My baby doctor

Ugh, so we took Fodie to get shots today.  He was like this.  And I was also like this:

We were both very unhappy little giraffes.  

Anyway, it was cray.  First of all, a short and funny conversation I had:

Pediatrician:  If he gets congested, just put a couple of saline drops in his nostril.  But make sure to do only one nostril at a time.

Me:  So I don't accidentally waterboard him?

*silence*

Pediatrician: ...Yup.

Totally accurate.  High five me!  

But then, Fodie got shots.  It was rill bad.  RILL BAD.  The medical assistants who did it were both really derpy.  Last time, the gal who did it was very very fast and efficient.  These girls must have been learning or something because they were slow.  And derpy.  And when they were giving him the Hep B shot... the syringe broke.  IN HIS LEG.  So they went to pull the shot away and there was still a needle sticking out of his leg.  Poor little screaming baby.  Ugh.  So they had to give him the shot AGAIN.  At that point, he was so worn out from crying, that they just gave him the shot while I held him, while he slept.  He stirred enough to let out a little cry but stayed asleep, more or less.  Poor fella.  Getting shots is tough tough stuff.  Blah.

"Oh, please don't go-- we'll eat you up-- we love you so!"

Yesterday we visited The Pumpkin Walk in Logan, UT.  There were some mighty impressive scenes concocted out of pumpkins and various gourdes, but as you can see, the character cut-outs were our favorite attraction.  

Aren't the character paintings super impressive?!  I just loved the Where The Wild Things Are ones.  So rad.

And seriously, my baby is the cutest baby in the universe.  I mean, just look at him as Harry Potter.  ACCIO BUBBLEGUM CHEEKS!  Om nom nom nom.

What a perfectly lovely Sunday.

<3

NSFW

Caution: nudity ahead!  But OMG, its the cutest nakedness you'll ever see.  

These are a few pictures from Fodie's first shower.  I told Hippy that Fodie would become slippery, like a tiny fish, and slip out of his arms and die if he tried showering with him... but alas, I may have been slightly over reacting, like I do.  Fodie LOVED it.  I'm pretty sure Hippy/Daddy did too.  I sure love my boys.

Through the fog

Ugh.  I have such a head cold right now, I really think I might die.  Despite the fact that it felt as though I were trying to breathe through a milkshake last night, I still managed to jump out of bed, and run upstairs to cough and blow my nose in the middle of the night, lest my ginormous bark-like coughs wake my baby screaming.  Because thats what kept happening the night before last.  Holy crap, being sick is stupid.

ANYWAY, despite the plague, this week has been interesting.  We went and took some family pictures of my sister (and her husband and their bump) and they kindly took some pictures of us in return.  I think they turned out all cute'n'stuff so here are a few for your visual enjoyment:

Using my words

So I don't always post these days because I figure that the internet is already pretty darn inundated with awesome pictures of my baby due to Hippy's current crush on Tumblr.  However, I realize that people do like to look at blogs FOR THE WORDS also.  Its like reading a good book where the author is less than interesting but who you read anyway... just to see if she'll end up having a point.  Like that maybe?  Anyway, here are a couple of pictures that have already been posted on Tumblr but to which I will add my words.

I must say that I have an awesome baby.  He has an awesome temperament.  He is a champion breast feeder.  He is top of his class is BEING HUGE.  Seriously, my sweet friends Callie and Brian came over the other day with their gorgeous 9 month old and she was the same size as our 4 month old.  For those who suck at math, that is a 5 month difference.  I had to count that out on my fingers... but now that I have... I'm pretty sure that you'll agree that that is a pretty big difference as far as baby growth progress is concerned.  He isn't just a blob though- hes really strong.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is one of those babies who is running around the house at 9 months old.  

Also, I'm already starting to forge his age-related documents so that he can participate in the Olympic games at the ripe old age of 4 yrs old.  But don't tell.

 (On a different note, I love that Fodie is obsessed with Jones.)

(Thats my nostril!)

The only other thought that I have to add to the internets is that I love being a mom.  The other day, someone made the comment on my facebook page: "Motherhood has really tamed you."  I'm sure that she was just being cute or WHATEVER... but I was instantly offended.  But then I remembered that its totally true.  I started being a kinder, more gentle person when I got married to a kind, gentle man.  Then we had a baby, and I realized that being totally openly in love was just fine with me.  No need to play coy and pretend like having a baby is so totally hipster.  Maybe if I buy some baby sized nerd glasses and make Fodie wear slightly feminine scarves then we'll be way too hip for the internet??  I'm a yummy mummy and I don't give a shit if people think it makes me all lame.  Besides, if I were still posting pictures of myself partying like the great vodka well was going to run dry and generally talking all sluttily online... then I'd be pretty lame.  I'm 30 years old next year.  Learning internet responsibility is something that any adult has to figure out at some point because 1) internet pictures come back to haunt you and 2) things you post on the internet will be seen by creepers and your parents alike.  And really, these are lessons that I want to teach my kid early on.  "Now Fodie, I just retweeted your tweet about YOLO-ing so that everyone can see what a douchbag you are.  Come on son, you can do better than this..."

I'm 100% certain that if Mr. Rogers were still alive, he'd have a special episode on this very topic.  TRUTH.

Anyway, hugs and kisses.  I need to go blow some big ol' raspberries on my sons fat rolls now.

I live with a tiny supermodel

I am not so awesome at updating my blog... however, Hippy takes and posts pictures of the baby CONSTANTLY on tumblr.  If you are into looking at pictures of tiny supermodels... you should go check it out.

http://ferrills.tumblr.com/

So cute, I can hardly stand it.

Extreme hotness ahead...

It took a while to get a family pic in order because we are a small family of hermits who don't wear make up anymore.  Especially Fyodor... he just hates having his picture taken sans make up.  Silly boy.

Happy Mother's Day, all my mom friends!

Pictures of a tiny monkey

Once upon a time, there was a teenie tiny monkey named Fyodor.  And he was only 2 days old:

He had a bit of jaundice when he was born, so we held him next to the window, and when we went home, they made us use a "billy blanket" to help with his jaundice.  He was a little glow worm, with a tail that made it impossible to properly snuggle him around the house without having to unplug him and replug him in elsewhere...

But he was a trooper... and now he is 3 weeks old and more alert every day...

But most of the time, he sleeps... because he has so much growing to do.

 We just love him.  <3 

Theodore, I adore

This is my family... well except for Jones.  But he was the one taking the photo... maybe.  I can't recall.  Anyway, we are a happy little bunch.  I just wanted to type out a short version of the birth story while I had a second, and I'll make sure to post some pictures sometime berry berry soon.  Because our little Fyodor sure is a handsome little nugget!

As many of you know, I planned on a natural birth.  I had many reasons for wanting such, and all of those reasons involved a healthier mother and baby.  I did a LOT of reading on the matter.  I wanted all the stats.  And at the end of the day, I just wanted to trust my body to do what it knew how to do... and I'm glad I did.  It ended up being one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  If you are a lady who plans on having a baby, I HIGHLY encourage you to do a little research on the matter.  You are in charge of your body and should be informed.  Mmmmk?

So I had been having contractions FOR DAYS.  And for once, I'm not exaggerating.  They were keeping me up at night and driving me crazy.  Thus, when my actual labor started, I was caught off guard and didn't know what to think.  I'd been watching Downton Abbey and suffering through the regular contractions when suddenly the thought hit me that they were regular.  And I knew it was the real thing.  So I did what anyone would do... I ran upstairs and started reviewing my birthing books as though I was cramming for the SAT's, while sobbing uncontrollably.  My only thought was that I had never had a baby before, so why had I been so confident that I could do it drug free?  Why had a told so many people about my natural birth plan when I was TOTALLY going to end up chickening out?!?  ACK?!?!  Anyway, Hippy was lucky enough to come home from class around this time... and he knew what was up.  He reassured me that it didn't matter how our baby came into this world, because he was going to be loved regardless.  He also reminded me that I had options, and I would know what I needed when it was time.

I labored at home for about 5 hours.  I didn't want to get to the hospital too early... and by the time we left, I mostly just didn't want to have to get in the car for the 25 minute drive to the U.  By the time we got there, I was dilated to a 6 and fully effaced.  Easy peasy.  Okay, so thats a lie... it was hard work.  Contractions suck.  But I knew that they were doing a job and helping me progress, so it was a very manageable pain.  Just sayin'.  My biggest obstacle was getting over the FEAR of the pain... not the actual pain itself.  My body only threw at me as much as I needed to progress.  And I could handle that.  I kept waiting for the moment when I would need an epidural, but that moment never came.  In fact, the idea of a needle in my back seemed WAY worse to me than my contractions, at the time.

I did most of my hard labor in a tub at the hospital, with a midwife standing nearby, giving me encouragement.  The tub really took a lot of the pressure of gravity off of everything, which felt awesome.  I also had Hippy squeezing my hips with each contraction, because the counter pressure really seemed to help open me up and took some of the pain away.  I had my little team of cheerleaders which consisted of Hippy, my mom, his mom, and my midwife.  Besides their cheering, I really was left to myself to labor.  It was perfect.  Anyway, after about 3-4 hours, I told my midwife that I needed to poop.  She told me I was probably ready to push.  I told her I didn't want to accidentally poop in the tub.  Then another contraction hit and I knew she was right.  I was ready to poop my baby!!  I practically ran to the labor bed, and lo and behold, the pushing began.  I laid on my side with Hippy holding me up.  My mom was on the other side of me, holding my leg up for me.  And Lora, Hippy's mom, was at the bottom of the bed, calling Fyodor's name.  It was awesome.  I relied on my contractions to give me the power to push this baby out of me, and they pulled through.  Honestly, I was so tired at that point (it was nearly 5am) that I don't know if I could have summoned the energy otherwise.  Also, as a side note... I'd heard that the worst part is the crowning.  I'd heard it described as "the ring of fire."  Just so you know, I didn't experience this.  It simply felt like I was pushing a baby out of me.  No more, no less.  And after about 20 minutes of pushing, OUT HE CAME!  I could feel his little body slip out of mine as he gave a hearty cry.  They placed him directly onto my chest and covered us in warm blankets.  He was perfect.  Still is.

And thats that!  I thought I was going to keep this short, but I couldn't.  I just can't believe what an amazing experience it ended up being.  It wasn't easy, but it was amazing.  I had my mom write out her version of the birth story for me, and she mentions that she kept praying that angels would surround me and comfort me.  As I type out this version of the story... its so clear to me that I was very lucky to have angels with me the whole time... in the form of my family, who held me and cheered me on the whole way.  I really couldn't have asked for a better way to welcome little Fodie into the world.

And yes, we still call him Fyodor.  Yeah, we might always call him some variation of it.  But he'll get over the embarrassment of it all someday.  Perhaps.   <3

Another round of Cadbury Creme Eggs... and make mine a double.

Oh, its that joyous time of year... where I binge on Cadbury Creme Eggs and then lay around the house all day reading YA fiction and not brushing my hair! Aw life... you are too good to me.

So right... lets update, shall we? I'm at a robust 38 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty awesome. I quit my job about 2 weeks ago, and have been enjoying a little extra time to myself. Honestly, I thought I'd be able to get SO MUCH accomplished around the house once I stayed home... but in reality, I mostly only just have enough time to eat, clean up after my eating, and contemplate what I want to eat next.

Oh, and look out the window. Jones and I can look out the window like a couple of champs!

But I've been feeling great and I've only just recently started to get all crazy nervous about the upcoming VAGINA TORTURE 2012. Thats what its been named. Just now. In my head. Oye.

But here are a few pictures, to document my leeetle bump. The red dress pics are at around 34ish weeks. I'm a fancy lady. Also, I like that sweet hippy is in the photo shoot, but he looks really short since I'm wearing my heels. Also, my necklace is sexually assaulting me. UNTOWARD.

The black dress/green shirt pics were taken just the other day on our 4 year anniversary <3

We got pretty and then went out for pizza and played skiball at Boondocks. It was rad.

And lastly, a little nudity for you good folks. I feel like a large pregnant woman, but seem to look all dainty in pictures. I have a lot of black clothing. So here is a picture of my belly. Nice and firm, like a supermodel. Maybe not the same kind of firm... but still totally Vogue.

Too awkward?? Right, moving on.

In other still-baby-related news... We got so much awesome swag for this little man. FO REAL. My favorite swag being the homemade variety. An example: The knitted water monstoh and teeeeenie tiny shoes (with matching blanket even!) that Hippy's coworkers made. How kind is that?!

I also wanted to add a lil' something crafty into the nursery, so I cross stitched some things.

Oh, and Hippy's mom helped us add some shiny stripes to an accent wall in the nursery. Just to make it fancy. But lets be honest, its still a little bare in there to be considered fancy. Really, there are a bunch of baby clothes in one corner, and this darling little changing table (a roadside rescue that I refinished last spring, pre-pregnancy) in the other, and thats about it. But come on, the baby is going to be hanging out in our room, sleeping next to the bed in his lil' pack-n-play bassinet for a while, anyway. Plus, his room can't be fancier than mine, otherwise I'll get all jelly (or jealous, as some might say). *Note: this pic was taken with the crappy camera, so its not so pretty. Um, sorry.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have some pictures of a sweet tiny man for you next time. (Yes, I mean Jones.) But I might have a few of Fyodor too :) YAY!

Cream cheese and Christmas trees

Its finally snowing for the first time this winter, so I'm feeling rather cheery today and thought I'd post some pictures about this rather event filled month. BUT FIRST! Some bump pictures. Thats right folks... The bump doth expandith!

So, here I am training my pet hawk...er... owl. Wait, was this when I went to Hogwarts? In any case, this is at about 20 weeks?



This next picture is from the same day... but its a more accurate representation of what my life has been like lately. I like to call this picture: Harmony holding a sh*tload of food which she will later devour. It was basically like Shark Week after we snapped this picture. No sandwiches survived.



And this is at about 24 weeks along. I like this picture. So does Fyodor.



However, Jones did not like this photoshoot as much as the rest of us. He is such a fun hater.



AND THEN! Between Christmas and New Years, we had a very exciting event...

ELBA GOT MARRIED! My dear sister tied the knot! Here she is on her special day:



Oh wait, that is another reindeer friend who got married. THIS is Elba:





It was a lovely reception. She had it at a funky old church in the Avenues and her colors were red/aqua. The food was awesome, as was the music and company. Laffy posted a bit about the decor and such over at happychippyjunk.blogspot.com . Lots of work, but lots of fun. High Five, Elbs!

And lastly, here is the latest and greatest bump photo from about an hour ago. 25 weeks. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snowwww!