Ode to the Single Mothers

I think it’s so funny how I totally thought I was going to know what I was doing when this little man got here. I mean why not…I read every book, bought every baby item, taught school (so maybe thought I had a niche with kids)…and then you throw it all out the window the day the stark drops your little bundle off! J I think that Heavenly Father has a special line in Heaven and gives medals to all the mamas out there, and I think Kade is going to make sure I work for mine. The first week of his life we totally thought that he was the easiest baby ever. Well, I forgot to knock on my 2X4. We were for sure that he had Nate’s personality traits; such as calm, laid back, easy going. And then I think he tricked us…he waited for Grandma Davis to go home and Nate to go back to work. He is a crack up..this child is very strong willed and stubborn. He knows what he wants and won’t stop till he gets it. Heaven forbid he doesn't get his way…hmmm, I wonder where he gets these traits from??? :) He has colic and wants to be moving to sleep. He sleeps so good on our nightly walks in his front back. Everyone says that you have to sleep when they are sleeping...so if I could just master sleeping while walking around I would be set. My heart just tears to pieces when he is crying so hard and when he throws up. I feel so bad for him and want to do ANYTHING to make it go away. I sometimes feel like I am doing something wrong and that's why he's screaming. I always swore that I wouldn't do this and that as a parent... and now I will do whatever it takes. It turns me into a frazzled mother because I don't' sleep at all, but this guy has me wrapped around every little finger.

Now I don't want anyone to think that I am complaining about being a mother. I love Kade more than I ever even knew was possible. He makes me so incredibly happy. He is SUCH a blessing to our lives. I just have to journal how it's going so I can one day and look back and laugh what a crazy mother I was! First, I am sure many of you can relate with this with your husbands working, and/or in school. But Nate works nights at the hospital. So before he starts a shift he has to get a nap in so he can last the 13 hour night. When he gets home he has to sleep...he'll wake up just in enough time to shower, eat, and get ready to go back to work. So I maybe see him 2 hours a day. Just enough time for me to take out my frustrations on him. Lucky man! :) I can survive with my two hours of sleep a night just fine, but around 5 o'clock I start wearing down, and that's right when he wakes up to get ready to leave again. I tried to be a good wife last night and make him dinner before he left. While I was feeding Kade, the water boiled over from the corn on the cob and about lit the house on fire...I dropped a pork chop on the ground...old me probably would've laughed so hard...new, anxiety me, says mean things to my husband like it was all his fault. I really don't know how single mothers do it. I give them such mad props. I give props to every parent out there. I know that there are a lot of people that have much harder issues with their kids, and it really could be a lot worse. Tonight has been SO nice because Nate has the evening off. I feel like a normal couple that can spend the evening together and he can help change a diaper. Kade does so much better when his dad is home. I guess it's true that babies read your stress. I just don't want to do anything wrong, or screw up. This is funny coming from a person that can show up to teach school one minute before the bell rings and not have any lessons planned, and can sneak out of meetings, and do homework on the way to class. But other things in my life I am such a perfection-ist with...and I guess this is one of them.

I have to give some shout outs to all those that have helped me keep some sanity...Thanks to the Sager family, Gma Sager and Heidi for coming over some days to watch him so I can rest! Thanks to my family, Gma and Gpa Davis for sending him cute clothes and letting me call all the time to tell funny stories. Thanks to Brandi for our nightly phone calls...she is very supportive even though I know she had it 1,000 times harder than I do. Thanks to all my girlfriends for answering my texts and questions I have. Shout out to my hubster who still loves me even though I am a crazy, parinod mother. Thanks to those that have brought meals so we didn't have to eat pbj's again! I promise when things start to settle down I will be a better friend and return some of this service I have received.
This mister just doesn't want to sleep. I think he just likes to party and is afraid if he sleeps he'll miss out on something fun. I don't have it in me to let him cry it out. We play binki wars all night, he'll finally doze off but then his binki falls out and it wakes him back up again. He'll scream until I get up and put it back in his mouth. I am a sucker and get up every time to put it back in. I have started pumping and feeding him from bottles so that I can know how much he's taking in. This has helped a lot with his reflex because he loves to pig out and he ate too much while he nursed and then he'd projectile barf it all. The nights Nate works is tough because he will scream and while I try to hurry and pump after a feeding. Then I am up trying to wash the pump and get bottles ready while he sleeps...by the time I am done with that it's about time to eat again. It's been worth it though because he does much better with the bottle. I had to buy a bunch of them to see what he liked best.. I found the Dr. Brown ones help him the most.

Such a curious man!

This was just before his blow out. I was feeding him and I swear more poop ended up on my lap than in his diaper...all I could do was laugh my head off. It was some nasty business!

I love this Monkey boy! One of my favorite parts of the day are story time! He sits in his bumbo and loves me to read to him. He really looks at the pictures. He told me that so far his favorite book is, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" he can't wait to see the movie. I think he wishes he lived in a land that rained food all day :)

I also look forward to our nightly walks. He can't get enough of his snuggli backpack and his moby wrap so he can be bundled. I make up funny songs on our walks that have to dumbest lyrics ever. I just sing whatever comes to mind that rhymes...I love it so much!

Don't you just want to smooch those lips??!! Well, I am hoping next post I have taken a chill pill and am able to relax more. You know when you are a little kid and you think your parents knew everything...you all have to promise to not tell Kade that I don't know what I am doing...but just trying my best!

Lake Trip...

First Trip to the Lake!!! Okay...so this will be a story to remember for us. Nate and I started looking online for speciality life jackets for babies. We were disappointed to find out that they don't make them for 2 week old babies (I wonder why??) We decided that Kade and I would just hang out while Nate fished. It would be nice to have a little family adventure and get out of the house...or so I thought :) Our truck is tiny and with the car seat in there I had to straddled the stick shift and squeeze in the middle on the hour ride. It was still 108 in the evening so I thought me and the baby could sit in the car. I brought a book and some thank you cards to work on. Let's just say I read one page, and didn't complete any cards. Here are some of the things that happened that trip.
-I forgot my precious Boppy so I had to cover some life vests with a blanket to help me feed Kade.
-I haven't mastered changing a baby in a small truck yet without getting poop on everything (sorry Nate)
-The sun finally went down so I thought I'd take Kade on a walk
-The bats and bugs came out at night. A bat flew at into my head..Yes I freaked!
-I was trying to cover Kade but it was still so hot.
-So we get back into the truck for air conditioning. The truck wouldn't start
-I go sit in a camping chair on shore while trying to cover the baby from bugs but fan him from the heat, when I suddenly see a wild animal. I swear it was a bobcat or mountain lion. Nate says it was probably a bunny ;)
-I thought it would be safer to sit in the pickup of Nate's truck to put us on higher ground. We had to be out of reach of the ferocious animal that was lurking nearby! I had to balance holding Kade and throwing my chair in the back of the truck.
-I occasionally would yell Nate's name, thinking maybe somehow the wind would catch my voice right and he could hear me across the lake on his boat to come rescue us.
-Low and behold Nate finally came to check in. He was laughing to see us sitting on his truck. He fixed the car and we got to sit safe and sound in the truck while Nate finished fishing. Moral of the story...maybe we should wait till Kade is a little older before we take him to the lake agian. Or next time I will just make sure I am packing some heat to take care of the bats and mountain lions!

Little Aspyn Ivins was born a week after Kade. We can't wait for them to be best buddies. She is so darling. I am a little jealous because she sleeps through the night, and my chunky monkey is bitin at the bit to eat every 2 hours all day and all night.

We were laughing so hard at him in this chair. He looks like a little old man. I can't believe he already likes his Bumbo chair.

Lovin the double chin in this shot!

We are teaching him early which teams he is aloud to cheer for. He is going to half to cheer extra hard for the Broncos this year, because I think they are going to need all the help they can get. Kade told me he is already a die hard Dodger fan so we don't have to worry about that!

Sometime in the middle of the night...I think that he is afraid of the dark because he likes the lights to be on while he sleeps. Also he likes noise, last night we kept the TV on all night in our room. I was so tired that I was able to sleep through it. Sports Center all night baby!

We love this little man!

Our little Beeno!

That is the classic Kade face! He always gives us a look like, "What are you guys doing with me?" Kade LOVES to be swaddled and I think he looks like a Bean Burrito so I nicknamed him 'Beeno'. I have made up so many funny Beeno songs to him. I know everyone says that when babies smile that it's just like gas or something at this age...but I don't believe it ;)...every time I sing him a Beeno song he always smiles at me!

Kade's room...except we don't even use it for anything but sun tanning. His cradle and everything else is in our room. He loves to sun bathe, especially with Grandma Davis. He skin color looks a lot better now.

I always thought it was funny how mom's always thought their kid was smarter, cuter, stronger, and funnier than other kids....well, I am probably already WORSE than all those moms! Ha Ha, seriously this little guy is so dang funny. He likes to do tummy time and he has such a strong head. It's not a bobble head at all. I think he might start crawling next week!

My mom and I had to rush to the store to get him some preemie outfits to fit him because most his newborn ones were too big even. We were dying at this shirt because I always like to call him my hungry hippo. He eats like a champion now. I am anal mom and like to record every feeding time for when I start and end. And I record the times of his wet and dirty diapers. It helps me so much because if he starts to get fussy, I know if it's time to eat, or something else. I think that Heavenly Father knew that I needed a really good baby that I could handle because he truly is so darn easy (hope I am not jinxing myself...it's only been a week)...but he eats every 3 hours almost to do the dot. Now that we have a better schedule worked out and we are learning things about how to adjust to each other he really doesn't fuss at all.

This pic is my all time favorite. He is folding his arms ready to say a prayer.

He's not a big fan of his baths yet...we just LOVE his hair after the bath because it feels all fluffy like a duck and he smells so good! Nate loves to smooch him!

We had the funniest night the other night. Kade went through 3 PJ's in an hour!

1st...poop explosion out the sides of his diaper because we forgot to pull the little tabs on his legs out

2nd...he peed all over the night gown that we had sitting there ready to change him into...not to mention the pee that got all over my face. We were laughing so hard! We just bought a little pee guard thing from Babies R Us that is prevents that from happening again. It took us about 5 sprays in the face and his before we learned.

3rd...After I got done feeding him...some how he peed through the last diaper and jammies. We were almost crying laughing so hard.

Okay Nate...he's a keeper. We aren't throwing this one back!

Grandpa Davis gave Kade this dog right when we found out we were having a baby at Christmas time. He can't wait to meet the rest of his family. I am starting to calm down a little bit about everything. I kinda over did it a few of the days and just wanted to start getting back into the swing of things. Today I decided I'd be good and just try to relax!

He's Here!!!!

It all started with the Dodger game Friday night. I begged Nate to go, he didn't know if it would be a good idea with it being so close to the due date. I thought walkin up the stairs would help me along. We also accidentally parked really far and we walked forever...all the cheering and screaming must have done the trick. We had no idea that our lives would change forever the very next day!

Our little Kade!!!!!! Only 7 lbs 6 oz. 20 inches long. Born Saturday night 8-15-09 at 10:42 pm..... What a HOAX. The doctors have made this a long pregnancy first with the fluid issues...then telling us how HUGE he was measuring...and he comes out a little peanut! We didn't buy more than 2 newborn outfits because we thought he'd be huge...and those little newborn ones didn't even fit :)

My water broke at 9:30 am Saturday. I am a dingle and I didn't know for sure if that was it. I was expecting a HUGE gush with my fluid problem and it was not that much. Nate knew that it was it so we went right to the hospital. The had to keep us in Triage for a while because there were no open rooms yet. My contractions weren't bad at all so we actually were having fun. We thought we were gonna get beat up because we kept listening to everyone elses conversations (the curtains were the only thing separating us between tons of other ladies). We kept laughing so hard at what some of the people were saying to their nurses! We finally got our own room and they had to start me on Pitocin because I wasn't progressing. I went as long as I could and then got my epidural when the contractions got bad. I LOVED LOVED the epidural. It didn't hurt at all getting it put in. Up to this point the worst part was my IV (I had to get poked 5 times before it worked) After the epidural I just got to hang out and watch the Dodger game on TV. Perfect time for them to be playing the DBacks. All was well until little Kade started not tolerating the contractions well. Next thing we know there are 8 nurses rushing into the room changing my position and put me on oxygen. The doctor came in and flipped Kade (weirdest sensation ever to feel him flip like that inside me) that seemed to help a lot. I guess the cord was wrapped around his neck. They took me off Pitocin to give him a break. My body finally started to kick in and we didn't have to get back on it again. The next problem was that I was totally effaced, contractions were good, but I wasn't dilating like I should. So the doctor came back and finished breaking my water. I guess there was a big water bag between his head and the cervix. There was the rush of water I was looking for. It soaked my socks on my feet. They couldn't believe how much there was. They thought it would still be a while...and the doctor had to rush to another hospital to do a delivery there...I guess we tricked them because I really felt the urge to push. My nurse checked me and we were definitely ready but they had to make me wait for the doctor to get back to make sure Kade was handling it okay. I actually really liked the pushing. Ha ha...it was like a challenge for me. I wanted to be so good at it and it was like a competition. I told Nate to cheer me on to pump me up. The nurse said I really needed to get him out so we didn't have to do a C section because his heart rate was starting to go down again. We got him out of there in 45 min... yes, we had some nasty tears and an episodomy because let's just say I am not the biggest in town. It was a So surreal to me when he came out. I couldn't even believe it!

So I actually liked Labor and Delivery...I absolutely HATE the recovery part. I was not a champion at this. We had a horrible nurse the first night of recovery. To keep a long story short, she left Nate and to figure out how to feed him by ourselves and didn't even help me to the bathroom and I couldn't walk. Good thing Nate was there. Our Nurses finally got better later. They almost made us stay a few extra days because the feedings were rough.

All in all.... he is the most amazing thing in the entire world. We are home now, and it seems like we haven't had a second to breath. I truly think I have slept 4 hours total since Sat. I can't complain because I have the best helpers ever. Nate and my Mom have been Incredible!!!! They help me during all the feedings, clean the house, do the laundry, and most of all put up with me! I also have to thank all the kind thoughts, phone calls, gifts, and support from friends and family. I never realized how truly hard those first few days can be and I wish now that I was better at helping friends and family when they first had their babies. You never know until you go through it. I do have to apologize that I haven't talked to anyone yet. I have just been really tired, and busy busy. I also got lucky to have the worst phone in my life. Mine broke a few weeks ago so we dug an old one of Nate's out of a box. It doesn't even have a camera on it and the texting sucks.

He LOVES being in his burrito. He is such a snuggle bug and loves to tuck his little legs under his bum. I can't believe how much I love him already. I truly can't get enough of this little guy!

Nate is the best new daddy that anyone could ask for. He adores this little man!!!!

Today we pretty nuts because we had a doctor apt. originally scheduled for 1:00, but we tried to see if we could go earlier because he was starting to look pretty yellow, and feedings hadn't been going to well. I called the doctor at 9:35 am in the middle of feeding him. They said the only other time they could do it was at 10:00. We frantically tried to get him feed, dressed, changed, and I for the first time had to actually put clothes on. We rushed there and barley made it. Of course Nate had to drop us off because we forgot to bring some papers the Doctor needed. When Kade left the hospital he was 7 lbs. 1 oz. Today he was 6 lbs. 13 oz. so he still was loosing weight. And they wanted us to go to the lab again to re-test his Billyruben (or whatever it's called) for Jaundice. I cried the whole way to do labs because I was so tired and trying my hardest and he was still loosing weight. (talk about weepiness!) I never knew you could worry so much about someone. I swear that's why I can't sleep in the hours between feedings because I am so worried and can't settle down. Well, tomorrow is a new day...I am sure everything will turn out just fine. He is a great baby.. he loves sleeping all day and partying all night ( I have NO idea how to change that habit, if anyone does let me know!)

Hope my ramblings weren't too long. I want to start using my blog as a journal because I don't keep one anymore. But I was WAY to tired to proof read, or go back over what I wrote. Thanks again to everyone. Hopefully we'll be up for visitors soon for those close by to meet the little guy.

Nate and Mich Moments...

Well...this DEFINITELY was not in our game plan. But we just traded in our Element for a Corolla. I have love my orange Bronco Mobile so much. Huge backseat/great for camping/nice for a locker room :)...unfortunately, it has been quiet the lemon. We have had a bunch of dinky stuff go wrong and the transmission is on it's last whim. Monday night our drivers side window plunged down and the pulley snapped and it wont go back up. The same thing happened to the passenger side on the way to Utah last Christmas. The drivers side door won't open with a key, so if you want to lock the door you have to crawl to the other side...fat girls and crawling haven't been the best combo. Instead of getting the window fixed (again) we decided to look to see what we could get as a trade in....

We got a killer deal on the 2009 Toyota with 0% interest. Also, the payments are the same as what we were paying on my Element so we just went for it! Awesome gas mileage, not as awesome storage space...but hopefully this one won't fall apart soon :)

It was a sad day to part with my little junker!

I was starting to go a little crazy trapped in the house the last few months. My back was finally starting to feel better so we decided to go on a couple fishing trips last week. It was a BLAST to get out and have some sort of adventure. It's been 115 degrees in this smokin desert...so night fishing was the perfect thing!

Our nightly ritual of watering our lawn. We love to water, and sometimes have to argue about who's turn it is to spray! Our dumb HOA gave us a letter like 2 days after we moved in saying that our grass was to dead and had to be green with in 14 days. I guess they didn't take in account that we bought a foreclosure in Hot July that had been unoccupied/not taken care of for over 7 months!

Happy Birthday Nate! We had a nice evening for his bday on July 29th! He's so cute, he says all he wants for his bday is to be a dad. I decided to spoil him a little because we didn't do anything for his graduation because we were saving for the down payment. He's worked SO hard on the house and hasn't complained one bit. So he picked out some nice running shoes and a new outfit. He really wanted a bait casting fishing pole, but figured running shoes was more of a need. I decided to sneak and get him a fishing pole. As much as I have learned about fishing in the past 2 years, I am NO expert on picking out poles...I was at Sportsman's Warehouse for over two hours looking at tons of polls. I can't believe he actually approved and loved it! I was so excited to give it to him. I made a funny scavenger hunt around the house leading up to the poll so he had to find it. Of course that evening he was outside practicing with it down the street. He is such an old man, I love it!

Of course we had to go fishing a second time last week to try out the new pole... I get a little ADD so instead of fishing the whole time I like to float in the water.

Nate catches fish that look like this....

...My fish look like this :(

Once again....Nate gets the BIG ones...

...and I am proud of my tiny Bluegills!

Oh PS...baby update= I am now 37 1/2 weeks so I made full term! It's been a CRAZY ride because doctors and the specialists were telling me the would be thrilled if I could make it to the end of July because of my fluid problem. Well, bodies are just the darnedest things and I completed regulated. Then the issue was that little Kade wasn't so little and measuring really BIG! Now we are to the point where the doctors would like to start me so he's not huge, but they don't want to induce me until I start progressing because that increase chances of a C-section...but so does a big baby, so who knows! My last appointment I was dilated to a big zero and only 50% effaced. I have an doctor apt. tomorrow, so we'll see if it's changed! I get the feeling that it still might be a few weeks, which is nuts because a month ago I was totally ready to have him. Now, I am actually okay to wait until he's good and ready. I was having tons of contractions a month ago, and now NADA...for some reason he is getting cozy in there and we might go closer to my due date than we thought! I am just glad that I am feeling better and not laid up in bed anymore...and hoping he's healthy too. Nate teases me because the main reason I don't want him to be so big is so he can still wear the cute newborn clothes in his closet!