What a kid!

I though this picture was too cute, so I had to post it. Lincoln was making his "serious" face while napping this afternoon. As you can see his pants are too big again! He doesn't wear pants much around here. I swaddle him for sleeping so he would get pretty hot with pants, and they are all pretty big right now. We joke that he has his dad's skinny legs! He spends lots of time in his Bobby Bouncer. This was heaven-sent, as he gets his best sleep here. Thanks, Aunt Marte! He definitely challenged me today . . . he didn't want to sleep much. We spent lots of time in the rocker and did lots of singing, and that seemed to keep him content. The weather was so nice and warm, so we took advantage and went for a walk. We got dressed and strolled down to the end of our street and back. It was a beautiful day, and Lincoln happily took it all in. One thing: I've never noticed how many bumps there are in the sidewalk. It seemed like there were huge bumps and ridges every few feet. I'll need to use the ATS (All Terrain Stroller)! Luckily, he's been sleeping well at night, and I hope that continues. He and I have agreed on an eating schedule, and it's working out to about every three hours. Things are going as well as expected at our house. We're getting used to the demands of a baby, we're learning how best to calm crying, we've re-prioritized our tv shows (and cut many of them-really, who needs to watch 90210!), and we're more enamored with Lincoln every day. Stay tuned!

I made it back . . . between feedings! So I'll pick up where I left off in Lincoln's birth story. Lincoln joined us at 6:47 am, and Kevin got to hold him just moments later. I'm glad I was awake for that. The nurse handed him the baby and said, "Just hold him like a football!" Here's a pic from our first few moments together.

While we were getting introduced, the grandparents and Aunt Ally were waiting anxiously to meet him. After a bath and the necessary tests, the nurses announced what everyone already knew - he's perfect! The next few hours were kind of a blur, and I'm heard on the video frequently asking for the pain medication button. Luckily, it was very manageable. The nurses took such good care of us at Medical City. We must have had the best baby on our floor because all the nurses hung out in our room just visiting. We had lots of friends come meet Lincoln, and I think he was pretty good for them. Finally, Thursday arrived and we could come home. The doctor kept saying how big he thought Lincoln would be, so I didn't bring his smallest clothes to wear home. Mom, Kathy, Kevin and I laughed so hard when we saw how big the outfit was. He looked cuter than ever! Here's the hilarious result:

Our time has been filled with firsts since then. First nursing session (it went pretty good), first diaper change (I'm a pro!), first little fit (swaddle and swing), and of course love at first sight. We're so lucky that he's a good baby. He eats often, has lots of diaper changes, lets anyone hold him, and really only fusses when he's hungry. Did I mention that he's the cutest baby in the world? Even at 4:00 am when I want to go back to sleep, he makes me laugh with his cute faces. He has so many looks, and I'm never tired of staring at him.

What A Week!

I know what you're all thinking . . . "What happened to Monica's promise to post often?" I am officially ready to keep you all up to date on all things Kuhlman and show off my precious angel with lots of pictures. Because I haven't been able to talk with everyone, here's how it went down:
Sunday afternoon (3-29) I began having contractions while we were running errands and waiting on my parents and Allyson to arrive. I was making brownie cupcakes and blue sprinkled chocolate pretzels to take to the hospital for our visitors when the contractions began getting stronger, so I finally told Kevin about them but we didn't tell anyone else. By 8:00 the pain was pretty severe and regular so we started timing. By 9:00 the contractions were 5 minutes apart so I called the doctor. He said to head to Medical City, so we finally let our parents in on the news. By the time we got to the hospital, they had increased in intensity and were just over 3 minutes apart. I'm waddling in, thinking the baby is about to fall out!! When they check me out, however, I'm only dilated to 3 centimeters - and I'm not happy about that. They went ahead and hooked me up to a monitor and decided since the contractions were so severe, I should stay. The epidural wasn't a pleasant experience, thanks to a crooked bed. We finally got it right on the 4th try, but Kevin lost feeling in his fingers for the rest of the night. Sorry! After monitoring all night, I still wasn't past 3 centimeters but the baby wasn't responding well to the contractions and had climbed back up away from the exit. The doctor and nurses discussed a C-Section, and we all agreed that Lincoln wasn't coming out on his own. Finally, at 6:47 am Lincoln joined our family. I'll post more details about the celebration and recovery tomorrow.

Lincoln has arrived!!!

Lincoln Kevin Kuhlman has finally decided to join his family! He was born Monday morning - 3-30-09 - @ 6:47 AM. He weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz, 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great! Monica will do a better job updating her blog when she gets home.

This is her Dad posting for her and not doing to good a job at it. By the way, if Lincoln would have come 6 hr and 48 minutes early, we would have had the same birthday!!

Still waiting . . .

Yes, you read that correctly - we still don't have a baby! I am definitely past my due date, and I am also past the "enjoyment" phase of this pregnancy. Other than the fact that I'm dying to meet Baby Lincoln, I'm really tired of being pregnant. There are still no physical discomforts for me, I'm not having contractions very often, no running to the bathroom every 5 seconds, and I'm not in any pain - I'm lucky this has been such a pleasant experience overall. But now I'm ready! After several meetings with Dr M this week and several reports of little or no progression, we've decided to induce on Monday morning. We met today to discuss any final things we need to know, do, or not do, and I'm finally seeing the light. It seems like a huge weight has been lifted now that we have a set date. Of course, it would be fine if I went into labor on my own before then, but at least I have a deadline.

That's the update for now. I've left instructions for transferring/downloading pictures and how to post them. Hopefully someone (Dad) will be in charge of letting everyone know how we're doing and how cute Lincoln is! Stay tuned!!

Maternity Leave - Day 1

Today was my first day of maternity leave . . . yes, I'm still pregnant! (It was a situation of carried over vacation time that was use it or lose it, so I'm off.) As you know, my official due date is 3-24. I'm not home during the day very often, but I had big expectations for today. Apparently this is what goes on at our house during the day:

They weren't really concerned about me being home. I opened the windows so they could watch the birds, but then they got tired. Without the cats to entertain me, I set out to keep myself busy. Here's what I ended up with:

I walked a total of 6 miles today, spread out over 3 trips. I walked in the morning, after lunch and again with Kevin when he got home from work. If I'm not in labor by tomorrow, I don't know what will work!

39 Weeks

Well, here's the 39 week update: I'm still pregnant! I have made such a lovely home in there, Lincoln doesn't want to come out. I'm not sure why I thought I would have him by now, but I was convinced we wouldn't make it this long. Doc says he weighs a little over 7 pounds now and is head down but not down far enough, and I'm halfway thinned out but just barely dilated. There were two very different reactions after our sonogram and check-up yesterday.

Kevin: "Wow, what a great appointment. Great report from the doctor, and good to know Lincoln is really healthy . . . . and a boy!" (We had them confirm the sex.)

Monica: (in tears) "I can't believe he didn't say I was ready to have the baby. I'm glad he's healthy and all, but can't they take him now? He's going to be so big by next week, and I'm really tired of being pregnant!!" (more tears)

All in all, I am relieved that he's healthy and happy. It is always good to hear that report. We've been walking a lot this week, and I'm doing the stairs quite a bit at work. I hear both of those are helpful in encouraging labor. Of course, I only want him to come when he's ready . . . I just want that to be now! I'm sure this isn't the last time he'll change my plans, right? Here's today's picture. I warned you that I would start slacking on the cute-ness by the end, didn't I? To make up for it, I'm standing in front of Lincoln's super cute crib. Auntie made the nursery decor, and she did an amazing job. (This isn't really the best pic of her work. I'll get right on that.) Eddie and Emmitt have also joined me for this picture. They get to go in the baby's room each day with me and check things out. They're not allowed on the furniture, but they sure like smelling everything.

More later from the (im)patiently waiting Kuhlman Family!

Cry Me A River . . .

I thought I would share some really exciting news with all of my friends and family . . . there were no tears at our house yesterday!!!!! (No, I'm not referring to a baby crying. I haven't had the baby yet!) It seems that pregnancy hormones are the most powerful things in the world and can completely take a person over, rendering you helpless to emotions. I've been keeping track of my meltdowns and I can think of three days out of the last month or so that have been tear-free. Hooray! The book says this is totally normal, and it will take a while to return to regular. That can't come soon enough for me! Kevin has been pretty patient and tried to soothe me with each episode, but he's kind of at a loss. Let me give you an idea of the most recent events: tears of frustration on Wednesday that everyone has a baby but me and mine isn't ready to join us, a complete breakdown after work on Thursday due to a long trying work day and "things to do" stress, Friday brought cries of pain and anxiety when I thought labor was beginning thanks to severe back pain and a few contractions, tears of joy and overwhelming emotion came on Saturday with Samantha while selecting her wedding gown, and finally while running errands on Sunday afternoon, I told Kevin I felt a cry coming on for no reason and I couldn't stop it, so we sat in the Tom Thumb parking lot while I sobbed uncontrollably. Now can you understand the need for celebration after a blubber-free day?!?!

38 weeks!

I'm back to the blogging world after another long break. We've had a lot on our plate with the move, and our internet wasn't hooked up as quickly as I had hoped. But here I am . . . back with an update on Mom and Baby with only two weeks to go. Can you believe that? Eight and a half months ago, I couldn't imagine being this close to meeting my little angel. Eight months ago, it didn't seem as if it would happen. Seven months ago, we hit another glitch and doubt crept in again. Thanks to doctors, medicine, and many prayers, we are about to welcome Lincoln Kevin Kuhlman into our family. It seems that during the majority of the pregnancy, the focus was on the pregnancy. Of course we knew that the ultimate goal was to have a baby, but that wasn't the immediate concern. Pregnancy symptoms and life while pregnant consumed our lives without the direct realization that a baby was really at the end of this. Maybe this is because it takes so long to "grow a human" as I like to say, and we focus on what we can feel in the present instead of the unknown. Now I can officially say that I'm ready. I've washed, dried, folded, hung, organized and re-organized his clothes, towels, sheets, socks, bibs, burp clothes, and blankets. I've tested out toys, practiced in my glider, arranged stuffed animals, and counted diapers. I am definitely ready. Kevin gave a frightened look when I said I'd be happy to deliver next week, but I think he'll be ready too. Dr. M's latest evaluation was good: Mom and Baby are healthy and perfectly on schedule. Lincoln weighs approximately 6 pounds and is head-down but not settled into the pelvis. There is some thinning, but no centimeters yet. My blood pressure is normal, light swelling is only in my feet and I gained just half a pound this week. We got the all clear and see you next week, so we can't ask for a better report.

A few scattered notes:

*One of my favorite things to do these days is remind Kevin (and anyone else who will listen) exactly how long I've been pregnant. 265 days sure is a long time!!! Personally, I'd rather not push the whole 280 days.

*If you haven't received a thank you note from me, I'm back on track. The thank you notes and baby book were temporarily misplaced in the move. We appreciate all the wonderful gifts we've received to help us get started as a family. I'm anxious to properly thank each of you.

*Now that Daylight Savings Time has resumed, you can find us out walking again after work. I lost my walking partner back in November due to the time change, but I've convinced him that the jig is up since daylight is back! I've been going by myself for too long.

*This picture was made after work this evening. Blame the crazy hair on today's incessant rain!

Last Baby Shower!

My last shower was a beautiful and fun event, thanks so much to Marte, Lee Anne, Joanne, Julie, Terah and Reenie! These ladies really went above and beyond to make Lincoln's baby shower amazing. We had a luncheon of chicken salad (the famous Neiman Marcus one!), strawberry spinach salad and fruit salad, along with fabulous desserts of petit fours, brownies, cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. Everyone had fun, and I'm thankful so many could join us. Lincoln got lots of really cool gifts, and we can't wait to try out his new toys and bouncer, model his new clothes and ride in his new strollers and car seat. It won't be long now. Again, thank you to my hostesses (and Scott, Richard and Jimmy) for all of their hard work, patience, and determination. It was perfect! Here are a few pics:

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post . . . we're internet-challenged at our house right now. Of course, that means we're in our new house! I'll have pics of that and Lincoln's room soon. We've made it to over 37 weeks with no major issues, and I'm so thankful for that. Mom and Baby are doing just fine. According to Dr. M, Lincoln is in no hurry to join us! It must be pretty nice in there: I feed him good stuff, we go for nice walks, Mavs games, and shopping, and I make him as comfy as possible. (Maybe he heard that lady at the childbirth class in utero and decided it didn't sound like fun!) More pics later about the house.