For 'Aunt Kristi'

Kristi is my sister, thus she is Ethan's Aunt.  We are very close.  I wanted to write this post tonight because I was thinking about her & how awesome she is with him, when she was pretty apprehensive about the whole thing at first...

 

Kristi was excited when I was pregnant, but was looking forward to the days when Ethan would be a child & she could play with him, skipping over the baby days.  She was also worried that he wouldn't know her because she goes to school in Columbus, a few hours away.

 

When my due date was approaching I asked her if she would be at the hospital the day I was in labor and she wasn't sure, she thought she might just come see him later.  After a talk with her friend Sarah (one of those friends that is considered a family member in the 'Henricks' clan), she decided she would be there.

 

She not only was there, she was the first one to arrive & stuck it out through all of the waiting.  She did feel very nervous & wasn't sure what to do with a little newborn, she said, but she was there to meet him when he first arrived.

 

 

She had herself pegged all wrong!  Not only was she there the first day, she stopped in every day we were in the hospital & as soon as she arrived she scooped Ethan up into her arms.

 

 

The very frequent visiting continued after we came home, which was great because I got lots of 'Kristi' time too!  She LOVED all of his different facial expressions & even downloaded an app on her phone that allowed her to take pictures in rapid succession so that she could 'capture' all of his faces. 

 

 

Kristi has been an amazing Aunt to him.  He not only 'knows' his Aunt Kristi, but he ADORES her!  She has so much fun playing with him and he laughs and laughs... it's fun to watch :)  The only things she still struggles with are poopy diapers and drool... but there's normally someone else there who takes care of that!  Will & I have taken Ethan down to Columbus a few times and we visit Kristi.  We all went to the Columbus Conservatory last time we were there & it was very cool!

 

Everytime Kristi comes up to Michigan she makes sure that she visits us.  We even took Ethan to the zoo together this summer, which was alot of fun.

 

I am so thankful to be blessed with a sister like Kristi.

 

I hope that Ethan knows how loved he is, by Kristi & so many other people.  He may not understand all of it yet, but I think he feels it!  We are lucky to have wonderful friends & family in our lives :)

 



A Lazy Saturday

Today was pretty uneventful... which isn't always a bad thing!

 

As a working Mom I worry that I miss alot with Ethan.  The last week things have been a little hectic at work & I have left late, which means that I get even less 'Ethan' time in the evening, which sucks!

 

I used to worry that he would talk, walk, and do all of those other milestone activities when I was working.  Thankfully, I was there for all of them, but I still feel like I'm missing out on him.

 

I think all working Mom's probably feel this way from time to time...  The weekend's are wonderful because I get to be with him all day, and we have a better quality of time in the evenings.  During the week we have a schedule of dinner, bath, etc. and I pack his diaper bag for the next day & pick out his clothes, etc.  It's nice to just relax, be a little more flexible with bedtime, and enjoy him.

 

However, I also feel like being a stay-at-home Mom all of the time would make me feel a little stir crazy.  I think the best option, for me, would be a 20 hour, part-time work week, but that really isn't an option for me right now.

 

Sometimes I find myself looking at Ethan and thinking about what he will be like later, and wondering about what kind of things he'll be interested in.  Due to his size and the fact that he's so sturdy, Will hopes he will play football.  My Dad wants him to go hunting with him & teach him how to shoot.  I want him to be smart and go to a good college.  His Aunt Kristi is bound & determined she will make him love science and will start by playing with chemistry sets with him very early (Aunt Kristi is currently in pharmacy school).  I think my Mom is on the same page I am.

 

He is only one, so maybe we are all getting ahead of ourselves.  But... it is fun to think about sometimes ;)

 



Still Big!

Ethan had his one year wellness visit the day after his birthday and is still BIG in the 95 %tile for weight at 27lbs 6oz and the 97 %tile for height at 32"!!!  (I knew he was still 'big' - but it did surprise me that he'd only gained 2lbs in three months - along with 2")  He is a good eater & wants to snack alot between meals, but he runs around constantly too, so he that's why he didn't gain as much as I thought he would have!

 

To shift the subject a bit, I would like to share something that now makes me feel a little silly.

 

After having most of the week of his Birthday off with him, I had to go back to work the next Monday.  Sometimes it's hard to leave him to go to work anyway, but after so much 'Ethan' time it was worse.  I would love to switch my hours & only work part-time, but that isn't a realistic option right now.

 

Most of the week Ethan goes to 'child care' at the home of a sweet family.  I was very lucky that a co-worker gave me Dawn's phone number & referred me to her - he loves it there and I know he is well cared for & cared about - MUCH better for my peace of mind then a bigger 'day care' would have been!  The other one or two days a week he goes out to my parents house and my Mom gets 'Grandma time' with him.  My Mom works part-time at a library as their teen librarian so she has a day off during the week and another day that she works in the evening and has the morning off.

 

This particular Monday he had been at my Mom's house and she had left for work already when I arrived to pick him up, so he was in the care of my Dad and my cousin for the 30 min gap.  After I picked Ethan up, we decided to swing by the library, which is very close to my parents' house and say hello to Grandma.  This is her first Grandchild and she likes to show him off to the other ladies that work in the library :)

Ethan 'studying' at the library 

We went to the library and saw everyone.  He loves the library and we ran around for a little while looking at books and having fun. 

When we were about to leave, my Mom was holding Ethan & as I went to take him from her he started to cry!!!!  This really hurt my feelings & bothered me... after having so much time with me last week, when I pick you up after being away from you all day you CRY when I take you from Grandma?!?!?!?!

 

I know that this sounds ridiculous, but I was mad at him!  Which, really, was based in the fact that my feelings were hurt & I was having a hard time understanding why he wasn't happier to have me back that day when I was so happy to see him!

 

I let this ruin my evening.

 

All evening thoughts were running through my head that I verbalized once Will was home from work... "I must be a bad Mom..."  "Why doesn't he love me?"  "He never misses me when I'm away..."  "He never cries or gets upset when I drop him off before work..."  "WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!?!?!?!"

 

Will then spent part of his evening attempting to reassure me & emotionally band-aid my hurt feelings... "You ARE a GOOD Mom..."  "He doesn't cry when you drop him off because he doesn't have anxiety, he knows that you're always going to come back, you are a constant in his life"  "He does love you..."  "Trust me, you're not doing anything wrong..."

 

By the time that I was out of work the next day & picked him up, I had decided to 'forgive' him.  We had a great evening.

 

It's amazing how something so small can make you suddenly question your worth as a mother.

Zooing it up on Ethan's Birthday

To be perfectly honest with you, something was bothering me a bit.  Ethan's Birthday present from his Dad and I was a little toy truck.  Granted, it's a cool truck, that lights up, makes noises, and even has a tiny car that rides in the 'truck bed' that you can get out & play with too, but I guess it just bothered me that this was all we could afford to get him for his first Birthday.

 

I'm not a materialistic person, but in the past I have always spent more on gifts for other people's birthdays or for their kids.  So, a $20 truck didn't seem like very much.  Granted, the party was an added expense as well, but it didn't seem like much to give him when I want to give him the world.

 

Money is tight, with costs increasing due to inflation & my pay actually decreasing (5% paycut awhile back to the entire agency I work for because 'the economy is bad' and they 'need to cut costs').  So, we did what we could.  But I felt like it wasn't enough.  Granted, Ethan has everything he NEEDS all of the time, but it would be nice to be able to do more.

 

August 15 was Ethan's actual Birthday.  On his Birthday, Will & I took the day off & decided to utilize our Toledo Zoo membership & spend the day at the Zoo with him.  Will wasn't as excited as I was about the 'Zoo' idea, but the fact that we have a membership makes it fun & free, so it won out in the end.  Besides, Ethan loves the Zoo!

 

 

We had an amazing day.

 

 

All of our other Zoo trips this year were fun as well, but we arrived there later in the afternoon (usually Will has picked the kids up for the weekend before we went - Ethan has three half siblings that he see's on the weekends).  This time we were able to arrive early in the morning and spent 7 hours at the Zoo.

First Train Ride!

First Carousel Ride!
 

We saw all of the animals (some we visited more then once!), took Ethan on his first carousel ride, took him on his first train ride, and even walked through the flowery gardens for quite awhile & let Ethan run around & look at all of the flowers (he LOVES flowers!).

 

 

We played on the playground with Ethan and, with me putting him on the slide & Will at the bottom to catch him, he even got to go down all the slides & explore different areas of the playground that he hadn't gotten to before.  And this little boy even climbed onto the end of the slide - by himself - and started to try & walk up the slide before Mommy got too nervous & stopped him!  Not only is he running around everywhere now, he is climbing on anything he can!

 

 

On our way home we stopped at my parents house for dinner, and since Ethan has grown so fond of 'lawnmower rides' on their riding mower, we zoomed him around their yard for a bit during our visit.  (Although... he wasn't quite ready to be done when we were & climbed up into the drivers seat by himself, trying to turn the steering wheel & started messing with the keys!)

 

 

Once home we relaxed and let him play before bed.  He has got in the habit of 'picking out' what books he wants us to read & brings them to us now before climbing onto our laps instead of us picking out all the books.  I LOVE this, and it makes me excited that he is so excited about reading.

 

After reading various books, he was playing with some of his new toys on the floor.  Out of all of the new toys he received as Birthday gifts, he picked out one special little truck and was carrying it around everywhere, rolling it across the carpet, laughing when it played music or made engine sounds, and even put it on my lap before he climbed up.

 

I no longer feel 'bad' about getting him 'just' a little truck for his Birthday.  I picked out a toy within my means that I thought my son would love... and he does.  As long as he is happy & healthy, why should the cost of a Birthday present matter to me?  It shouldn't.  Seeing him play, enjoy himself, and hearing his giggle means more to me then all the money in the world.

 

One is FUN!

Well, my little Ethanator is almost one year old!

Last weekend (Aug 11th) we had Ethan's Birthday party.  It was alot of work, and next time around I am making it MANDATORY that I take some time off work before a party instead of being up late working on stuff through the week!  My sister helped us decorate and get everything ready the night before, so that was a HUGE help!  (Thank you Kristi!)

However, all of that time & energy was worth it because his party went well :)  With all the getting ready that morning, Ethan did not take a nap, but that worked out okay anyway, as he made it through most of his party ;)

We did a mixed theme of dinosaurs & '1st Birthday'.  Ethan ran around and played, enjoyed his cake (although I think he would have been more into it if he wasn't so tired!), and even made it through most of his present opening. 

He did finally fall asleep on my lap during presents, but he looked adorable & the party was coming to a close then anyway.  Almost everyone we invited came, and quite a few of my friends have babies around his age, so it was great seeing all of the little ones together!

 

Ethan & I and the truck that we got him

 

Sleepy Birthday Boy!!!!

 

It was so nice to see everyone that came to his party, I just wish that I would have had the opportunity to actually visit & talk with people more!  But, I guess that's how it goes when you are throwing the party and have a little one to chase around ;)

We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends & family members in our life.

He's HOW BIG?!?!?!

This blog entry will serve as the introduction to this blog.

 

The title of this blog entry fits as Ethan was HUGE at birth and surprised all of us!  But, let me back-up a little...

 

I am a 29 year old woman that lives in Michigan.  I work with delinquent adolescent boys at a treatment facility.  I met Ethan's father, Will, at work.  Will has since found other employment.  Although we are not married, we are happy and live together.  Both of us had previous marriages, and Will has three children from his.  Thankfully for me, I did not have any children when I divorced.

 

But, this isn't really what this blog is about.  This blog is about my life, and more specifically about my son, Ethan, and my experiences, thoughts, and feelings as a first time Mom.

 

All things considered, I had a wonderful pregnancy.  The last month I had to have non-stress tests due to my size (measuring big!) and the fact that I had extra amniotic fluid.  But, there was no morning sickness, no sleepless nights, and no extreme pain (just the normal sore hips when walking my last trimester!) 

 

I had an ultrasound at 35 weeks that really freaked me out.  The ultrasound tech was measuring Ethan & asked if I had gestational diabetes.  When I replied with "no" she said "Oh, so you did this all yourself!"  When we inquired as to how big he was going to be, and I asked if he would be around 8 or 9 pounds she let us know "He is 8lbs 5oz right now!"  I panicked for a bit, because I had all of these plans about "natural, drug-free, easy labor" and this baby was much bigger then what I had imagined!  My doctor suggested we may want to look into scheduling a C section when the time came, but I was very against it.

 

At 39 weeks the doctor ordered another ultrasound to check his size and I had a different ultrasound tech.  She said that at 39 weeks he was measuring 8lbs, so the doctor thought maybe he just stayed around that size.  I hadn't gained any weight at all after 34 weeks.

39 1/2 Weeks

 

After my due date had come and gone I was then ready to try induction at almost 41 weeks.  We made an appointment & I was scheduled to be at the hospital on August 15, 2011 at 7:00 AM.

 

The night of August 14 I couldn't hardly sleep, my back was bothering me & I just couldn't get comfortable.  I thought it was excitement & anxiety about the big day I was going to have, when I would FINALLY get to meet & hold my baby boy.

 

With the car packed and Will & I ready, we headed to the hospital the next morning.  My back was REALLY hurting on & off now, and I told Will I thought it might be contractions when we were on our way to the hospital.  I never had any braxton-hicks contractions or any 'false labor' and I wasn't really sure what contractions were 'supposed' to feel like.

 

When we got up to the hospital they told me it might be awhile till they induced me & took us to our room.  I told her I thought I might be having contractions & they put all the monitors on me.  My contractions were 1 minute apart, although they didn't last very long!  No induction needed.  Ethan apparently wanted to come on his own terms :)

 

I tried 'natural' for 8 hours, using a labor ball, walking around, and trying to cope with the contractions, but I hit my wall & got an epidural.  The epidural stopped my contractions & I dialated to 5cm and stopped.  They unhooked the epidural (which wasn't dosed right and no longer working) and we tried petocin, which was unhooked almost immediately because Ethan's heartrate was getting lower.  The doctor came & talked to me & I agreed to a C-section.  We waited two hours for the C-section due to an emergency C-section that they had to do first and alot of bad communication by hospital staff, which was not fun with no pain meds & contractions returning!

 

Fifteen hours after our arrival at the hospital we finally got to meet our baby boy.  Since it was a C-section I couldn't see him when they first took him (they put a tarpish thing up to block you from seeing them do surgery on you) but the first thing I heard was "We have a 3 month old!"  Ethan was 10lbs 11oz and 22.5" inches long!  Soon I got to hold him and my friends and family got to hold him & meet him too (I had my parents, Will, my sister, and 4 other close friends there that had been waiting to meet him & had been good support for me!) 

 Ethan right after we got back to our room!

Over the next few days a few nurses stopped in to see the "huge baby" and we heard comments like "I thought he'd be much rounder and chubbier" - he was BIG, but he was long, solid, and strong!  He lifted his head up by himself the second day he was alive!

Will, Ethan, & I
 

So started my journey into motherhood.

 

Ethan has been a very good baby.  He started sleeping through the night at 2 months (I had to go back to work, so this helped me greatly!) and is so full of smiles and fun :)

 

I have watched Ethan grow & turn into an amazing toddler.  He is almost one now & amazes me everyday.  He is still big & strong and has been walking since the day he turned 10 months old.  He has so much energy!

 

Now that you know a little more about us, future blog entries will focus on current things (with some stories from the past year mixed in, I'm sure).

Ethan 3 days old, holding his Grandpa's finger