is still on, there's really nothing better to do!)

New Year's Eve and Pics

I promised pictures, so I am delivering.

We celebrated New Year's Eve at our house with Cathy, Rob, Vita and Phil. It was low-key, but that's what I loved about it. Phil and Steve cooked dinner while the rest of us ate Vita's bruchette and chocolates I had from Christmas. We played some Foosball on the new table in the basement (there's nothing like the joy of scoring on Steve) and also played Dirty Minds.

Some other pictures I am including are from our family celebration of my mom's birthday. We gathered at Susie's house for brunch and cupcakes (seriously, what is better than brunch and cupcakes!). There are also some updated photos of the baby's room (new curtains and wall hangings).

Finally, I saw a good idea on another blog about trying to take pictures every day to capture moments in life. I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to try to post one good picture from the day each day. So, for today's picture, you get my lovely dog Breyer. She's so darn cute! (The baby room pics are from today too, but I love my dog).

A new year!

So here we are in 2008. My how time flies. While I am tempted to wax poetic on all things past, I'll avoid it for the reader's sake.

Here at the Barrett household we are in the "final countdown". Both Steve and I are getting really excited for this baby boy to get here (I know, we have been excited since day 1, but it's definitely ramped up now!).

I went to the doctor on Thursday morning really hoping she would say, "Wow, you are really dilated. I think we should just send you down to the labor and delivery unit now." Instead, she said, "You are measuring perfect for your time. Do you have any questions?"

So, instead of heading off to have a baby, I went home to take a nap.

As of yesterday, we are at 37 weeks. That's pretty exciting because our doctor's office considers the baby full term now. That means if I do go into labor, there are no worries about premature issues. Yea for us!

Why are we so excited now then, you ask? Well, I get Braxton-Hicks contractions all the time. We tried timing them last night. The closest we got was 28 minutes. Luckily, the B-H aren't too painful. They do make finding a comfortable sleeping position a challenge. As my sister says, I feel like a rotisserie when I get into bed.

The contractions themselves last anywhere from a minute to 6 minutes in length. That's pretty much why I am happy that they aren't too painful. Basically, my stomach tightens and sometimes gets a funny shape. If it hurt too for 6 minutes, there might be some serious calls to doctors. For now, we just wait.

Another sign of impending labor is serious nesting. Well, Cathy and I finished up the pre-baby shopping for necessities. These were all of the things I "had to have" before the baby gets here. We had a pretty good time doing that (although don't ask Cathy to pack up the Pack and Play; she's done her time).

The next thing on my nesting urge list is grading. I actually graded 25 research papers in the last 3 days. I don't think I've every graded that many research papers in such a short time. I still have a stack of grading to get done (and I'm definitely feeling the urge to get it done), but those essays were weighing pretty heavily on my pre-baby to-do list.

Well, that's the most current update from here. I have some wonderful photos from our "My wife's too big to leave the house New Year's Eve Party" that I will share tomorrow. I think I feel a B-H contraction coming on, so it's off to bed I go!

Merry Christmas!

We celebrated the four days of Christmas this year. Now that it is all over, I can look back and think it was a success. There were a few moments in there when I just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep a little longer. I'm really glad I didn't!

We started our holiday celebrations at my parents' house on Saturday. The Watts Family Christmas was a good time. I'm still amazed at how we all fit into my parents' living room; but I do love the coziness of the experience! I also really like the time to spend with my sisters and my parents. It's not often you can get all six of us in one place!

Of course, every family gathering has its casualties. This year poor Cathy was the victim of a monkey to the forehead. She had recovered by Christmas day though, so all is well.

Next up on the Christmas Countdown was the Barrett Family Christmas. This year we had Steve's Dad, Anne, Shayna, Dick, and Shane all over to our house for brunch. I love brunch. There's just something about fruit, eggs, coffee cake and orange juice that just makes me happy.

We were visited by the Red Power Ranger for most of the day, which was very entertaining. Steve also got to use his foosball table with someone other than his talentless wife. Although I don't think he was much more forgiving to Shane.

That celebration capped off nicely with a Bears win over Green Bay. I'll just leave it at that. You can fill in your own Green Bay joke.

Christmas Eve took us to the City (that's right... all the way to Chicago!). We picked up Steve's Mom and met our friend Kurt and his girlfriend, Amanda, for dinner. What says Christmas Eve better than endless plates of meat. Fogo de Chao was awesome even with my ever shrinking belly. They also have the best ginger ale, which isn't actually ginger ale but something very similar only better. I don't remember the name, so you will just have to go to a Brazilian restaurant or store and ask for ginger ale.

Christmas Morning was nice and quiet at the Barrett Compound. I made coffee cake; Breyer and Steve relaxed; it was a very nice morning. We also realized that next year at that time we would probably be doing the same thing, except it would be after a morning filled with opening presents and Santa amazement. We spent Christmas evening at my aunt and uncle's house in McHenry. The Unger Family Christmas is always exciting. This year, the Carlson's got a Wii, so there was much video game playing. I think they even broke a glass while bowling.

So that is the Christmas update. I know this reads like a Christmas letter, so I put all of the pictures first. If you have actually read to here, thank you. You would think a journalist could keep these entries a bit shorter and more to the point. However, I'm a bit wordy and can't always distinguish between which details are necessary and which aren't.

Short Update

We've done it again. We celebrated Christmas early. I already posted about the camera Steve bought me for Christmas. But this weekend, my parents and I gave Steve his Christmas gift.

My family helped me out (all sisters and parents included!) in buying Steve a Foosball table. Our basement is a little bare. There are the loveseats and the baby strollers, but we didn't spend too much time down there since there wasn't much to do other than sit and push an empty stroller. I thought it was time for Steve to have a little fun.

I found the Tornado table at The Great Escape, but I knew I couldn't get it by myself (weight limits or not, that box is unwieldy!). So my parents were nice enough to meet me at the store to help me make the final decision and then get it home.

Steve was pretty excited. He and my dad got the legs put on while I showed my mom the baby furniture upstairs (and it doesn't take very long to look at a crib and gilder!).

We played the inaugural game this morning. Steve won even though he spotted me 8 points (you play to 10). In my defense, I did make him play to 11 since I scored once and you have to win by 2. I have some practicing to do.

Well, I will post some pics later. Right now, I'm exhausted. I've slept most of today, but I'm still pretty tired. I also think Jack doubled in size today. I'm looking forward to carrying him on the outside. All of this weight around my belly is beginning to take its toll! Not to mention that it would be way more fun to see him kick on the outside when I can see him smile or coo.

Baby Linens

In our birthing class this Saturday, we learned details about the 1st stage of labor. It was really informative. I never realized exactly what happened during dilation and effacement. And no, I am not going to relay that information here. If you are really interested, feel free to pick up a book and read about it, or get pregnant and take the class. What I will tell you a little more about is the relaxation techniques. It's basically yoga, which is nice since I already like yoga and know some of the basics. We learned how to tense and relax different limbs this week. It turns out I am not so good at relaxing. Steve was not surprised by this. We're going to practice though.

Last week, we learned about signs of labor, one of which is nesting. I thought nesting meant getting ready for the baby: setting up the room, putting away clothes, playing with the toys, etc. It turns out nesting also means an intense desire to clean and organize your entire house. I have decided that once this nesting instinct occurs, both Steve and I will be ecstatic. I feel like I am pretty useless lately and I certainly do not have any desire to clean.

So, I promised updated pictures of the nursery. Here they are! I took these tonight. I tried to get a belly picture of myself in there too, but that didn't work out well. Either there would be a weird shadow in the background or I would be incredibly unphotogenic (too many double chins, weird smile, awkward stance, etc). So, no pics of me tonight.







Okay, so beyond baby stuff, here's what's happening.

Steve is quite handy around the house. Today, he removed the sinks and counter top from the hall bathroom. We are one step closer to getting that renovated. Really, the vanities, the tub and toilet need to go and then it's time to rebuild!

He's also been busy with grad school planning. I think the plan is to have applications done pretty soon.


Me, I've been sleeping and working. I thought I was doing better with grading, but it turns out I have not. I've really got to buckle down this week and get back on track though. The last thing I want is to give birth before all of the grading for this terms is finished. That would be a huge stressor I just don't need. Of course, in order to do this, I have to stop spending energy on other things, i.e. socializing. I feel like one of my students. I'm spending too much time having fun and not enough time getting my work done. I'm going to try to be a better example though.

Well, I think this has gone on long enough. It's almost nine, which is my desired bedtime. Until next time!

Baby room update

The baby furniture has arrived! Well, actually, it arrived last Thursday, but it's definitely here! and put together!

Last Thursday, Steve and I had some fun (although I think Steve was humoring me, but I'll take it!) washing all of the bedding and putting it on the bed, putting all of the stuff away in the dresser, and taking turns trying out the glider. I was nesting. Now I'm even more excited for Jack to get here.

Other than that, we've been busy with work. I collected research papers yesterday, so I am starting the biannual fun of grading large essays. As usual, I do have a plan.

The typical third trimester symptoms are hitting me pretty hard lately. For instance, right now, I'm totally exhausted and can barely think straight. This is after 8 hours of sleep last night and a 2 hour nap this afternoon. If you've spoken to me lately, you have probably heard about the heart burn. If not, I'll summarize... it sucks. I'm also not finding very many comfortable positions to lie down in. I'm still trying though!

Okay, so here's the fun part. Here are the photos of the baby's room. This is before I "nested" because right now the room is a little trashed with empty boxes and wrappers and stuff all over. I'll get around to cleaning it and taking new photos soon though!