Sunday, January 30, 2011

I want to do better

Yeah, so being back at work has kind of killed my blogging. We've got ourselves into a pretty solid routine: wake up, get a shower & get dressed, get Aiden dressed, get Nolan dressed, Mike feeds the boys while I finish getting ready, then Aiden, Nolan & I get in the car & go to the babysitter, I go to work for the next 8 hours, go pick up the boys, get home, workout on the elliptical while the guys play, clean up around the house and/or help get dinner started before Mike gets home, eat dinner, baths for the boys, bedtime story for Aiden / bedtime feeding for Nolan, goodnight to the boys, and then maybe an hour or so of TV during which at least one of us falls asleep, then bedtime for Mike & I. Somewhere in there I try to check my email/stalk my friends on Facebook/make sure my bank account hasn't been emptied by a hacker (grrrr...), but blogging seems like an awfully daunting task with the comfy couch just over my shoulder.

But I aspire to do better. I love capturing both the exciting and mundane snapshots of our life in this silly little virtual space. So I'm going to try to post at least once a week, even if it's just a random picture or fleeting thought. So there. You can count on me. Unless the couch wins again.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Three Months Old

That had to be the quickest month EVAH. I think I completely lost track of time, mostly because of the holidays, and then my maternity leave ending. But despite my attempts to slow things down, Nolan has reached the three-month milestone. Things have definitely improved since last month (not that they were bad in the least); he's been so much more smiley & cuddly as of late, so I'm hoping his grumpiness was just a passing phase.

At three months, Nolan:

--is still a chunk. I notice it most when getting him out of bed in the morning. No pediatric checkup until next month, but I'm positive he weighs more than 13 lbs. What a change from Aiden!
--has been sleeping through the night for over a month. This. Is. HEAVENLY. And even if he does wake up, he usually fusses for only a few minutes and then falls back asleep. I couldn't be more proud.
--is already wearing mostly 6 month outfits and size 2 diapers. We never got past size 3 diapers with Aiden, so I'm curious if we will with this kid.
--smiles, coos, and chews on his hands regularly. He's much more "baby" and less "newborn" at this point. So fun. :)
--thinks Big Brother Aiden is about the coolest guy ever--he grabs his brother's head and grunts whenever Aiden hugs him. LOVE IT!
--has only a few nicknames: Grumpy Bear, Buddy Boy, Munchkin, and Schnitzelfritz.
--leaning towards dark brunette hair, but I'm stumped on the eye color. I don't think he'll have blue eyes, because right now he's somewhere between hazel and light brown. Time will tell on that.
--still LOATHES tummy time. We're trying to be creative in coaxing him to work on those neck muscles, but I'm running out of ideas, and my patience isn't far behind.

Up next for our little guy? We have family photos next month (YAY!), and I'm anticipating getting the go-ahead to start rice cereal at his next checkup. OMG, he's going to start solids. I think I just passed out.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Well that wasn't very good...

My Project 365 hit a bit of a speedbump this week--going back to work and getting used to our new home routine, coupled with a lovely bout of bronchitis, kind of killed my motivation. But I'm back on the wagon starting today. I promise.

Back to work has been exactly what I thought it would be. The transition has been pretty uneventful (save for the stupid aforementioned bronchitis). And dropping off/picking up the boys from the babysitter has been no issue at all. Aiden definitely likes her, so he has no problem with his new normal, and Nolan's too young to know what's going on. I'm glad I don't have to worry about my boys during the day.

At least I got a three-day weekend at the end of my first week back. Yesterday we had a playdate, and today we're having a "Mommy Playdate," complete with pedicures and lunch. Then this evening I have a date with my hubby. And tomorrow, I'm hoping a certain nearly-three-year-old will let me sleep in...

Sunday, January 9, 2011

How I spent my Saturday

Apparently there's something about January that makes us want to install carpet tiles in our basement. Last year, I put down gray tiles in the "first room" of the basement. This year, we decided we need to upgrade the "second room" of the basement as well. We recently purchased a combination pool table/ping-pong table for that room, and the concrete floors with the inherited orange carpet remnant just wasn't working. Mike had painted the walls white & hung up a lot of his baseball memorabilia, but the floor was bringing the entire mood down. So off we headed to pick up some carpet tile, and this time we decided on a red & blue checkerboard pattern. I'm SOOOOOO thrilled with how it turned out--once again, it looks like an actual, usable room, AND it's much more kid-friendly! We have more plans--we want to build a bar in the far cubby, and then someday we'll put in a drop ceiling, but for now we're very content with the change. Besides, sitting on that floor and pounding down those tiles all day has made me a bit too sore to worry about installing a ceiling any time soon!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Even though they tried to lose...

...they STILL pulled off a big win!


Whether or not you're a fan of the how the whole suspension situation has been handled, last night's victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks was HUGE for the Buckeyes, and for the Big Ten as a whole. Hopefully we'll be able to get everything settled down next season and still make a title run. For now, though, I'm breathing a bit easier. Now to focus on basketball season--GO BUCKS!!!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Gonna miss this starting Monday...

I'm having a harder time with going back to work this time. Maybe it's because I have two kids? Maybe because the snowy weather is on the way (& I HATE driving in that stuff)? Maybe it's because although I really like our new babysitter, it upsets me that it won't be me with my boys during the day? I dunno. There are some things I'm looking forward to--seeing my coworkers, conversations with adults, dressing/showering on a regular schedule--but then I watch the face in the video below, and I already know how excited I'll be to get home each evening...

Hangin' On the Mat from Kimberly Cotter on Vimeo.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Nolan's Birth Story

Better late than never, right? Hey, it took me four months to post Aiden's birth story, and Nolan is 11 weeks old today, so consider yourselves lucky! Besides, it's my last week of maternity leave (*tear*), so I thought I'd better get this down before the memories become clouded over once I'm back to reality.

Unlike Aiden, Nolan's entrance into the world was scheduled pretty early on; I knew I wanted a repeat C-section, so I actually talked with my OB about that during our very first appointment. We tentatively scheduled the procedure for October 20, but as the months wore on, we moved it to October 18 to accommodate everyone's schedules. And before we knew it, the big day was upon us.

Mike took Aiden to daycare that morning, which truth be told was probably the hardest part of the day; it was rough to say goodbye to him because I knew I wouldn't be able to tuck him in for a few nights. I was also a little apprehensive about how he was going to handle the huge change that he knew nothing about. (SIDE NOTE: I never should have worried about that. Aiden's transition into the big brother role has been nothing short of perfect. He loves his brother so much and is so gentle with him. I couldn't have asked for a better situation.)

Mike & I arrived at the hospital promptly at 10:30. After registration, they took us back behind the labor & delivery doors, but instead of getting our own room, we got a bed & a curtain in the pre-op/post-op room. It was a little weird since we weren't the only ones there, but I was more than okay with it because I knew I'd only be there for an hour or two as opposed the the 22 1/2 hours I endured with Aiden. I changed into my lovely hospital gowns, and then the nurse started my IV. My blood pressure was still a bit elevated at this point, which made her kind of nervous, so she put the cuff on right away. It went down a bit after the IV was in (apparently it spiked because I was nervous about the IV). Next was ANOTHER blood draw. With both my pregnancies, I have had gestational thrombocytopenia, and the platelet count the week before had been around 83,000, which is right on the edge of getting a spinal or being knocked out completely. So the anesthesiologist wanted to know where I was at that moment before we went in for the section.

While we were waiting for the labs to come back on my blood, Mike & I pretty much just hung out. We talked about how different things were going to be in just a few hours, and whether or not we were really ready for the sleepless nights we knew were just ahead. I rubbed my large belly & smiled when I felt Nolan shift in response, since I knew this was likely the last time I would be pregnant. After about an hour, the labs came back, and my platelets were up to 91,000--easily high enough for a spinal. It was time to get down to the OR and meet Baby Cotter 2.0!

It felt a little weird to actually walk down to the operating room; with Aiden, I had already had my epidural by the time my OB opted for the C-section, so there was no walking. Mike had to wait outside (hence the goofy picture--he said he was trying to get Nolan's perspective when he was born) while they took me in & prepped me. The spinal was interesting; same procedure as an epidural, except my whole bottom half went numb INSTANTLY and they had to lower me on the table. Then they were moving robes & putting up the curtain, and suddenly Mike was at my side. This was really happening.

I always think it's funny the little things you remember about life-changing moments. Something that makes me giggle about Nolan's birth was the conversation that was happening while they were getting him out. You see, Ohio State had lost their first game of the season to Wisconsin just two days earlier, and that still seemed to be on everyone's minds. I even joined in, saying I was surprised I didn't go into labor that night because they played so badly. But before we could get into more detail about bad play-calling and the like, my doctor told me to get ready for lots of pressure--baby time! Turns out Nolan was wedged in there pretty good, though; they actually had to have one of the nurses come around to my side of the curtain and push down with both hands just below my ribcage to pop him out.

And then I heard the sound I'd been waiting nine long months for--the angry squeals of my little Nolan as he was removed from his warm, watery world.
I got to peek at him quickly before they took him away to clean him off, and I marveled at how small he looked (I guess since I was so used to Aiden's stature, I half-expected Nolan to come out the size of a two-and-a-half-year-old, too). I actually had to tell Mike to go snap some photos; you see, I have teased Mike since Aiden's birth for leaving me alone to get stitched up while he went to go coo over the baby, and so Mike had vowed to stay by my side this time. I told him that was sweet & all, but that I'd really rather have some photos of our son's first moments.

It wasn't long before we were all headed back to the post-op room to wait on our recovery room. It was so nice to actually be able to hold my baby this time; with Aiden, I was pretty shaky & throwing up, so I didn't get to really see him until we had settled into our recovery room. I got to hold Nolan for a good 20 minutes, though, before he went up to the nursery to get checked out. Mike headed out the lobby to tell everyone the good news, and then he went to get the bags from the car. I finally got the sensation back in my legs about the time a room opened up, and I was wheeled upstairs & greeted by my folks, my in-laws, and my sister. About an hour later, they brought Nolan in, and the introductions began.

The rest of my hospital stay was not a whole lot of fun, and as I'm not really into reliving the agony, I'll spare you the details. Once we got home that Friday, though, things got a lot better (with some help from the Percocet--GOD BLESS PERCOCET), and I ended up having a great 31st birthday that Saturday, surrounded by all I ever wanted--my perfect little family.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Drive-By 2011 Resolutions

I'm not going into too much detail--don't want to hamper my chances of actually succeeding at these:

1) Lose the baby weight. I know that I said previously that I wasn't putting a time frame on it, but since I'll be in my sister's wedding in November, I've got to drop 20 pounds by then. And with my gorgeous new elliptical, that should be doable. :)

2) Pay down a good chunk of our debt. The ultimate goal here is for me to be able to get a new vehicle sometime this year; my Cavalier just isn't cutting it anymore, especially with two kids.

3) Get better at my job.

4) Get new pictures for my blog header that actually include Nolan (hey, I had to throw an EASY one in there).

5) Complete my photo-a-day project.

That's about it. I'll update you in about 364 days to see how successful I was--hopefully I'll be able to cross everything off as DONE! :)