Castle Sampler update

I finished the letters, even after having to rip out the ones on the right. What a pain! I also filled in my initials and the date so I could get rid of a page of my working copy. I guess I have to finish it next year now! ;)

That does it for me for Teresa Wentzler October on the Wagon BB. I need to work on my Christmas piece for the birthday club exchange next.

I'm sad to leave Castle Sampler. Working on something fairly easy (big blocks of color) has been great to pick up here and there. I only goofed on the letters because I was trying to watch a movie and the baby with DH all at the same time.

Baby: We figured out Logan's problem during feeding was indeed gas. He's eating so fast and so much that our old 3-4 burps per feeding just weren't cutting it. We have to burp a lot more often, even though he gets mad at the pauses because he's so hungry.

Diet: I want to get started on losing weight, even though I won't be cleared for exercise for another two weeks. I have a lot, lot of weight to lose, but I'm going to start small. My goal is to lose 15 pounds. There's an expensive bellpull I want, so that will be my reward when I reach this goal. I'll set other rewards later.

Argh!

I was stitching the alphabet on Castle Sampler last night. I was almost done when I realized I had stitched the letters on the right straight up, not at 90 degress like they were supposed to be! Ripping out over-one is such a pain. I am very annoyed.

I won't bother contacting Leasure Arts about missing the 610 from my kit. It's an old OOP kit and not worth the effort.

I'm mailing out my Harvest Exchange piece for the SBEBB today. I'm glad I got that stitched way ahead of time. I need to work on my Christmas present stitching for the birthday exchange next. I'll probably start that first thing in November.

Baby: Logan's started a new thing of crying and screaming when he's taking his bottle. No idea why. He's been burped with no problem, though he does spew every now and then. Sigh. Guess it's a call to the doctor.

Birth sampler framed

Matt picked this up from the framer's for me yesterday. His friend went with him and was surprised and dismayed that the LNS workers knew him on sight. lol.

I also finished the backstitching and vines in the outer border of Castle Sampler. I still can't sit for very long at a time, so I get in a few stitches here and there (I'm off work till January with the baby). I've run out of 610 from the kit and had to supplement from my stash. They really underestimated on this one. It didn't even finish the backstitching in the border, and I still have the letters and BS on the inner border to do in 610.

Baby stuff: Thanks for the kind words and support about quitting breastfeeding. I don't cry much now, so that's an improvement!

My baby's three weeks old!

Matt went back to work today, and of course Logan was fussy all morning. I also decided to quit breastfeeding altogether, and I've been dripping all day. When I only produce 10 cc a feeding, and he takes an average of 130 cc...what's the point. I am very disappointed. I don't like my body all that well as it is, and now I feel betrayed that I can't even feed my own baby. Before I had this problem, I wondered why someone would feel bad about something they had no control over...now I know. It's such a letdown, and I feel like I failed Logan. Not logical, but there you go. I'm sure I'll get over the feeling, and quitting will probably help me move on.

I do feel pretty good about the fact that I'm only 5 pounds over the weight I was when I found out I was pregnant. I have finally lost the excess water, and my feet are back to their normal size. Yay, it doesn't hurt to walk anymore (well, except for my back). I guess I can tell the doctor I told you so--that extra weight was water after all, not fat.

I just felt like have a little whine today. This is harder than I thought it would be. I guess Matt had it right after all!

Castle Sampler update

Here's where I am with Teresa Wentzler's Castle Sampler. A good portion of this was done while I was lying in bed on my side recovering. That is not an easy position to stitch in!

I am still recovering. Sitting for very long is painful, so I'm still lying down a good bit. My stitching work has slowed to a crawl, but I'm enjoying it.

Baby: Wednesday we can start feeding on demand rather than every three hours. Yay! I just hope the little guy doesn't demand too much. Today he was a terror all morning, not settling down to sleep much at all. Wednesday is also the day Matt goes back to work. I'm not looking forward to that. Matt does so much, and it's scary to be on my own. My breastfeeding continues to dwindle--sad but nothing I can reasonably do about it.

SBEBB Halloween exchange received

I received a HUGE Halloween exchange from Marie yesterday. I was amazed at all the neat stuff! Her stitched piece from Trail Creek Farm is so cute. The hanger is great, and her finishing is immaculate. She did such a nice job on it.

She also sent a multitude of goodies. I love it all, but especially the Dracula bag and the needle magnet. I use my current needle magnet, but I've looked for more attractive ones. Marie found one! If I had seen this one, I would have bought it myself! It's a little ghost and pumpkins--so cute!


Marie even stitched up something for Logan--a whole bunch of bibs. She is truly generous. Thanks, Marie, I love it all!

Baby update: We're doing the breastfeeding, pumping, and supplementing with formula. I think I'm actually producing less milk now. I'm getting very discouraged about the whole thing and am about to say forget it. Here's a new pic of the boy--think he'll be a model someday?

Logan's hospital stay

Monday we went to our family doctor, and she was concerned about Logan's yellow color. We had some tests done, and the doctor wanted us to bring Logan back to the hospital because his bilirubin levels were high (he had jaundice). As you can imagine, I fell apart. It was so sad, but after a few days, he's home and much better. I wasn't producing enough milk, he wasn't having enough BMs, and he wasn't getting rid of the bilirubin. So they bottle fed him, rehydrated him, and put him under some lamps. I had to stay in the hospital alone last night feeding him and such.

So now he's pink, a lot less fussy, and a lot less sleepy. I'm breastfeeding him, supplementing with formula, and pumping so I can get my milk supply up. I was so scared for my baby, even though I was assured it was pretty common for babies to get jaundice. It's amazing how quickly my whole life has become about him. You hear about it but don't really believe it til it happens to you. Matt's just as devoted, and it warms my heart. I'm just glad he doesn't have the meltdowns that I do.

Carol sent me the cutest Halloween baby socks for Logan today. I'll have to post a pic when he models them. Thanks, Carol!

Managing

Logan is being very fussy, so a good part of his day is spent screaming his head off. The Mylicon drops are helping, and I'm going to try adjusting my diet. We're getting the hang of this thing, but sometimes it's just so disheartening. Driving Logan around in the truck or taking him for a walk in the stroller causes him to pass out, but when he gets home, he's just as upset. He's also a little yellow, but the walks will help that.

Here's a funny. Logan is very strong. He really hates for his hands to be constrained, so we have trouble swaddling him. Matt swaddled him, left for a minute, and when he got back, Logan had one hand out of the swaddling and was giving him the middle finger. Unfortunately we weren't quick enough to snap a photo.

No stitching yet. I think I'm going into withdrawal.

Baby pics

Here are a few baby pics of Logan Joseph. They were taken at the hospital, as evidenced by the gown and my rat's-nest hair. (I still haven't faced taking a brush to it.) He's a real cutie, if I do say so myself.

I'll chronicle the whole saga when I get a chance, but here's a rundown. Logan was born late Tuesday night. He weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long. I am very proud that I kept his weight down by following my diet. He had no complications due to the diabetes.

TMI warning, read at your own risk.

We went in at 5 p.m. Monday for cervadel, which is a gel that thins the cervix. I spent an uncomfortable night on a hard mattress, and they induced labor (again) Tuesday morning. I had contractions, but they were mild. My doctor broke my water, and that was excruciating and unexpected (sneaky devil). Once the contractions got a little painful, I got my epidural. Apparently if you're fat, the doctor can't find your vertebrae and can't tell where to put the needle. After three holes, she got it. She gave me a local, but getting the epidural was uncomfortable and painful in a strange way. It's very weird to feel things rooting around in your spine.

I made slow progress with dilation, but I slept through most of the contractions after the epidural. The doctor made the comment that if I didn't make progress each hour, I'd need a c-section. Apparently my body got the message, and I started progressing faster after I hit the 4 centimeter mark. It was time to push, and I did, though with the epidural it's hard to tell if you're really doing anything.

I started to tear, and the doctor said I'd need an episiotomy and they'd have to use a vacuum to get the baby out. I wasn't happy about that, but the alternative was a c-section. So they brought the whole crew in, and it was time to get the baby out. I pushed while they did whatever they had to do. It hurt (screaming!) even with the local and extra epidural medicine, but fortunately it didn't take many pushes before he was out. I had a nurse update me, which helped...head, shoulders, one more push. They gave me the baby, and that blessedly distracted me from the sewing up they were doing.

Logan is the cutest baby. He has a slight conehead and a few marks from the monitor, but his little face is so sweet. He's got Matt's and my apple cheeks. He has at least one dimple, from Matt. His hair is dark like mine, and he's got these pouty lips, no telling who from. Oh, and monkey toes. He isn't scrawny like some babies, or pudgy. He's very strong and can already hold his head up a little. He wasn't fussy at all, just made little whimpers. I'm absolutely in love. Matt and I are fascinated by him.

My back was killing me but is getting much better. They didn't have a postpartum room available, so I had to spend another night on the board bed, which was agony even with medication. My incision hurts, though less than a c-section would. I passed huge blood clots and got lightheaded a few times. I've been very pale for a while, and Matt said I had large yellow circles around my eyes, which are getting better. My body is starting to get back in shape. My back doesn't hurt as much, my feet aren't as swollen, and I can eat like a normal person again (no diabetes!). I have this jelly belly, but it's getting better.

The bad news is that Logan is having gas pains and was up screaming all night last night, our first night at home, of course. I was so exhausted and in pain that Matt had to take care of him most of the time. We let my mom sleep so she could have day duty. He wouldn't feed last night, so now he's ravenous but fussy, even though he still has some gas pains. Our doctor said we could give him Mylicon drops, which we're trying. I feel bad for him, but I'm so exhausted that I'm also frustrated. I am not looking forward to Sunday when my mom has to leave for home. Matt and my mom have been so good to me. It was a good team effort.

So we're managing. I'm loopy at the moment from the pain medicine and everything else. But we're so happy we got our little man home and he's safe, if not completely happy. He's a joy when he's not in pain, and we're hoping this doesn't last too long. Poor baby comes from a long line of gassy people! :-)

Thank you for all the well wishes. It means a lot to me. Big hugs!

We're home

Baby Logan, Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma are all safely home now. It was rough and long, but it's done! Details and pics when I can bear sitting for more than 2 minutes. No c-section!

Baby quilt!

Judith sent me this lovely baby quilt! What a delightful surprise! I just love the colors and the little bunnies and sheep. I was so touched by this generous gift. I can't sew worth a darn, so I really appreciate those who can. I put this up on the wall of the baby's room because it's so pretty and I really need some wall decorations. It goes just perfectly! Thank you, Judith!!!

I worked on TW's Castle Sampler here and there (see below). I filled in some of the blends in the border, nothing too exciting. I'll take it to the hospital with me, and if I feel like it, I can stitch some easy, non-blend border. Optimistic, I know.

I'm going to stop by the LNS on the way to the hospital tonight and bring some things to get framed. I have an L&L angel for my mom, the birth sampler for the friend, and three petit point cats for myself that I want to get framed. They're having a sale on framing tomorrow, but I should be able to sneak in today.

Baby update: The doctor checked me this morning, and there's been no change. I go in to the hospital this evening, and they'll apply a gel to my cervix to thin it. Then tomorrow we try induced labor yet again. I don't know how my poor arm will take the IV again, not to mention no food for a long time while they give me glucose or insulin intraveneously. Bleh. I think giving birth normally is bad enough. I can't even have water!