Oh my, how time flies

I've been recently pondering how fast time goes, from many different angles of my life. Ethan is only a (pardon the pun) small facet of how quickly my life is progressing.

Taylor stands out, to me, as the biggest indicator that time flies. I had always kept this knowledge in the back of my mind, but never really thought about it long and hard. It hit me last night when I handed Taylor her very first razor so she could take care of her arms. She's growing up so fast! While I was giving Ethan his nightly bath (which he absolutely loves!), Taylor was standing next to me to chat. Besides realizing that she's almost as tall as I am (which I suppose isn't a feat so grand), I confirmed to her that Ethan's bath was, in fact, her old bath. Now, while I wasn't around to give her a bath in that tub, I started to reminisce to her about how I remember her taking baths. She used to LOVE to splash. She would line up all of her bath toys on the edge of the tub and have exciting adventures--Dora running up and down the bath tub edge, a My Little Pony diving into the sudsy water--and by the time we would pull her out of the bath and get her snuggled in a warm towel, the bathroom floor would be soaked. But she had so much fun, it didn't really matter. Linoleum is made for living on. :-)

Then I started thinking about Taylor, the little toddler that was a flower girl in our wedding. And the little girl that lost her first baby tooth (followed by many more). And the little girl that I used to be able to pick up in my arms so easily. Where has that time gone??? And now that little girl is wearing deodorant, a bra, and becoming a genuine woman. It almost makes my heart hurt, but at the same time I am so proud of her.

Speaking of proud, Taylor was accepted just the other day into the PAT program (Program for the Academically Talented). I suppose saying PAT program is redundant, but I digress. This means that, starting next year, she'll be transferring to a different school. She is the only one in her grade, and only a few at her entire school, that got accepted into this program. It was a mix of emotions for her when she found out she was accepted--she'll be leaving the friends she's made over the last 4 years to make new friends, she'll miss her first male teacher (whom she loves but didn't want him at the beginning of the year!). But she'll also have the chance to make new friends. She transfers to junior high in just one year, though, so then she'll be fortunate to have both groups of friends at one school! We are very excited for her to be able to do this opportunity.

She's also doing tryouts for a select soccer team. She's great at soccer, and this opportunity would allow her to travel and play other similar teams. Plus, instead of being a fall or spring soccer season, it continues through the year. We're excited to see if she makes it on the select team! At first, she was concerned about possibly having a male coach. She has a great female coach right now, and she's really gained a special bond. But after meeting the male coach, she's now hoping for the male coach! I keep telling her, "Don't criticize something til you try it." I tried "Don't Knock It Til You Try It", but she didn't understand it. :-)

Anyway, that's the latest for now. Thanks for reading!

Snapshots of Ethan's First Two Months!

Here's a compilation of all the pictures of Ethan we've taken so far, from birth to 2 months. It's about 10 minutes long!

Time flies...

I have finally told myself to sit down and write this dang thing, already...so here I am.

Life has been crazy, to say the least. I have never encountered something so overwhelming, exhausting, and difficult in all my life as having a child. I thought the labor was hard. I'd go through labor again any day compared to what raising a child is like.

I thought by now we'd be getting the hang of things. As it turns out, our son doesn't like to have a schedule. And he's throwing me for loops left and right. No one ever believes what I go through at home, because out in public, he's a perfect angel!

He's definitely fussier than I ever thought possible. I think he should be classified as a "sensitive" baby. The nice thing about that is that he doesn't like being in a poopy diaper for very long. I like that. But he cries at the smallest thing, and sometimes at nothing at all! Jon keeps telling me that he's just a baby; it's what babies do. I know that, but having to deal with it all day is overwhelming and exhausting!

Ethan doesn't like to nap (does any kid?). His definition of napping is 15-30 minutes on average, and then waking up screaming like a banshee. And he eats every 2 hours. He's growing so fast!

I wouldn't think that those numbers are anything to worry about, but I had to go and read up and do some research to see if my kid is normal. So now, depending on the source I read or what day of the week it is, what I'm doing for my child is wrong on some level. This is extremely confusing and depressing. No matter what advice I try to follow, something's not right. I've talked with a couple other moms who have now told me that I will drive myself crazy if I keep reading all of the books. I told Jon he should threaten to burn them.

It's hard because I've never been through this before, and I'm just trying to find out the right way to do everything. But what might be right for everyone may not work for my individual situation. This is very frustrating. Even talking to other moms about a variety of issues is hard.

But I do need to focus more on the positive. Our son is beautiful. He's healthy. He started sleeping through the night May 2 (2 days before his 2 month mark!). We've had a few interruptions lately, but I think he's hit another growth spurt. And speaking of that, the doctor reports Ethan's healthy as well.

His 2 month well baby visit was May 4. He weighed in at 13 pounds (and now you know why I call him Chunk). He was in the 50th percentile for his weight, the 55th percentile for his height (23.5 inches), but alllll the way in the 75th percentile for his head circumference. I have a Fathead! He's 16" around already!

I'm tired. It's 925pm and I have the nagging feeling someone is going to wake up again at 2am and want to eat. So I'm signing off for now. Hopefully it won't be another 2 months or so before I hop on here again.

Love to all! Delaney

So I've been meaning to write another post to this blog since, well, I posted the first pictures of Ethan. Being a mom to a newborn takes up the fast majority of my industrious hours, I have discovered.

I planned to write about the hospital stay, but I don't feel like writing about that right now. It'll come at some point, though, I promise.

Jon, Ethan, and I got home from the hospital and were welcomed by our 10 lb guard dog, Scruffy. He's been extremely curious of Ethan, and isn't sure what to make of the little noise machine that has taken over his spot on Mom's lap (and most of her attention as well). But, he's getting better--the dog, that is--and seems to be doing ok. He does like sniffing through Ethan's dirty laundry, but then again, he likes everyone's dirties. Ew.

Being a mom is the absolute hardest thing I've ever endured. I had no idea how much a baby cries, how often he soils a diaper, and how much time and attention he demands. I have been exhausted, emotional, enthralled--all in just a few minutes' time span.

Jon has been, and continues to be, my rock. He's so laid back compared to me, and he is so good at reassuring me that what our baby is going through is normal. I have obsessed over every topic online (feeding, crying, burping, etc.) and become upset when what Ethan is doing isn't exactly what one or another website said. Jon said something very true to me this evening. No matter how many websites I look at and how much I analyze Ethan compared to other babies and other situations, we have to treat him as our situation. We aren't every other family, so not every other piece of advice is going to be identical to what we're going through. How true that is. I couldn't ask for a better husband, and I'm so thankful we're together in this whole thing. He's the love of my life.


Ethan's first doctor's appointment was on Saturday, March 7. Everything went well. He weighed 7 lbs exactly...so he lost about 10 ounces from the hospital--completely normal, and nothing we had to worry about until he dropped to 6.14. I had to take him back again on Monday for his 2-week checkup. He's in about the 45th to 50th percentile for everything, which is good. He weighed 7 lbs 14 ounces, so he's put on almost a pound since his last checkup!

This checkup was also the one at which Ethan had to get his Hepatitis B and some blood draw (PKU maybe?). Nothing could have prepared me for the emotions that go through a mom at an appointment like this. When the nurse jabbed his little tiny thigh with that needle, I watched his face go from being fussy to absolute terror and unimaginable pain...and it made my heart break. It was all I could do to not break down in tears as I held him in my arm, trying to console him. I want to cry right now just recalling that day. As if that wasn't traumatizing enough for him, the next nurse came in and stabbed his heel with a razor and drew the blood for the other test. What a horrible thing to have to do for a living.

Onto other things...Ethan is already getting a decent sleep pattern going, which is wonderful for Mom and her emotions! He sleeps for about 3-4 hours at a time, sometimes not even wanting to wake to eat. This is allowing me to get some well-needed sleep...which I need to get right about now.

So, until the next time I write, I bid adieu. :-)

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ethan!!!!!

He's ARRIVED! I'm so thrilled, I'm not sure I can even put it into words. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

Let's start with "just the facts, Ma'am": Ethan Alan Heston was born at 5:08pm on March 4, 2009; he weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz; and was 20.5" long.

I'm going to throw some pictures on here right now just because I can't wait to see them myself (on something larger than a little camera screen, anyway); then I'll tell you all about the experience. Enjoy!!!

Good reading

I read this the other day, and thought it was so cool, I wanted to share it!

At no time is the power of the female body more evident than when a woman is going through the extraordinary stages of creating life. Personally, I never felt more confident in my body and myself than when I was pregnant. For me, my focus switched from what my body looked like to what it could do. I believe pregnancy has an extraordinary way of making a woman get her priorities straight by focusing less on flaws and more on strengths. I remember how I began to respect my round belly for the home it provided the little person growing inside of me. When you carry a little life with you all of the time, you can't help realize that it is not just about you anymore. You somehow love this tiny person whom you've never met in a way that is indescribable, and you begin to look at things in a whole new way.

Like any major change, pregancy can be painful, shocking and scary; for me, all of the difficulties were well worth it. It was in between the struggles of morning sickness and mood swings that I found the little miracles of life that make it all worthwhile. The tickles I felt in my tummy when the baby had hiccups, the tiny kicks against my hand while in bed, and the little dances I could feel in my belly after I ate some spicy food were all gifts I wouldn't have traded for anything...

There is also something amazing about the pregnant form. I remember clearly how people would look at my pregnant body and instantly smile. I don't know I reminded women of themselves when they were pregnant or if the mere image of a pregnant woman has such a positive effect on people in general. Either way, somehow I felt that it made their day a little bit brighter...

[The photo of a pregnant Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair] made the bold statement that pregnant women can be gorgeous, inspiring, and even sexy. I love that message. Women do not need to look like a runway model to be beautiful. Our womanly curves that support life and allow us to give birth are beautiful. Our strength to push through discomfort for the sake of another's life is beautiful. We are capable of bringing new life into this world, and our bodies, of all shapes and sizes, make that miracle possible.

--Ann Kearney-Cooke (dove.msn.com)