My new favorite pic and some short videos!

I love this picture so much! It makes me laugh! Daniel calls this his Steve-O picture! He's much cuter than Steve-O though! The videos below are mainly so my sister Anna in Seattle can see Sullivan! She'll be here in a week for the holidays, but thought she might need a sneak peek before then! Sullivan can't wait to meet his Aunt Anna!

Please continue to pray for baby Andrew. You can read about his struggle here.

One Month Down!

Yesterday was 4 weeks since Sullivan was born. Needless to say, between the visitors, holidays, and breastfeeding, I don't get much free time for blogging these days! As it is, I'm expecting him to wake up to be fed any moment, so this will most likely be a short post.

This month has flown by! It scares me to think my 3 months off is going to go so quickly! How am I going to leave him at daycare and go back to work? Here's hoping I win the lottery between now and then.

Sullivan is wonderful! He's so alert and laid back. He really only cries when he's hungry or if he needs to burp. The rest of the time he just sort of chills out with us! We are so absolutely in love with him! I can't tell you how many times a day Daniel and I say how much we love him and how amazing he is. I completely understand why parents always say any bad is totally worth all the good that comes with having children! What a gift!

I will say, the breastfeeding is much more challenging than I anticipated. The needing to feed every 2 hours (which translates to about every hour or hour and a half) is exhausting! I've been trying to pump a few times a day so I can give him a bottle once a day. Using the bottle makes it go so quickly and he falls asleep for at least 3 hours when we use the bottle. Unfortunately, I can't pump all the time! I can understand why people use formula instead of breastfeeding, but I'm determined to stick it out since it's so much better for him. I've currently got a clogged duct on one side, so dealing with that is super fun too! Oh well. He's worth it!

We've been trying to slowly get our house and tree decorated for Christmas. I've only worked on his stocking once since he was born. I have a feeling you will be able to add me to the ranks of moms who never finished that first stocking attempt! Maybe by next year! Thankfully, Bebe (my mom)has bought him a stocking to use when he is at her house for Christmas this year. I'm so looking forward to Christmas in Cleveland this year. Anna will be here from Seattle and we'll get lots of time to catch up! I'm hoping Sullivan's cuteness will convince her to move closer to home! He needs his Aunt Anna! :) I'm also looking forward to taking Sullivan to his first Christmas Eve service at church! Such a special time!

Ok, he's stirring, so I better go! I'll try to post more frequently if I can!

after a week

Tonight at 2am will be one week since little Sullivan joined our family! We've been slowly adjusting to our new lives! I'll admit, the lack of sleep is HARD! Getting up every 1 to 2 hours to feed is exhausting, but I also treasure those quiet moments with my little guy. I'm really going to try and work on taking naps during the day to help with the exhaustion. Sullivan is doing well, but he did have some jaundice, so we've got him under a bili-blanket getting some light therapy. We've had to go to Tupelo every afternoon after being released except for today (i requested one day off) to check his bilirubin levels and weight, etc. His levels are dropping (a good thing) and his weight is going up! We go back tomorrow afternoon and will hopefully be able to return the bili-blanket and hopefully not have to come back again! Please keep your fingers crossed for us! It's very tiring to pack him up and drive (well, ride for me) to Tupelo every afternoon. We really needed and enjoyed our lazy afternoon at home today. We all watched the Ole Miss game and just vegged! Freddie came to town Friday night and he and Mom left today for Cleveland. It will be strange not having someone always cooking and cleaning and running errands for us! I sense another major adjustment coming for me! :)

Sullivan Alexander Martin

Well, I guess I was correct in assuming I wouldn't make it much longer! I spent most of Saturday cooking and working on baby's stocking. Daniel and I decided to take a walk that afternoon, and I noticed that my bladder was maybe leaking. We completed our walk and I noticed even more little gushes when I'd move around. I immediately called my doula to ask if she thought my water was breaking or if I was just have bladder issues. She recommended I lay down and jiggle my belly to see what happens. Well, doing that confirmed it was definitely my water breaking! Let the excitement begin! We did some last minute packing, took showers, ate some Newk's and headed towards Tupelo around 7 pm. I was having some contractions about 4 minutes apart, but nothing too painful. The clock starts when your water breaks, and let's be honest, I was a little anxious, so off we went! When we reached the hospital I was still only at 2 cm, but they admitted me! The doctor was fine with letting me see how things would progress naturally, but planned to start pitocin at 1:30 am if I wasn't in active labor by then. Thankfully that wasn't a problem for me! The fast birthing genes of my mother and sister kicked in! By 11 pm my contractions definitely starting hurting and coming closer together. The next two hours are sort of a blur! I labored stading up leaning over the bed or on my giant yoga ball with my head leaning on the bed. We tried getting in the bed to labor, but that was NOT an option for me! So much more painful when I was in the bed, so that lasted 1 contraction! Corinne, Mom, and Daniel all helped rub my back and talked me through the contractions. When the nurses came at 1 ish to check my progress and to see if pitocin would be necessary, she was shocked to find I was at 8 cm. So shocked she actually went to get another nurse to check me! That nurse determined I was actually at 10 cm! My doctor quickly arrived and the pushing began! It took 3 rounds of pushing to get little Sullivan out. Each round consists of taking a deep breath and pushing for 10 seconds 3 times and then resting before the next round of pushing. So really it took only 90 seconds of pushing to get him here! I was totally like in another world at this point. I focused on the nurse and Corinne telling me when to breath and when not to push, etc. Thanks to their wonderful help, I was able to bring Sullivan into the world very easily and with no drugs, no episiotomy, and no tearing! It was exactly the birth experience I hoped to have! No doubt it is the hardest and most painful thing I've ever done, but absolutely worth it! It is totally true that when you reach the poing in labor that you start doubting yourself and your ability to do it without drugs that you are almost done! As I climbed on the bed to lay down to push I said 'I'm insane', and just a few short minutes later he was here! Such an amazing experience! My accounting of the birth is very fuzzy, so I have to rely on Corinne and Mom and Daniel to give me the details. He was born at 2 am on the dot on November 8, 2009. He weighed 6lbs 8 ozs and was 17 inches long. We both were doing so great, they let us go home on Monday afternoon. I feel really good. My insides feel a little sore and my breasts are definitely feeling the milk! My milk came in on Monday afternoon as well, which is great for fattening our little guy up!

So, on to the fun stuff! We are so absolutely in love with our son! He's perfect in every way! We are learning how to breastfeed and making great progress on this front! It's a little harder for early babies to figure it out, but he's doing great! We go back to Tupelo today to see how his bilirubin levels are, etc. I will continue to keep you updated on our progress. I know this post is sort of a random jumble, but it's about all my brain can manage at the moment! I think i hear someone wanting to eat!

update from the ob

Well, no baby yet but making progress! I'm dilated 2cm, 50% effaced, and cervix is anterior. She said she can feel cervix and head down low. Got to see lots of good stuff on the sonogram! He has a head full of hair! Has chubby cheeks and was poking his lips out. He weighs about 6lbs 12 oz which is right on track! Our next appointment is tuesday, so will see how things are moving then! Daniel is still hoping for tuesday to be our due date so he'll have a cool birthday. We'll see! I'll post sonogram pics tomorrow.

We got to see lots of his face this time, but only got a pic of his profile. He kept pursing his lips and had adorable chubby little cheeks! Can't wait to see him in person shortly!


This image is from the top of his head and you can see the hair sticking out on the sides! I guess that old wives tale about having lots of heartburn means your baby will have hair is true!


P.S. Daniel cancelled his trip to New Orleans!

T-minus ???

So I have my doubts I'll be going the 20+ days until my due date. I won't go into details, but it looks like things are progressing! I'm thinking he'll be here in the next week. I'm shooting for the 10th cause then his birthday would be 11-10-09! We have an OB appointment Thursday which will include sonogram, pelvic exam, and group strep b test, so we should definitely know more by then. Our bags are packed and we are just in waiting mode now! This definitely puts a kink in me finishing his stocking before he arrives! I'll have to post a pic of the progress I've made so far!

T-minus one month!

I can't believe we are already in the home stretch! One month until our due date! Daniel and I went to Memphis last weekend to purchase 'a few' last minute items and ended up breaking the bank! Adorable baby clothes are the devil and impossible to resist! When we got back we had fun putting in the car seat, washing and putting away all the clothes, and organizing stuff! Only big thing left to do is pack bags! Oh, and pick a name. I'm sure you don't believe me, but we really are closer to finalizing the name. :) And I will let you all know when my mind is totally made up.

We've got our first 'weekly' OB appointment tomorrow. We are both anxious to see if any 'progress' has been made by the occasional contractions I've had. Probably not, but I'm excited anyways! I don't want too much progress because Daniel will be in New Orleans November 8-11! Several of my girlfriends have offered to stay with me while he's gone, just in case! Xerxes will probably be late like most first borns are, but it would be nice if he'd make an appearance before Thanksgiving. No rushing these things though!

The nursery is almost done except for needing things to hang on the walls. The Walter Anderson we received will most likely go above the crib once it is painted and framed. I'm undecided what else I will hang, but the walls look sadly empty to me at the moment, so I've got to work on that. I'm open for suggestions! I've posted some pics of the nursery in it's current state.



Please ignore the stickers on the dresser drawers! My feeble brain needs them to remember which drawer has what sized baby clothes!




The gestational diabetes diet is going fine. My numbers are always good unless I cheat. I always know when I'm going to fail, but sometimes I just can't resist that piece of french bread. French bread is definitely the worst offender so far. I am really sick of having turkey sandwiches with a side of carrots and cucumbers for lunch just about every day. We eat lunch at work most days, and it's hard to find things that are easy to bring for lunch that fit the diet. Thankfully today we have leftovers from dinner, so I get at least a day off from sandwiches. Just one more month and then I won't have to constantly think about what I can eat 6 times a day!

Farewell Jenny, Vic, and Madylan!

Jenny, Vic, and baby Madylan should be on the road to California today! Please join me in wishing them good luck and safe travels as the drive cross country with a week old baby, 3 dogs, and a trailer behind the truck! Talk about an adventure! We will certainly miss them! The girls went out for dinner last night as a second birthday dinner for Christina and as a going away for Jenny. We'll all just have to make a trip to California to visit one day!

Weekend at the cabin

Daniel and I drove over to the cabin Saturday morning to enjoy the wonderful fall weather and what could be our last trip to the cabin without a baby in tow! Although it did sprinkle off and on on Saturday, Sunday was just perfect! It's so nice to see blue skies again! I spent a good bit of Saturday relaxing in front of the fire and working on the baby's stocking. I definitely think I'll be finished before he gets here. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Yesterday we went for a long walk through the woods and around part of the lake.

It was pretty chilly when we first started our walk, so Mom and I are all bundled up.


Freddie, Mom and Bailey


The Martins


Looking across the lake to our point although you can't see our cabin since the leaves are still on the trees.



Bailey had a blast swimming of course!



The often requested, rarely flattering, belly shot. Feeling big as a house.

Update on Baby Martin

Since Daniel was in California this week and didn't get home til about 2 am this morning, my Mom graciously spent her birthday going to OB appointment and childbirth class with me! Thanks Mom! Appointment went well. Sonogram confirmed our baby is still in head down position with rump and feet crowding my ribcage! He's been in the position for at least the last 2 weeks, so I'm hoping he's there to stay. They are estimating his weight to be 5lb 8 oz currently, so that's good news! He's still in the normal size range, so no giganto babies here yet! My doctor confirmed that the menstrual crampies I've felt very occasionally are most likely contractions, so I guess my body is gearing up! I sort of have a feeling I'm gonna go into labor before my due date, but that could just be nerves I suppose. Just in case, we plan to do some last minute prep this weekend. I plan to get all the clothes and bedding washed, a suitcase packed, and practice with the car seat installation. Maybe this is just more crazy nesting, but it's not like I can stop it, so we'll do it early to make me feel better. My blood glucose levels have been good and fairly easy to maintain. I am looking forward to some homemade french toast with blueberries and syrup and a huge bowl of Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream after our baby gets here! I've been able to have the occasional cookie or piece of cake without failing my glucose tests, so I don't feel totally deprived.

My friend Jenny gave birth to her daughter, Madylan, on Monday! I hope to see her in person this weekend, but from pictures she's a beautiful miniature of her Mom! Jenny, Vic, and Madylan will be moving to California in 2 weeks, so I've got to get some baby love time in!

And now for an update on the stocking. So Mom and I got all the threads separated, so I hope to actually get started tomorrow. From the number and tiny size of the threads, this is a very daunting task. I may join the ranks of mothers who have half completed stockings crammed in a drawer! Oh well, something to occupy my time and maybe keep me from wanting to re-organize the cabinets above the washer and dryer! :) I will try and take pictures to document my progress. Wish me luck!

We are heading to the cabin tomorrow morning. Since Mom and Freddie both had birthdays this week, we are looking forward to some belated celebrating with them! I'm also looking forward to some sunny, cold fall weather, a big pot of taco soup, and the first fire of the season!

More Coast Shower Pics

My mother in law Anna, me and Daniel


Me and Aunt Katherine


Madeline and Avery both loved the fountain in front of the house.


Lots of lovely gifts!




Our yummy lunch! Thanks Uncle Walter!






Our very delicious cake!

Call me crazy

Call me crazy, and maybe it is some form of crazy nesting instinct, but I have my heart set on making a Christmas stocking for Baby Martin. I looked through every available needlepoint kit online, and finally settled on this one. At first I thought maybe it was too girly, but I wanted something Christmas-y without including Santa, etc. This was one of the very few options that fit that description. I guess when he gets old enough to care, I'll make him a new one with whatever he wants on it. For now, this is what he gets! You'll notice this stocking has a place for the name at the top. I plan to have a name to put on there before Christmas. I really think we are getting closer on that front. Daniel is more ready to make the final decision then I am. Not sure what is holding me back, but we'll get there! I'll be doing the back of this stocking in velvet, so thought I might make some simple velvet stockings for me and Daniel. The question is, what name do I put at the top of ours? Susan and Daniel? Mom and Dad? Mommy and Daddy? Daniel and I were too weirded out by the thought to make a decision, so I'm open for suggestions.

Coast Baby Shower

Daniel and I drove down to Ocean Springs this past weekend for our second baby shower. It was held at his Aunt Katherine's house/bed and breakfast, Chateau Blessey. The day, the decor, the company, and the food was outstanding! I haven't gotten copies of all of the photos we took, but Sherri did provide hers! I look really huge in these pics. I guess that's because I am! Here's hoping I don't get much bigger! Baby Martin should be growing to fill up the space instead of the 'space' growing anymore!

It was much warmer on the coast than here in Oxford, but we couldn't have had a more beautiful day! I was so happy to get to spend time with Sherri and the girls!



Beth, who currently lives in Ocean Springs, was able to come! It was so nice to see her!


We dined on the front porch overlooking the beachfront! Uncle Walter made a wonderful meal for us! Boiled shrimp, pasta with marina, salad, fresh papaya, and bread! Lunch was followed by a wonderful cake! Yes, I did have a piece, and yes, it did make me fail my glucose test that afternoon. So worth it though! So delicious!


Daniel had planned to drop me off and go have man time with his brother, but instead stuck around to help out! He and Zach made wonderful wait staff!


After lunch we moved inside to open gifts. Madeline and Avery were a big help! They handed me presents and gave their expert seal of approval for each gift!






The wonderful hostesses gave us a beautiful Walter Anderson print to hang in the nursery! Let's hope Daniel can persuade our friend Rebekah to paint this one for us as well! She's the best!


Thank you wonderful hostesses! (from L to R: Mrs. Wavra, my MIL, me, Aunt Katherine, Mrs. Kortman, and Mrs. Wilson)


Besides 'working' the shower, Daniel also got to spend lots of time with the nieces. They sure do love their silly Uncle Daniel!


The happy soon-to-be parents!


*Next post will be about my newest project to complete before the baby comes!

The 'diet' so far

Well, I felt like I ate alot yesterday, but I also spent most of the day feeling hungry. I think I need to choose better proteins for my meals and snacks although I've done ones they've recommended. I seriously feel like i'm eating more carbs now that I was before. All my numbers have been great, so that's a plus. I may try being a little more lax this weekend to see how it affects things. Daniel and I are meeting Mom and Freddie at the cabin for the weekend. Cabin = good food, so we'll see how it goes. Below is what I ate yesterday.

Breakfast: mini whole wheat bagel with TBSP cream cheese and a slice of low fat cheese, decaf coffee with cream

AM Snack: 10 reduced fat triscuits with 1 slice of low fat cheese

Lunch:turkey sandwich w/cheese, mustard, tomato, lettuce, cucumbers and carrots w/ 1TBSP ranch

PM Snack: 6 nilla wafers with half a banana and 1 TBSP peanut butter
PM Snack 2: had to have some sugar free jello at about 5 cause I was freaking starving

Dinner: 4 meatballs, sauteed onions and peppers, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 2 slices cheese, half a hoagie roll

Bedtime Snack: 1 TBSP peanut butter, 1 sugar free chocolate/vanilla swirl pudding cup, 1 cup of 1% milk

I started today with a slice of bacon, an egg, and a mini whole wheat bagel with spray 'butter' and felt full much longer and my numbers were much lower than yesterday.

My dinner last night was a half a meatball sub with 2 meatballs on the side at a party to watch the game. Great food, sad game. I wanted a brownie at that party real bad, but resisted. Gonna be a long 2 months.

What are the odds? (stolen title and post)

After a crazy day of running to Tupelo for class, coming back to work and hitting up Kroger for groceries, I had to go to Walgreens for Keytone test strips (cause Kroger was out). Who should I run into while checking out? My friend Mary Beth over at http://nedandmarybeth.blogspot.com/. And what would she be wearing? The exact same maternity dress as me! We even both had green purses! I've always thought MB had excellent taste!



I would like to state, for the record, that we were not there to buy smokes!

Diabetic Teaching Class

Well, I just returned from my meeting with the dietician. Thankfully, looks like the worse thing I'll have to do is the testing 4 times a day. My level of exercise and my diet are both pretty good. A few of the diet changes I'll have to make appear to be: no more fruit or juice in the mornings, no more syrup (unless I use sugar free) if I do waffles in the morning, the addition of a protein with my afternoon snack, and the addition of a bedtime snack. I will of course have to limit my sweets, watch how sweets affect my blood sugar levels, make a note if I eat something extreme like cake after the test results. I'll be heading to the grocery this evening to make a few substitutions and will begin testing and tracking tomorrow morning. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Well, I failed.

I took my second 3 hour glucose tolerance test this morning and I failed. I was on the borderline, but that makes no difference. If you fail even slightly you are considered to have Gestational Diabetes. I have to go to a Diabetic Teachings class on Wednesday to get my testing supplies and learn about my new diet. Isn't pregnancy supposed to be the one time you don't have to worry about dieting? Apparently not! So I'll be dieting, pricking my finger 4 times a day, and keeping track of what I eat and my numbers after testing to report back to my doctor. Along with that fun business, I will now have to go for more frequent appointments, sonograms, and will not be allowed to go past my due date...or at least not far past it. My friend Jenny who has been going through all of this as well, has steadily lost weight since starting the GD diet. If I do the same I won't have any weight to lose at all after having the baby. I guess I should be happy about that. I think I'll be having ice cream for dinner tonight.

Dear Lancome,

Dear Lancome,
Last time I got one of your fabulous 'free' gifts, you included a product I had never used before. In the last few months I have been using said product, and have fallen in love. So, today I get an email from Belk telling me you are having a 'free' gift giveaway again. What a perfect time for me to buy an actual container of the sample product that I loved, right? Uhhh...until I looked at the price. I'm just not sure I can justify spending $120 on moisturizer. Even if it does get me a fabulous free gift. Oh Lancome, why would you be so cruel as to hook me on a product that is ridiculously over priced? If only you would offer this product in your 'free' gift again, I would simply find a way to get my hands on lots of those samples. As it is, I guess I am just s.o.l. unless someone out there can help me justify that expense. Maybe I can just use a few times a week to make it last forever?

Oxford Baby Shower

My amazing friends threw me a baby shower in Oxford last weekend. It was wonderful to see most of my family and friends in one spot! They did a beautiful job with the decorations and the food was incredible! I'm still waiting for everyone to send me their recipes, so I can pass those along!

some of the wonderful food and the decadent chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting!


My lovely cloth diaper cake! Super cute!


Audrey and I (Happy Birthday Audrey!)


Bebe and Fred Daddy (Mom and Freddie) gave me a wonderful baby book! I've got to get started filling this in while I still have free time!


Xerxes is ready for his first trip to the cabin now! My cousin had shirts like this made for all the family a few years ago, and now onesies!


What is it about tiny bathrobes? So cute!


Most definitely not the most flattering photo of me. I pretty much live in a hot flash these days, but I had an especially bad one in the middle of opening gifts...hence the plate/fan.


A couch full of relatives!


On top of such a lovely shower, the hostesses bought me the car seat/stroller combo we had registered for! We will now be allowed to bring baby Xerxes home from the hospital!


I sure do have some good looking womens in my family! Thank you all for coming! From left to right: my mom, my grandmother Frances, my aunt Anne, me, my cousin Sallie, my cousin Kaylee, my aunt Havis, my cousin Jan, and my aunt Beth!


My wonderful friends and hostesses! From left to right: Audrey, Corinne, Jennifer, Lisa, me, Nina, Sage, and Natalie! Note to self: you are pregnant. if anyone says lets turn to the side for a photo, JUST SAY NO! :)


Daniel was very excited to have something new to put together! And look, he even read the instructions! We practiced strolling around the house and Bailey WAS NOT amused. I'm going to have to get her used to the stroller if there is any hope of her going with me when I stroll the baby. She was very scared of it!



On the baby front: I'm in week 30! Scary how fast time is flying by! Still feeling good. I've forgotten what it was like to take a deep breath or have my rib cage to myself, and I dream of the day I can sleep on my back again. All in all, still not too bad! Baby still kicks around like crazy and I sometimes feel like I'm crushing a foot or something when I lay on my side. Kinda freaks me out! Haven't taken my 3 hour GTT again yet. Maybe one morning this week, but since I have meetings most mornings, it's hard to skip out for 4 hours to do the test. And, needless to say, I'm not looking forward to the starving and the getting stuck 150970808 times. We are still in names discussions. Hate to say this, but we may just have to take the few we've narrowed it down to to the hospital and see what fits our baby when he arrives.

*Please say a prayer for my friend Rivers Collison who delivered a baby girl today (5 weeks early)! Haven't heard anything else, but praying all is well with Mom and baby!