Random Mom Thoughts

Sorry that it's been a few days... I have been busy. So yesterday Mallory had her 2 week Dr.appointment and it went great! She has gained almost 1 pound in 1 week (what a little porker) so she now weighs 7 pounds 5 oz.!!!! The breast shield is defiantly doing it's job!
I wanted to thanks EVERYONE who has brought us dinners over these past 2 weeks. Not only has the food been REALLY yummy, but it has been a total blessing to our little family. It's wonderful not to have to worry about cooking/shopping/feeding Matthew! So thank you all very very very much! Hopefully I can return the favor one of these days.
Today Mallory's birth announcements arrived (so be watching your mailboxes). But for a few of you I need your addresses (Bostwick family and West Cousins).
A few things that I have learned already about being a mom... I do NOT do well on little sleep (even though she is sleeping in 3-4 hour blocks at night) the entire sleep deprivation thing is hard on me and I get REALLY grumpy (especially towards Matthew... Sorry)! Breastfeeding is more difficult then it looks. I have never valued my mom or my friends any more then I do now! There is nothing like the smell of your own baby! Even gas smiles make it worth it! :)

Oh The Joys of Feeding

Our little Mallory has been a wonderful and totally laid back baby! Very happy and content. Sleeping 3-4 hours at a time during the night and doesn't even fuss when she makes a mess in her diaper, just sits there and waits for us to have the time to clean her up. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect little baby.
There has only been one little hang-up so far... For the first week of her little life it was taking anywhere from 2-3 hours PER feeding and she never seemed full! even though I would try different holds, and techniques (SNS, spoon feeding and bottle feeding). After one particularly LONG 4 hour feeding (last Wednesday) I was a wreck! I was crying, sleepy, hormonal and frustrated with the fact that my little one just wouldn't stop 'eating'. I called my mom (I seriously don't know how other ladies get by without my mom, she is a God-send) who suggested that I call a lactation consultant and chat with her. I did just that, and was told to come RIGHT in so that Mallory and I could be evaluated.
When we arrived the lactation consultant weighted Mallory (she was down even more weight, now weighing only 6.7..down over 2 oz in a day and a half) she then watched Mallory and I nurse and then took a closer look at Mallory. It was then she told me that the issue had nothing to do with my tecnique but that Mallory has a really small mouth, a high pallet, was not using her tongue to suck and using mainly her upper gum-line to try and suck... all of this resulted in her not getting any milk! So I was practially starving my little girl! I felt SOOOOOO bad for not knowing/realizing this sooner. But thank the Lord this lady knew just what was wrong and the steps to fix it!!!! So starting last week Matthew and I were instructed to start 'Finger Feeding' her. This is done through a syringe filled with my pumped breast milk, attached to it is a small tube that we tape to our index finer (the bigger the finger the better). We put our finger and tube into her mouth... way in the way back and when she sucks, we reward her with milk! It's like training a puppy! :) She did GREAT with finger feeding and started gaining weight right away (almost an oz a day).
On Saturday she transitioned over from finger feeding to using a 'breast shield'... which I put directly on my nipple which allows for a longer/larger surface area... which helps with the sicking proces. She has been doing great on that and I have only had to pump about ever other feeding. Today she had another consultation, and Mallory was able to latch on and feed off one side but not the other. She has gained a little over one oz per day since Thursday though (and today weighed 6 pounds 15.1 oz... she should be back at her birth weight tomorrow)!!!! Both Mallory and I have some 'homework' to work on over the next few days. This whole breastfeeding thing is amazin but REALLY frustrating. I realize that it is THE best thing for her, but there are moments during her little freak outs that I think 'gee it would be much easier/less stressful/quicker to just stick a bottle in her mouth and get it over with!' But I think both she and I are too stubborn to give up, so we are going to power through and hopefully one of these days get it all figured out. Sheesh! Sometimes wonder how has any infant in the entire history of humanity survived???? Because the entire process of living seems way too difficult!

Matthews 29th Birthday

My theory as to why I was early with little Mallory was that she didn't want to miss her Daddy's 29th birthday (on July 20th).
The day started with a little father/daughter snuggle time!
Mallory loves her daddy almost as much as he loves her!
Next it was time for gifts! I gave the birthday boy a new ring (since over a year ago Matthews original wedding band apparently jumped out of his pocket, never to be seen again). But Matthew kept thanking me for the best present he could have asked for (he is so wrapped up in Mallory and I love it)!
After that it was time to get nice and clean for Matthew little family birthday dinner. Mallory loves the water on the back, but anywhere else and she has a little fit!

In the evening we heading to my folks house for Beenas famous meatballs and Joyce's Chocolate cake! Yummy! It was a wonderful evening and everyone had fun... but Mallory was the center of it all (even though it was her daddy's day, he didn't seem to mind sharing).

Is Ignorance Bliss?

Little Mallory Rose spent the first 3 and a 1/2 days of her life being showered with visitors and love. I mean everyone seemed to want to come by for a little Mallory snuggle (and honestly, I can't blame them, because I can’t get enough and I live with her)! Grandma Dawn (Nawnie)












Grandpa Dale (Booboo)












Grandma Joyce (Nonie or Nona)

Grandpa Robert (Papa Klein)

Great Grandma Lauralee (Beena)

Uncles, friends and neighbors!
















This sadly all came to a screeching halt Monday afternoon, Which is when Matthew and I learned about the Whooping Cough epidemic that is currently flooding Sonoma/Marin county! (The epicenter is Marin, due to the fact that a great number of parents DO NOT believe in vaccinating their kids… then they wonder why this very old virus has made a HUGE comeback... sorry I had to vent). Not only are people getting sick, but infants (especially newborns are actually dying)! Yicks! Last year there were only 6 cases, this year there have already been over 200 (not deaths, just sicknesses)! Because of this we are being told by Doctors, nurses, hospitals, pharmacists and the news (and we always listen to what the T.V. tells us), that ANYONE who comes into close contact with infants NEEDS to have a recent Tdap Vaccine (which covers Pertusis)! So now (sadly) Matthew and I have turned into kill-joy parents and have had to ask that people either check their vaccination status or just go and get poked again if they want to come and play with Mallory! The other sad, but understandable thing is that we have been told that it is REALLY important not to take her to any places where there could be sick people (gee, that's really easy to know by just looking at people)... so basically no grocery stores, malls, pharmacy’s, restaurants... and even church! It's sad... though I know that it would be much more heart wrenching if our sweet and happy little girl was sick for 3 months (or worse) with whooping cough. So with the Moto of "Better Safe Than Sorry" we are asking people to PLEASE get vaccinated and then come and play! (Because I am going to go stir-crazy if I never have visitors/ don't ever get to leave). Plus she is WAY too cute not to come and snuggle with! Thank you all for respecting this request and I hope to see you soon!

Birth Story

Ok, Ok, Ok I know I haven't updated the blog in a few days, but I have had my hands full! I'll try to be better, but no promises.
So I guess I’ll start from the beginning and catch you all up.
At 12:52 a.m. on Thursday July 15th I got up from bed to pee (shocker) and I bent over the sink to get some water (yes, like a cat drinking from the sink) and my water broke! I woke Matthew up, called the Dr. (who said I needed to start heading into the hospital because of the risk of infection because the water has broken) and called my mom. We got into the hospital at about 2:15 where I was monitored for contractions and our little baby’s heart rate was closely watched. Unfortunately I did not start having regular strong contractions (despite fast walking inside, outside and up and down lots and lots of stairs).
So at about 1 pm I agreed to have some IV pitocin (which stimulates contractions)... despite the fact that I was hopeing to be totally drug free. But at around 12 hours post water breaking the risk of infection really goes us, so since our litle ones safty was more important then the 'birth plan' I said go ahead. Let me tell you, it worked GREAT and within an hour I finally started to have some much more regular contractions. At about 3:30 pm I finally started "True" labor. I had CRAZY bad back labor, but Matthew and my Mom were GREAT through it all and really helped me focus on things other than the pain. I couldn't even lay down without it feeling like I was getting my spine ripped outward and pulled inward all at the same time (for those of you thinking of/going to have a baby soon...I mean it was a piece of cake and totally pain-free). Despite the pain I was able to resist any drugs and just worked through it and I am SO lad that I did. The whole 'natural birth' (asside from the pitocin) was truly amazing... and I highly recomend it for those of you that like to tourture yourselves for any length of time! :) The labor went really fast and I went from being 2 to 3 cm dilated to 5 in about 2 hours, then from 5 to 8 in literally 2 minutes! Ouch! Then it took about another 30-ish minutes to finally get to 10 cm! At that point I pushed for 50 minutes!!!!! Her head just didn't want to fully emerge. (It was supper cool, they set up a mirror so I could watch and touch her little head during the entire process)! I was starting to tear, so the Dr. gave me a very small episiotomy and then with the next push, out came our little one! I got to reach down and help pull her up/out and directly skin to skin onto my chest at 7:36 pm! It was then that we realized that Matthew and I had a Sweet little girl to raise and love! It was incredible how the pain just completely disappeared and was TOTALLY replaced by deep, almost aching love! Matthew did a great job throughout the entire time (and never even passed out). He even was able to cut the umbilical cord! Pretty sure that she already has him wrapped around her tiny fingers! Our little girl came out weighing 7 pounds on the money and was 20.5 inches long! Our long and lean little girl. All in all the experience was great and I can't believe that at the end of it all we have this beautiful, perfect little baby girl!
Matthew and I had NO idea of what to call our little baby girl, so that night in the postpartum room our nurse gave us a book called 50,001 baby names. We found a few names that we liked then came upon the name 'Mallory'... not only did we really like the name, but its meaning is "Strong Minded and Spunky"! As soon as we read the meaning Matthew and I knew that this was the PERFECT name for our little girl. Because with the combination of both of our genes, she will indeed be both very strong minded and spunky! So there you go, that’s the birth story of our little Mallory Rose Klein!

Mallory Rose Klein

On July 15th 7:36 pm our life was blessed by the addition of little Mallory Rose! She is just perfect! We are so in love with her! She was 10 days early (yep, she takes after me on that) and weighted 7 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. Long and lean little one! She is a very happy and easy (so far) baby and is nursing like a champ! I'll talk more about everything soon... just wanted to let you all see our beautiful new addition to our family!

11 days

11 Days to go!!!!! Holy Cow! So exciting!
So remember the posting about how much Krush loves the belly/baby? Well here's a pretty typical position for Krush any time I lay down. He's such a funny dog... I mean Cat. (not the most flattering picture of me... but at least Krush looks cute. Do you like ALL the pillows... I think I had about 4 of them propping up different body parts! :)

Our Ocean Day

This past Saturday was THE first Saturday that Matthew and I didn't have something to do in a very long time! It was a wonderful and strange feeling, knowing that the entire day was open for us to use how ever we wanted. We decided that we would go visit his grandma (who is in a nursing home in Sebastopol). We had a wonderful visit with her, then thought, "hey, it's lunch time, why don't we drive out to the coast for some clam chowder." So we took the new car on a little joy ride to Bodega Bay! We used to ALWAYS drive out to the ocean... then life happened and we got to busy with other plans/school/sports that I think it has been years since we've been there together. It was a cool and foggy day... but nothing that a little fresh warm clam chowder couldn't remedy. :) I was told by our waitress that I was glowing (which is the first time I've been told that!!!!) Maybe it was just that she wanted to get a good tip (it worked)... but none the less it was fun to hear. When we were done eating, we drove over to Hog Island (Tomolis Bay area) and decided to buy a whole slew of fresh oysters (then invite some family over for an impromptu BBQ). It still amazes me what a stunning area I have been so blessed to live it!
The day way practically perfect! I feel relaxed just thinking about it. That night though, as Matthew and I lay in bed I started to cry a little, because it hit me that THAT was probably THE last time (at least for many years) that just he and I will ever be able to spontaneously leave for a little 'us' time. I am so in love with him and there are times when I'm not sure I am ready/willing to share him... even if it is with our little baby. Selfish, I know!

38 Weeks

Ok, I think that it's appropriate I start tracking the count down in days now that we are beyond the less then 2 weeks to go mark... ONLY 13 days (or so) to go!!!!! Eek! Welcome to the "Waiting Game". Supposedly my belly is about as big as it is going to be getting, so that's a relief considering that I can't bend over, can't see my toes, let alone my belly button (which is now sticking out and flat... so I'm told) :) Our little one should still be gaining about an ounce a day and should weigh somewhere between 6 1/2 and 7 pounds and be about 19-20 inches long! It's little organs are now fully mature and its intestines are full of meconium (yes that's the tar-like black/green poo). The circumference of our little ones head and abdomen are roughly the same size and its fingernails and toenails are supposedly quite long and sharp... better for it to dig it's way out... right? (gross). I kept being told that the movements were going to greatly decrease, but I'm still waiting for that to happen. It's like I have a little tornado going on in the belly about 1/2 of the time. Even clients are noticing my belly move!
For the past 2 nights I have had to get up to pee just about every hour, then add to that waking up to take tums, raise the bed, fluff the pillows, take off/put on clothes..., sleeping is just about impossible! Poor me! Poor Matthew! :)

Getting Closer

Ok, so don't get too excited... but yesterday I had one of my weekly Baby Dr. appointments (sadly not with my regular Dr.... she's off in some other country getting married... she must have her priorities messed up, thinking that her wedding is more important then our little one) :) Any way, the Dr. checked me, and according to her I am 60% effaced and about 1 centimeter dilated! I know that I could go around like this for the next few weeks, but it's still pretty fun to think that my body is 'getting ready' for our little ones arrival! The Dr. was saying how my progress was great, considering that for lots of first time moms nothing typically is happening 2 1/2 weeks out. This would help explain all the 'pressure' felt up in my undercarriage area. (At least I'm not crazy). So keep your fingers crossed that things continue to progress and a nice rate and that we'll get to meet our little one soon! :)

2 Week and 5 days To Go

OK, we did it! We have made it to the official 'term' date of 37 weeks! So out little one can pop out any time and should be just fine and dandy! I guess we all just get to sit around and wait for it to makes its grand entrance into this world. Our little bundle should be around 6 1/2 pounds and about 19-20 inches long! So besides gaining weight and practicing moving/breathing/blinking theres not a bunch changing in the life of the baby. I'm getting more and more frequent braxton hicks contraction, but nothing too exciting.
Oh, our little one has got a best friend already though! Yep, Kursh (our cat, who actually acts more like a dog) and out little one are best buddies. How do I know this you may be wondering... well, EVERY time that I lay or sit down Krush will come and play king of the mountain on my belly. He will snuggle right on top or right next to my belly and wrap himself around just about all of it and then start purring. Within 10 seconds of him starting to purr our little one will get all excited and start wiggling/kicking/stretching... and there fore give Krush a little undercarriage massage... which will just make him purr even more loudly! It's a pretty cute little routine that they have going on! Hopefully neither of them are disappointed with each other once they meet! :)

Welcome Our New Arrival

On Wednesday night 6/30/2010 at 7:35 we got to FINALLY welcome a new (and much anticipated) member to our family! It weighed in at 3,494 pounds and is 189 inches long! We couldn't be happier! :) No, but seriously, we finally did get our new car! Yippee! I love it! I have never owned a new car before. Now i feel like I have a car that I can feel proud of owning and not be embarrassed to get out of when I show up at peoples houses for house calls, but I have a very appropriate 'mom' car!


It's a 2011 Subaru Outback, in gun metal grey with black leather interior. It's pretty darn snazzy, with a back-up camera, heated seats, dual climate control, back seats that recline, harman/kardon premium audio system, partial zero emissions, Blue tooth built into the car, a Boxer engine, continuous all wheel drive and this way cool consciously variable transmission! Yes, I love it! We installed the car seat last night (thanks Liz) and put in our hospital overnight bags so that we are ready when ever our other new arrival decides to make its appearance.