August 29, 2010

Like Father, Like Son

I wanted to show you guys how much Caden looks like Michael:



At the top is Mike as a baby, and below is Caden. Except for his chubby cheeks, they look like twins!

August 25, 2010

What's In My Bag? - 2 Month Old

Lots of girls have been asking me what I carry in my diaper bag, since I'm the freak who cloth diapers my kid. Sooooo, I thought I'd share with everyone, since I haven't posted in a while!

First, I have to apologize for my current bag, which is cute, but is coated in shiny plastic. I got it at one of my baby showers, and since it was the only one that wasn't blue, that's the one I use. I have recently decided that since it is the only bag I'm going to be lugging around for the forseeable future (I gave up my purse for the purpose of having a free hand to carry my child), I am going to invest in a cute bag that I absolutely LUV.

The first few weeks after Caden was born were super crazy, and we had to travel a LOT, so I carried around a ton of extra crap that I have since removed. On the positive side, I think it helped me get over the pain of my incision, since I had to carry around 20 extra pounds of baby stuff. But now, here's what I carry:

For Baby:
  1. BumGenius diapers (at least 2), including extra liners
  2. Wet bag, which may consist of a Wal-Mart or Ziploc bag if I forget my fancy one
  3. Wipes
  4. Burp Cloths (2)
  5. Onesies/Sleepers (at least 2)
  6. Teething Tablets
  7. Infant's Ibuprofen
  8. Gas Drops
  9. Nasal Aspirator (AKA "The Booger Ball")
  10. Baby Lotion
  11. Toys
  12. Nursing Pads
  13. Nursing Cover
  14. Nursing Shields
For Mama:
  1. Wallet
  2. Keys
  3. Phone
I think I'm getting the short end of the stick. What's in your bag? Any suggestions for my new bag?

August 24, 2010

Introducing...Caden

I promised to give you the story of how we got Caden, so here goes!

On June 11 (12 days before our due date), I woke up at about 4:00 AM with pain in the middle of my chest - not "oh my gosh there's something wrong" pain, just enough that I couldn't get back to sleep. I'd had similar pain earlier in my pregnancy, which went away after I'd eaten. That didn't work this time. By Noon, I was frustrated that the annoying pain wouldn't go away, so I called my doctor to ask him what I could take/do for it. Since I had had normal BP throughout my pregnancy, and didn't have gestational diabetes or any other symptoms before now, my doctor told me to head over to the hospital, just to be safe. So, I got to call and freak out my husband and my mother by telling them I was headed to the hospital.

Once I got to the ER (where the doctor told me NOT to go, but the hospital staff sent me anyway), my BP was super high, close to stroke range, and I was still having chest pain. I was hooked up to oxygen, and it was decided that I needed to have a CT scan to rule out a blood clot. Turns out that a CT scan is not so bad as it seems - the contrast material makes you feel super warm and toasty, they lay a big lead apron over the baby bump, and then it's over. Since the scan showed no clots (Yay!), the doctors decided that I had what is called HELP syndrome, which is basically developing preeclampsia suddenly. Since I was not in active labor, it was decided that my BP was too high to wait for labor to start, even if I was induced, and that I needed an emergency c-section. This news was really hard to process, since my husband had just left to go get our bags from home, and my parents were still making the 3-hour drive from my hometown.

As soon as my husband returned to the hospital, the doctors got me ready for the c-section, which meant getting an epidural. Seeing the GIANT needle made me really start to realize what was happening, and I started getting really nervous. By then, my doctor came in and reassured me that both Caden and I were going to be fine. I was still upset that my mom wasn't there, but I was ready to get the surgery over with! At 6:55 PM, our precious peanut was born, and our journey as a family began with a perfect boy, who looks just like his daddy.


Once I got to the recovery area, my BP had gone down, but was still too high to move up to the recovery floor. Since I am allergic to some common medications, I also had to keep the epidural line in until I could move. After a day in the labor & delivery room, I was finally able to move upstairs. Thanks to my epidural I hadn't experienced any pain at all, mostly because I hadn't been able to move. But when I stood up to get into the wheelchair, I felt like my entire incision had reopened. The nurses assured me that was very unlikely, and there wasn't any bleeding, but it was the worst pain I'd ever felt. Since I had made it to the wheelchair, there was no turning back. I really think the nurse was going as slow as possible, and hitting every bump along the way. I don't know how I would've made it out of the wheelchair if Mike and the nurses hadn't helped me. Turns out that the medication in the epidural wasn't as effective as it should have been, so when they turned it down and I moved for the first time, it was as if I didn't have any pain meds at all. Needless to say, I got new meds, and I developed a deeper respect for the brave souls who give birth drug-free.


Two days later, Caden and I got to go home, and it's been fantastic ever since (see my previous blog for all the details)!

August 23, 2010

2 Months!

Oh my goodness, it's been 3 months since I posted! I'll be better, I promise! A LOT has happened:

  • We FINALLY got the nursery organized and ready for our little Peanut to arrive!
  • I learned the quickest routes to the essential destinations near our house (grocery store, pharmacy, park, Chipotle), since my beloved TomTom was stolen. We also got a new (to us) Explorer, to replace my car, which was totalled back in December.
  • On June 11, I woke up with chest pain, not severe, just annoying. I'd had it once before, and it went away after I ate. Not this time! At Noon, I called my doctor to ask what I should take, and they told me to go ahead and come in to St. John's, just to be sure everything was OK. After a CT scan to rule out a blood clot, and a BP that would not come down, it was decided that Baby Wells would make his grand appearance! (I'll fill you in on all the hairy details, but that's a blog for another day)
  • Mike and I survived our first month as parents! We developed a great routine, thanks to Caden's amazing ability to sleep, and to smile just when I am about to lose it completely.
  • We were finally able to transition from disposable to cloth diapers! Caden was too teeny to fit in even the XS size, so we had to use the stash we got from our showers. In the meantime, we discovered that Pampers are the ONLY brand that work on Caden's tushie. I'm still working on converting Mike to the cloth diaper movement, but I'm lovin' it!
  • I came to terms with who my friends are, and who they aren't. I'm a people pleaser, and it really rocked my world to move from a place where I had already succeeded in pleasing everyone around me, to a place where I knew absolutely no one. I've never had any shortage of close friends and family, even when I moved to college, until I moved to live with my husband; I just had to get used to having no one else to talk to. It wasn't until Caden was born that I realized how important it is to be able to have a conversation with another person. I am so thankful that our friends from college are still in our life, and am so glad that we live so close to them now, and can hang out more now that Caden can handle being out of the house now!
  • I officially resigned from my job, which wasn't a hard decision to make, but was a little disappointing, since I LOVED my job, and I would've been making real progress in my position with the company, had I come back to work.
  • I started sewing! I learned to make sock monkeys in college, and the mood hit me to make some for Caden. When I looked on the internet for new monkey ideas, I found all these other cute things to sew, so I decided that I want a sewing machine for Christmas, so I can help save money buy sewing clothes and things for Caden and for our friends!

Our Nursery


Caden Michael, 6 lbs., 7 oz. - 6/11/10

Daddy & Caden

Caden & Auntie Erin

Already 2 Months Old!