Red Pencil Diaries

I just finished the yellow primer coat on Zack''s walls in his new bedroom. We picked out his carpet yesterday (a neutral berber) and it will be installed in a couple of weeks. So I need to get the paint finished soon. I should be able to start on the yellow paint this evening, I hope. At least the cutting in and hard to reach parts.

Yesterday the Webhamster and Webhamstress came to visit. They brought him a cool froggy (Frosch in German) all the way from Germany! It''s very cute and so soft and fluffy and will look great in his room one day soon.

This afternoon, Duranfan is popping by to visit Zacky. Which means I need to go shower and get all this primer out of my hair before Zack wakes up... Darn it... his radar went off... he has sensed that I am in the room and is now fussing... so much for a nice hot shower...

We have a lot to be thankful for this year... most of all, we''re thankful for Zack. He''s the most amazing, most wonderful thing that Dave and I have ever had... a total miracle.

i hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. We''re having my family over tomorrow for turkey. And I think we''re just taking it easy after that.

We may work on the house some more, though. Dave has been totally kicking ass on the house stuff... we have wonderful new lights in the entry and hall, and we may start painting Zack''s room Saturday. We''ve already bought the paint... woohoo

Today I did a lot of laundry. I washed a lot of new clothes that Zachary got from the shower and as gifts. And some things that I thought would be too big actually fit him today. Things that were too big for him last week. So I think he''s actually growing. From Friday until Monday, he''d gained 4 oz., but that was after he''d lost some weight during his first week. I''m hoping that now that my milk has come in more, that he''ll continue to grow.

Breastfeeding is kinda weird like that. You can''t measure how much milk he gets, so you kind of have to just go by how long he feeds, how often, and how many dirty diapers you change. Odd way to measure things, but so far, he seems to be getting enough. He feeds anywhere between 10 and 12 times per day. It can be exhausting. We have started to supplement him one formula bottle per day--usually at night--b/c I just get worn out. At first, I hated to supplement, but I am starting to feel better about it.

Oh, and last night, I actually got to drive my car to go pick up some dinner. Wow... I hadn''t driven since June 20. It was odd. I kept thinking I was forgetting something. I kept checking my lights and I think I probably drove too slow. LOL But it was great to be out by myself. I''m generally a rather independent person, and having to rely on other people for so long has been difficult. I''m happy to be able to get up and do things by myself more. Even just doing laundry. Of course, I am still not 100% yet, so after all the feedings and being up and around, I am exhausted by the end of the day.

Today Dave has done a lot around the house. He cleaned out the gutters, worked on the ceiling lights and the drywall and electric in Zacky''s room. And he took down some old ceiling light fixtures in the living room, entry hall, and hall way. I think we''re gonna take the baby and crash in front of the TV for awhile. Maybe in the bedroom. We need some rest.

So in a couple of hours, Zack will be one week old. What a week this has been, too. Yesterday we had to take him to the doctor because we thought he was a bit congested. Of course, he''s fine. He has some congestion, but nothing major. And he also had a skin rash that we weren''t sure about, but it turned out to be a normal rash that a lot of newborns get... So we were very relieved. I always heard that new parents can over react to things, and I guess it''s true. But in our book, it''s better to be safe than sorry.

Today we''re just hanging out. Dave is working on a lot of projects around the house--including Zacky''s room. He''s been really getting stuff done--like he''s in super fast mode. lol... I guess having some time off was just what Dave needed. We''ve both had a lot of stress these past few months. But it''s over. And now we have an amazing son and he''s the most important thing in the world.

This next year is going to be wonderful. I can''t wait...

Here''s his hospital picture... Zack''s hospital pic"

Ain''t he the cutest?

As I sit here on my couch with Zack on my lap and my laptop next to me, I realize that this long, scary journey called pregnancy is over. And now begins Zachary''s own big scary adventure!

Dave and I are tired and happy and trying to figure this child-raising thing out as we go along. So far, so good.

Oh, and Zachary would like to extend sincere apologies to Mark, Chili, and John for leaving them with the awful transportation predicament when he decided that Friday night at 10:14 pm was the perfect time to start his descent into the world. He promises to make it up to you someday... LOL

For now, though, it makes for one hilarious birth story.

I''ve had only a couple more contractions. That''s it. At my OB appointment, she said my cervix is now 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. So it''s slowly progessing about a cm a week. She predicts a 50/50 chance that I''ll have him in a week. If I don''t have him by next Thursday morning, though... I will be induced. So by Thursday, November 11, Zachary Mays will be here! woohooo!

At our BPP test, he passed all the areas... practicing breathing movements, large movements, etc. And he is now measuring 39 weeks (even though I am really only 38 weeks along). The tech said from his measurements, he is about 8 lbs. already! Oh my... Dave is predicting he''ll weigh 9 lbs. by next week. I''m predicting about 8.5 lbs. We''ll see. Maybe now is time to start the baby pool... LOL

Ok, first... it was our first Indiana vote, and of course, it went pretty much the same as all of our Kentucky votes. voting Democrat in a totally "red" conservative state feels like such a waste of time. I know voting itself isn''t a waste. It''s just difficult knowing that only a handful of counties in our whole state were democrat, so our votes kind of got swept under the rest. Dave says maybe we should move to Vermont or Massachusetts to be around people like us. lol

I read on Duranfan''s blog that she also had the debilitating headache that plagued Dave all day yesterday. He stayed in bed nearly all day complaining of a horrid headache. He finally felt better around evening and we chalked it up to weather and stress.

And then last night at around 9:30, I started having contractions. 15 minutes apart. And then after an hour or so 7 minutes part, a few 5 minutes apart. And then... they stopped. I slept off and on all night. I had a couple more contractions this morning. But nothing regular. Nothing too painful. So here I sit, waiting. I have my OB appointment today at noonish. I guess we''ll see what she says. Dave was very nervous last night and this morning. Strangely, though, I''m quite calm. I''m excited, but not nearly as freaked out as I thought I would be at having a contraction at all...

Fingers crossed that this baby comes soon...

Well, Dave and I got up early and headed over to the middle school to vote. We just beat the rush (only four people ahead of us, but when we left, the line was heading out the door). The ballot was different than any I''d used before, but far from complex. I''m glad my part is over, but I hate the waiting... lol

I''ve seen on the news that there are long lines at a lot of precincts, which is really good to see. The local news keeps running segments on voting troubles... most of which are silly things like people complaining that the voting precinct is too hot b/c so many people are crammed in waiting in line to stay out of the rain. I somehow doubt Louisville or Jeffersonville will have any dramatic voting snafus. Although I guess I could be surprised. :$

It''s now November. The month that Zachary is actually due. I am now almost 38 weeks. I am hoping each and every day that "today is the day," but no new developments so far. This child is stubborn. I think he likes it in there. Today, I am up doing some house work and walking around as much as I can. I still pretty much feel the same, though. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.