Sadie says thank you!

Sadie says "Thank you, Grammy!! You rock!"

1. We're Okay. 2. Wish us Luck

We had some "excitement" of the terrifying kind here this morning. I woke up around 4 am and realized the L had slept for a really long time, too long, and he wasn't that interested in eating (very strange for my Loga-raptor). So after I nursed for a few minutes, I went downstairs to pump and thought that I smelled gas. But it didn't really smell like gas, and the smell seemed everywhere, not localized like a gas leak. So I went back to bed thinking maybe I was getting sick or the leftovers, mixed with some poopy diapers, I don't know - it was 4 am, right? Around 5 am, I went downstairs to turn the heat on b/c Jim had turned it off earlier that night with all the oven heat going from Christmas dinner. Logan then woke us up around 8, again weird, since usually he and Sadie are ready to go around 7 ish. I went downstaris with him to nurse and this time the smell of gas seemed worse. So I called Consumer's energy and didn't even tell Jim b/c he always tells me he doesn't smell it and I'm exaggerating. When I called them, they said that we evacuate the premises and not to use any electronic things. So I set Jim and baby off to drop off Fritz's gifty's and I was going to just gather a few things and wait until the energy peeps got there at our neighbor Meredith's house, a few doors down. The energy guy came just as J & L were leaving. And when I went back inside his meter was going off like crazy and he alerted me that we had a carbon monoxide leak in the house at 100 parts per million (residential locations are only supposed to have between 0 - 7 parts per million). He asked if we had been feeling sick and I said, in fact, that was why I had called, I had a headache, was feeling naseaus, and thought I better call. So I ran back to the car to let Jim know.

Essentially, we're all okay. The body very quickly will displace the carbon monoxide with oxygen as soon as there is no CO to compete with it. So while Logan and I had mild exposure b/c we were upstairs the most (Jim had fallen asleep on the couch), we were both feeling much better by the afternoon But it was a good thing that he had turned the heat off. And it is also a good thing that L is co-sleeping with us; because he might not have roused. And it certainly explains his fussiness last night (he probably had a bad headache). Anyway, we all went to urgent care after the house was aired out and the management company got an earful for not properly maintaining the furnace (the door had fallen off, the vents had not been cleaned in years, and just generally, it is a POS). I plan on writing a letter to all our neighbors letting them know what happened. Mamma bear in action!!

But of course this is all just one day before we leave for MLA for our interviews. Mine is on Friday am for Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, PA and Jim's is for Salem State in Massachusetts. So we didn't have as much time to prepare as we would have liked, but wish us luck. And please please, make sure you have CO detectors. We made out okay b/c I happened to smell it and Jim happened to have turned the heat off, but it is scary to think what might have occured if those happenings didn't.

Baby go boom...

We had an "adventurous" night (one of many to come as my friend, R, mom to two rambunctious boys tells me who has had the blessing of bringing one into the ER for one hurt only to have him hurt himself a different way while waiting to be seen!). I put L to nap in his swing and jotted out to Target to pick up some wrapping paper, lights, etc. Half way down the seasonal aisle, my phone (miraculously picked up a signal) and rang. J told me that L had fallen out of his swing. He had heard a thud (he was upstairs) and then crying. He ran down the stairs, followed quickly by Sadie, scooped up L and comforted him like a superhero dad. He stopped crying within a few minutes (again superhero dad). I left my stuff in the aisle and the signal dropped by the time I walked just a few aisles from where I was standing. I got home quickly and held the little guy. He seemed a bit fussier than usual, but still curious and easily cajoled into smiles.

We called the after hours care line and Jim talked to the on call nurse, explaining in detail how many feet and inches the swing was off the ground and contemplating whether or not he fell on his side or on his head. They said that we could either watch him for several symptoms or bring him into urgent care to be checked out. But because he's been a bit fussier than normal the past few days b/c he has a little cold (undoubtedly from the airplane trip), we just didn't feel comfortable unless a medical doctor took a look at him, rather than a PhD and an ABD staring at him. And, Sadie has been closer and "lickier" to him and waited by the front door until we came back from urgent care--just her den mother protective instinct kicking in.

The Rx: He has a little bruise, bump, and scratch on the back of his head. He also has a little flat spot (though the flat spot could be from how he lays on his side at night too hard to tell). So we need to watch the bruise and bump and make sure that they don't turn into a huge one and pay attention to any behavioral or sleep differences. They also gave us a sample of baby Tylenol to give him to help with his probably headache. Right now, he is sleeping soundly.

The upshot: Now he'll have the quintessential childhood trauma of having fallen on his head to blame us for and for us to tell him back, "sure does explain a few things"

15.2 and counting!

L last weighed in at 15.2 lbs at a little over 3 months, which is almost nearly double his birth weight! Yikes! Here are some recent pictures, Friends M & S from Iowa City (now living in Ann Arbor) with L; L with grandpa and Cousin A; K with Cousin A, Aunt L and Uncle D and L; and finally L in the bath!

Better than a picture...

Here's a great video of Grammy and Logan talking and giggling during L & K's recent NY trip! We had a wonderful time there catching up with Grammy and Grandpa, and not to mention, L got to meet his cousin A, and his Aunt D & L! Fun was had by all.

Here are a few of the top memories from the trip, though not in any particular order of importance (you may notice a pattern!):

1. L trying to eat the dragon on the loaned exer-saucer
2. L snorting like a little piggy while nursing
3. Cousin A directing L to look at Grammy for the picture
4. L trying to tell everyone who would listen how he was "starving"
5. Grandpa & Grammy carrying L in the Moby Wrap
6. L trying to eat the phone while talking to Dad
   

Playing is serious business...

Yesterday, I put together an early Chrismakah gift for Logan, his rainforest jumperoo (pictures to come). And we put him in it. He's a bit short for it, but he has had the head control for it for a while, so we just put a telephone book underneath his feet. He studied everything and had a deep pensive expression on his face. This is something that Logan does whenever he encounters a new experience. He has to study and explore, before he moves into smiling and even giggling.

Even today, when we visited the Haslett library's "Cuddles and Storytime" for infants, he had the most serious expression out of all the babies. He was very thoughtful when he considered Mrs. Diane, the library's storyteller. She was fantastic - very animated, very expressive, and completely un-self-conscious - she was there to have a good time and get the little ones to have a good time, and to do that, you simply just can't be too goofy.

Regarding the infamous smile pictures: I'm totally serious. Jim has the pictures, not me. Stop harrasing me and start harrasing the man with them on his computer! :) But I will upload soon enough the newer ones that we have taken, though none of them capture his smile as well as the ones that Jim has.

Weekend Warrior Project...

Finally, I feel like we have a plan of attack for our yeast infection. In case you didn't know, because I was on such strong antibiotics to get rid of the mastitis that I had (a double dose in fact), Logan and I both wound up with a yeast infection (though it is distinctly possible that we had it alongside the mastitis as many of the symptoms overlap and the antibiotics only made it worse). It is a three-pronged approach, anti-fungal medication for both Logan and I, supplements to support my system along with a yeast cleanse, and dietary & lifestyle changes. Okay, I'm over-simplifying. The approach is actually far more intense than that, it includes rinsing affected areas with a vinegar and water solution after nursing, changing nursing pads after every feeding, alternating applications of the anti-fungal with a hydrocortisone ointment, and consuming large amounts of acidophilus etc. Though one thing that I can't do because the winter clouds have already over-shadowed Michigan is use the sun as a natural yeast killer. Apparently I could expose my nipples and sun dry all my bras and linens. Not happening for a variety of reasons :) But I was feeling fairly frustrated by it because it wasn't going away. At the moment, freshly home from the health food store, grocery bag full of supplements and yeast-free bread, I feel motivated to begin the Yeast Eradication Weekend project (imagine DIY's Weekend Warrior but for yeast). I know it will take longer than that to get rid of the yeast, but I'm hoping that if I bombard it full on this weekend, I can really minimize the pain that accompanies a yeast infection of the milk ducts and start to make some headway on containing it. Because what I don't want it to go on any longer than it has already.

a new technique...

So Logan has developed a new technique for eliminating gas. Most babies pump their legs, stand up and down, wiggle, do little baby crunches, etc. But Logan has decided when all that does not work, try coughing! It has proven to be quite an effective way to get rid of that stubborn gas. And goodness knows with our yeast infection, he's got his fair share percolating in his colon!

We managed to get some good pictures of him smiling, but Jim deleted them from the camera after he downloaded them, so I'm waiting for him to burn me a CD. So all email requests for more pictures should be directed at him and not me!! To increase the temptation, the specific picture that I would like to upload is of Logan smiling while sitting on the couch in his new Old Navy fleece and jeans - totally adorable! (Remember bother Jim, not me!)

Halloween

Logan and I decided that since last year there were no trick or treaters in our cul-de-sac, we decided to spend the afternoon with our friends, the Clauers. Barb, a colleague of mine from LCC, had her baby, Caleb, in July. So we bonded over pregnancy woes, labor stories, and nursing concerns. Caleb is the hot dog, Josh is a parasaurolophus (it's a dinosaur which I have no clue how it is spelled!) and Logan is the pumpkin.

side by side

Even though they have yet to meet, thought this would be the perfect opportunity to set Logan and Alex next to each other to see the family resemblance!

Bubbles, Baby Talk, & Hiccups...

What more could you ask for in one video clip!

New pictures!

Here are some more photos for you picture junkies!! Logan is now over 11 pounds and has grown at least another 1/2 inch! And because we're using cloth diapers and because he is just such a big boy, he is already out of much clothes and in some jumpers is in 3-6 months! We're still working out some of his newbie breastfeeding issues, but obviously not to the detriment of his weight gain!

Dad, Logan, & Sadie at the Harbor on Beaver Island

On a walk at Van Atta in the "off road" stroller

taking a bath on Beaver Island

Breakfast at Dalwhinnie's: $12.46
Being able to eat it because baby is completely asleep in Meredith's arms: priceless

the Beaver Island gang (Sadie was back at the cabin)

backseat driving

the whole fam at the harbor

More notes from the occasionally triumphant...

So Logan and I managed a bath and a shower respectively, I checked email and sent out an e-card, I was able to make a few important phone calls to the University and talk to a friend, even put on a clean, new nursing shirt from the Gap all by 1 pm. And then, at his next feeding, a massive spit up ruined all our triumphant gains that we made. It was back to smelling like sour breast milk and having spit up stains on both my pants and my shirt.

Tomorrow is Logan's 4 week well baby visit and so we'll find out how big he has gotten! We can't wait!

more pics...

this fist is awfully yummy!

Roar!!

Who does little Logan look like??

I've got the hiccups!

A few new tricks...

Little fingers holding onto mom after finishing cup feeding.

Dad and Logan playing.

Dad and Logan enjoying a post-MSU teaching nap.

Logan has learned a few new tricks...now when we cup feed him (an alternate way to feed him given our still ongoing breastfeeding difficulties)or offer our finger as a pacifier , he grasps our fingers with his -- so sweet. And he has determined that his favorite post-meal and post-burp position is laying on mom's chest, little fists clutching either the collar of mom's shirt or the top of her nursing bra, elbows splayed out, and knees out froggy style -- also so sweet. Yesterday, he also laughed twice in his sleep, which was so ridiculously cute we only wish we knew he was going to do it so we could have posted it up here as well.

Notes from the Occassionally Triumphant

Let me begin with saying, that yesterday I felt triumphant: our well baby visit went well (Logan put on all of the weight he lost 3 days earlier than expected; so it would seem even with the difficulties we're having with breast feeding, he is still getting what he needs to grow! And to boot, his height puts him in the 80th percentile, which Jim is excited about. The doctor also said that we look better 11 days out than most new moms and babies - so there is something to be proud of. I even managed to pick up lunch for me and a friend - I said I felt triumphant!)

Part of that carried over to today, and I thought no problem, I can quickly pick up a few things for a belated b-day dinner for Jim and we'll be fine. Except by the time I put Logan back in the car seat after having left Kroger, he was hungry again. So I got home, the neighbor offered to bring in the groceries for me, which I readily accepted. And I plopped us on the couch to nurse. No sooner had we started than the door bell rang. I pulled myself together or so I thought, and answered the door. The postman gave me a bit of a weird look, but I figured, I know I'm walking a bit funny (thanks to a god-send of an ice pack) and the baby and I probably look a bit rushed from transitioning from cozy nursing to publicly presentable, so I figured he was just taking pity on us. I take the mail and the package, go to sit back down on the couch (as Logan has a nice amount of overflow shoot out of his mouth on to my top and I wonder why do I even put on clean clothes) and then I realize why the post man looked at me weird. While I had managed to clip my bra back in place, I had forgotten to pull my tank top back up on my right side, so I had the whole amazon assymetrical look going on. Nice.

Pictures from Grammy & Grandpa visit

Grammy holding Logan!

Grandpa holding Logan in the rocking chair that Fritz dropped by (it is his great great grandmother Becker's chair, and we are honored that he passed it along to us to hold Logan in)

Family Portrait

You wanna mess with me??

Sadie feeling a bit left out of all the attention.

Visit from Grammy & Grandpa

This past weekend Kim's parents came into town to help - and boy did they ever. From fixing the wall that Sadie had chewed into (who knows why?) to helping with the ridiculous amounts of laundry that began to pile up after our dryer broke (what better timing). We all even managed a dinner with our neighbors, Mike and Meredith, and a birthday brunch for Jim with Fritz, Patty, and her daughter, Heather. Logan is growing and changing every day; the little sounds he makes are becoming more consistent - his hungry sounds resemble a baby pterodactyl; his talking sounds resemble a clicking-like insect sound; his over-tired sounds are like lots of little sighs on top of each other. He still is very mellow, and can be calmed down quickly even at his most "angry" moments. For this, we are deeply thankful.

News from the sleep deprived...

Well, Logan has certainly captured our hearts with his cuteness, and every day we learn something new about him. Yesterday, Sadie met him for the first time and she gave him a lick on his head, arm, and foot, and then was off to inspect other things. Only to re-appear when I was feeding him. She seems very interested and protective: if he cries, she lies down next to my feet where I am with him. She even chose to lay near Logan and I over Jim eating in the kitchen this morning, which if he hadn't had been there, I might have taken her to the vet thinking she was sick.

My mom epiphany from this morning: At about 2 am, I finally caught onto a pattern: waking up at 9 at night and going on strong until about 3 or so, and then crashing until about 8 or 9 in the morning. That is exactly how labor began on both Wednesday and Thursday before it got enough steam together on Friday. So it seems he likes the London time zone a bit better than ours! Jim's mom found this idea delightful - and completely civilized! Maybe tonight, I should just enjoy the late night time with some tea and crumpets.

In other news, we have our second midwife home visit today and the lactation consultant will also come by today to address his latching on difficulties.

A New Addition!!

After much waiting for labor to begin, Logan Cohen Keller entered the world serenely and calmly and in water. He is 21" long and 8 lbs. 12 oz. of perfection. At 41 weeks + 4 days, early labor started on Wednesday at 9 pm, then stopped at 4 am, picked up the next day, the doula came over to help while Jim slept. At around 1 am, the doula and Kim decided it was time to go to the center. Kim went upstairs to get Jim up who was out of it. She told him it was time to go to the birth center now. He replied with eyes half open, "But we are the birth center." At which point, Kim realized he was sleep talking, and so she tried to shake him awake a bit more and explained again that they needed to leave and that the baby was coming. He then asked if we were going to pick everyone up in a hot air balloon :) . After a bit more effort, he was roused and explained in his dream, Mitzi (the doula), him and I, were members of a band called the birth center and we traveled around in a hot air balloon helping people.

After a nice laugh, we piled into the Passat (not the hot air balloon) and went to the birth center at 1 am. We had another entire night of laboring (and no sleep) only to have labor slow down (again!) at 7 am. So we went home and tried to get some sleep. However, the contractions made it impossible for Kim to sleep. Later on that Friday afternoon, we went in for an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure he was tolerating his overdue status and the contractions well -- and he was a champ! By Friday at 6 or so, we placed another call to the midwife with the intention of asking for a prescription to help Kim sleep since one theory that the labor wasn't progressing was that she might be too tired to tolerate active labor. We went to the birth center to consult with one of the midwives, and we learned that we were 5 cm dilated and already in active labor and didn't realize it! So with that exciting news, we returned home to labor more comfortably and for at least Jim to get some sleep--which he did. By 9 or so, we decided it was time to go to the birth center because Kim didn't want to travel there by car already and didn't foresee wanting that desire to grow any as labor progressed. The doula arrived about 2 hours later. And little Logan, was born the next day, September 8, at 7:33 am!

Both mom and baby are healthy and happy to be home. And Jim got the best early birthday present a dad could ever get: a ridiculously cute, chunky monkey baby. So far, we both think that he's got those Cohen chipmunk cheeks and Jim's dippled chin. Right now, he's still a bit swollen from all his hard work, but that is going down by the hour. We had our first home visit this afternoon. He dealt with the newborn screen test like a superhero. He cried for the first two blots, then whimpered, and then just resigned himself to it all. He needed only to be held for a few seconds to be completely happy and calm again. The midwife will probably return in a few hours again to help out with some latching on and nursing issues.

However, other than that, we're overjoyed and completely in love. Here are a few pictures to get you started, more will come as the midwives took almost a hundred since we were there for two nights!

40 weeks + 5

Yesterday we had our 40 week check up with the midwives. Little one seems fairly happy and cozy inside, though he has dropped significantly. From the previous week, my belly measurement went down by one full centimeter! This drop has definitely made it easier and more comfortable to eat. Not only has my appetite been better, but I am able to eat more things - so I finally get to move past my toast, cottage cheese, and applesauce diet! Though truth be told, I'm still a little scared of acidic and spicy foods! We made our appointment for next week, in the sincere hopes that we will be able to cancel it. Jim is secretly hoping for a Labor day baby, get it, Labor day -- I was less than amused as well! :)

40 weeks + 1

Babies come when babies come. And while there were two times where we had some indications that baby might come "early," clearly he still wanted to cook a bit longer, not to mention probably make his parents sweat it out. Today is one day past my official "estimated due date" (for what that is worth) and the first day of Jim's fall semester. Thankfully, this semester Jim's teaching days are not as long as they were last semester (though they are more frequent). So this semester he will teach 4 days a week and be done each day around noon.

What waiting looks like...

Here is what waiting looks like - at 39 weeks and 3 days - with heartburn, bad sleep, and on a way too humid August day!

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

We're waiting so (or not so at moments) patiently for your arrival! Any day now. Your kicks have become a bit more urgent as the amount of space left for you to stretch has dwindled considerably.