Saturday, March 31, 2012

Daddy Watches Blaine...

I got to go out to lunch with a friend today, which was wonderful. I got dressed up like a normal human and everything! Since Ben was home, he watched Blaine for me (after a nice long nursing session).

Here's Blaine's reaction to the day:

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Check Me Out

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a novel. Here is your daily Blaine:

Friday, March 23, 2012

Worst-Case Scenario

Baby B and I have been diligently working at nursing - which is NOT as easy as you'd think it is. As it turns out, Blaine is what they call a "chomper". I'll leave that to your imagination. I have two very sore body parts. The amazingly kind Lactation Consultant at Blaine's pediatrician's office said I have "one of the worst cases that (she's) seen in a long time." Awesome. I'm always an over-achiever.

So, not only did he have a doctor's appointment today, but Blaine also has an appointment with a pediatric chiropractor to help loosen up his jaw a bit. (Traumatic births, including c-sections, can cause serious tension in a newborn's body.)

It has been a rough couple of days for Blaine and I, but we are committed to trying to keep on the breastfeeding. I know that it's so much better (not to mention cheaper!) for him. So, if I have been out of conact for a while, please know it's not because I've fallen off the face of the earth, I've just been in constant pain for the last six days and haven't been able to communicate clearly.

But here's your adorable picture of the day...which makes me sure that it's all worth it in the end.

This is his, "Time to eat, Mom!" look.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Day to Day

Wow. There is just so much that you learn in the first days of motherhood! It's like zero to sixty in thirty seconds. (Actually, it's like zero to 120 - so fast that you can't even take it all in.)

Today my dad left to go home to CA, and I will miss his reassuring and tender help. Last night, he stayed up with little Buddy for hours while I went to sleep. (We're having a hard time getting Blaine to sleep anywhere but in someone's arms at night. During the day he'll sleep anywhere!) It was the best gift I've ever been given, and I appreciated it so much.

Brad also left to go do "man stuff", and left Mom with me. Brad was such a wonderful help, too, and I can't imagine how Ben and I could have managed without him.

Now it's just me, Mom, the dogs, and Blaine to hold down the fort. Ben is back at work now, but checks in on us from time to time. I know he misses being with us.

Here's your daily Baby Blaine photo. Don't mind the pink on his cheeks - he has a tendancy to whack himself in the face when he's good and ready to eat.

Saturday, March 17, 2012


Blaine is three days old today. Since his first couple of days on Earth were pretty challenging (a run-in with Pitosin, sixteen hours of contracions, a rushed surgery, 24-hour-a-day monitoring, and multiple tests), he is pretty sleepy. Between feedings, he sleeps heavily. At night, Mommy lets Daddy get a few hours of sleep (he has to go back to work on Monday) and stays up in the living room to feed and keep him company. The c-section makes sleeping in / getting up from bed a bit difficult, so the couch is a nice compromise. (Let it be known that there is nothing on TV at 2:00 in the morning, by the way.). 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Blaine Westley Sack: The Cutest Baby Ever



This is the moment that Ben and I have been waiting for for the last four years. All the heartache, the disappointments, the hopes and the prayers...have lead to this day: the most wonderful day of our lives.

On March 14th at 5:52 p.m., our baby boy was born via c-section. His first cries were the most beautiful sounds that we had ever heard. Right now, he is being showered with love by grandmas and grandpas, and learning how to be a good little human. He is a natural at nursing and is sleeping wonderfully.

I will write more about his birth story (it's a long one) in a few days, but for now just know that it was long and interesting...and I am not as brave / strong as I think I am. But I am a sucker for this baby boy...and would have done anything to get him out safely.

Please welcome Blaine Westley Sack to the world. 'Blaine' means "the river's beginning", and we figured it was appropriate for his life story. Mommy and Daddy met on the river, and Blaine's life begins with the story of our love. 'Westley' means "western meadow", which is similar to Mommy's name - Ashlee - which means "ash tree meadow". It also reminds us of where we live, come from, and play (the great West).

Get ready for a barrage of pictures as soon as I'm home!

Monday, March 12, 2012

We're all waiting...

...for the little guy to make an appearance!

We went on a long walk up Skyline again today, after which I experienced the strongest Braxton-Hicks contraction that I've ever had. It lasted about 5 minutes and was fairly uncomfortable. (I will not use the word "painful", as I know that that word will forever be relative to the feeling of childbirth. After tomorrow, nothing will ever seem painful again.)

But, it made me think that Baby B is not too far away from making his entrance into the world. I know that he will definately be coming tomorrow at 10:00 no matter what, but I'm still holding out hope that he will come on his own sometime tomorrow. Puh-leese, little baby, come on your own. Mommy has a feeling that Pitosin is not going to be my new best friend.

Three of six grandparents. (We miss you, Linder!)

Ben and Ashlee's last full day as non-parents. This is heavy, man.
It is nice having (almost) everyone together...so glad that they'll be here to watch Baby B come into the world.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

He's Here!

No, not that he, my dad! So, now all of our little ducks are in a row and ready to witness the greatest miracle that nature (and modern science) have ever created - my baby! Our baby!

We picked Dad up at the shuttle drop-off point in Monument (saved us from driving all the way to DIA) and promptly went for a nice hike around the Garden of the Gods. It was a beautiful day out, and we took lots of pics, walked up some stairs (come on, Jeeter, drop down!), and admired the view. The last time I was there, we were two days away from the day that would get this whole pregnancy ball rolling. That seems like a lifetime ago now...

Dad and me at Garden of the Gods today.

Wendi and me at Garden of the Gods last June. I look thinner...

After our walk through the park, we decided to head to Manitou Springs, where we cruised the main drag for a while. We ate some delicious chocolate frozen custard (what? Jeeter wanted it), checked out all the awesome vintage penny arcade rides / games, and then stopped into a few antique shops.

Now we're home and the boys are doing the grocery shopping. I'm just here with the dogs, enjoying our last moments of solitude before Tuesday. (In case you didn't hear, Tuesday is "induction" night...if baby B doesn't come out before then, he's going to be forced out. I hate to do it to him, but I am trying to trust my Doc on this one. Besides, it seems there's a 50/50 chance of having a "scary" labor no matter what kind you have.)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Know when to Fold 'Em.

Alright, I know when to quit. And that day is: FRIDAY!

My dad is flying in on Saturday in order to be there for Jeet's big day, and I'm not going to very well go to work (administering TCAP and presiding over a room full of hopped-up seventh-graders who have just finished a 90 minute session of total silence) while he stays home. It's going to be serious dad / daughter time before it's grandpa / grandson time. I may not be able to take a long run with him...but we can at least cruise the riverwalk and check out some sights. And maybe bring lunch to Ben, who will be working. (Sorry, darling.)

I am excited to finish up at work. The kids are all begging me to stay (they don't see the irony of simultaneously driving me crazy and asking me to stay at the same time) and many seem very excited to meet the little baby that they've watched grow for the last few months. (They call him my "watermellon".)

I, however, am going to be glad for the break. I'm not going to lie - I feel a little guilty leaving my fellow teachers behind at this critical time in the year. (State testing begins next week.) But I have done a good job of teaching my little urchins, and we had a nice review week, so they should be good to go. I'll come back in May for my wind-up Personal Portfolio project, which I love to bits.

But now, it's time. I quit.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Can't Sit Still

No, I'm not having a 'burst of energy' or anything, I just can't stay inside on a sunny Saturday! Ben and I went on a nice walk down to Grape Creek in Ecology Park this afternoon, which was awesome. It was so nice to get out, walk around, and bounce up and down to get baby to drop. Who knows if it worked...only baby!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Repeat after me...

People are becoming very concerned about when I will be finishing up at work. As I encounter various co-workers, I find myself saying the same thing about five times a day, and it goes a little something like this:

Co-worker: "So, when is your last day?"
Me: "The day my water breaks in the hallway during passing period."
Co-worker: "Oh. Wow."

As you may have gathered from my irrate Facebook post a few days back, I recently discovered that I do not recieve any paid maternity leave. So, I refuse to give my school a definite date that will be my last day, for fear that little Jeet will be a few days late, and I'll be using up my precious sick leave time just to sit at home and watch Netflix movies. (I do love a good Netflix movie...)

Co-workers aren't the only ones who are concerned with my impending labor. The kids, too, are a little worried. Our conversations in class go a little like this:

Student: "Mrs. Sack, when are you leaving?"
Me: "When I have my tiny human."
Student: "What if you start having it in class?!"
Me: "You better get ready to catch him."
Student: "Ewwwww!"
Sdudent 2: "Ha, ha! That would be funny."
Me: "I'm not joking."

I'm totally joking. We all know that if I went into labor and had the baby all in the span of one class period, I'd be the luckiest woman alive.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

What's the Rush?

My doctor is fairly disappointed that my cervix is not cooperating with her schedule. (She wanted Jeet to be born last weekend, when she was "on call".) Well, as far as I know, 40 weeks is still the standard cooking time for a baby, so I'm not going to be worried just yet. (Even though it would be nice to avoid conferences, yes.)

Just for kicks, I'm going to start trying a few of all of those "wives tales" that everyone has been telling me about. Here's the schedule:

Saturday: 39 weeks - celebrate!
Sunday: Spicy Indian Food Day + walk up Skyline
Monday: Spicy Mexican Food Day (if not too much heartburn from previous day)
Tuesday: Apple Pie Day + walk up Skyline
Wednesday: Castor Oil Day + walk up Skyline
Thursday: The Thing You Can't Name on the Internet Day

Any other suggestions?

After my appointment today, which was preceeded by a 40-minute wait in the exceedingly warm waiting room, I was quite tired. So, I decided to take myself out for a Wendy's frosty. In line, the smell of the french fries got to me, and I succumbed to the siren call of fried potato.

Maybe fast food isn't one of the listed wives tales...but then again, maybe old wives just didn't have a Wendy's on the way home.