Gideon's 4 month stats!

Hello people, I know, I've been a blogging slacker.... without further ado, here are G's 4 month stats.

WEIGHT: 18.5 pounds. (>95%) yeah.... this kid is HUGE! I was very validated whilst in Utah to hear my sisters say "wow-- I'm already feeling sore from holding him!!!!" He weighs as much as a 10 month old, but can't support himself like one.

LENGTH: 26 inches (90%) oh man, he's already getting fatter than he is long!

HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE: does anyone care? I don't remember but it was 90%. This kid is huge across the board.

LIKES: his Mama, his Papa, eating, his exersaucer (so cute!!!), pulling my hair (AAAAAAH!), reaching out for toys, chewing on his hands, Prianka, ATTENTION (like his Mama), people singing to him (especially the song "Sweetest Little Fella"), being in water, going on walks, sleeping, his plug, his owl toy, when his Marmie does "This is the way the ____ rides" and bounces him, when his Grandma McMillan talks to him (he talked back to her more than I've ever seen!)

MEH: rolling over. (He does not do this consistently yet, and I'm not worried. How many times have you seen Jabba the Hut roll over?), belly gumming, when people try too hard to get him to laugh

DISLIKES: being ignored, being forced to sleep before he's ready, sitting on our laps for long periods of time (this became obvious during Stake Conference), being burped between sides, when Mama is obsessed with the snot sucker (sorry kid!), shots

What a joy this little one is in our lives. He had a few rough days after we got back from our 2 week UT vacation, but now seems to be back on schedule (PHEW!). It has been a little weird not to be going back to school this month, but I wouldn't trade my time with him for anything in the world! It was so fun to be in Utah with him and introduce him to my friends and family--more on that later. WE LOVE THIS LITTLE CHUBSTER!

The unexpected way being a Mom has changed me....

Now, just to preface this, those who know me well, know I'm not exactly..... hmmmm... how to put this delicately.... laid back. Yeah, I'm more of an uptight planner/any little change in plans MIGHT give me a stress attack, the brunt of which will be felt by my poor, perfect husband. So laid back/chill/go with the flow/play it by ear has never really described me... until now. I know, many of you won't believe this, but even Neal told me a couple of weeks postpartum, "you are much more even-keeled now, babe." That's right people, I'm chill. Can you even believe it? I'm calm, cool, and collected. How did this happen? Maybe at first I just didn't have the energy to be high strung---new baby and all, but I'm getting plenty of sleep now and I've stayed that way! I really like this new side of me (probably not as much as Neal does, though)! I'm basically this chill now:

Yeah, that's right, Lenny Kravitz chill. I don't really know if he's a chill person, but anyone who wears sunglasses that often must be pretty chill, right? (Side note: I am NOT okay with Lenny Kravitz playing Cinna in the Hunger Games!!!! Other than his impressively original and clever rhyming in "Fly Away" does he have any real talent?!?!? I'm hoping, REALLY hoping, to be pleasantly surprised. While discussing this with my friend Jay, he told me "The real thing you should be wondering is if he's gonna wear sunglasses the whole movie!" Jay is hilarious. If you do a google image search of Lenny, he's wearing sunglasses in probably 90% of the photos... awesome. Okay, this has been a very long side note--like longer than the post. Ending side note now.)

Turning more even-keeled has been a very pleasant, yet completely unexpected aspect of Motherhood. Oh Motherhood, how I love thee. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook can attest that I LOVE being a Mom! I LOVE my baby, and I LOVE my new life. (Side note numèro deux: I think I partly LOVE it so much because my baby is a champion sleeper... my heart goes out to those of you with less-than-stellar sleepers!!!) Gideon melts my heart every day. He is the most adorable baby I have ever seen, and he brings so much joy into my life I can't even believe it. Gideon being placed on my belly right after birth was THE most incredible moment of my entire life. I am forever changed. I am even more in love with Neal, I enjoy life more, and I am CHILL! :)

TRICKED YA!

My baby and husband are taking naps, and since this activity excludes yours truly, I decided to blog. You see, I have never been able to take naps, period. Not in high school after 6 AM rehearsal, not in college after going to bed at 4 AM, not even when I had mono (although occasionally when I'm sick I'm able too). Everyone told me "you'll be able to once your baby comes" and I am here to report that is NOT the case! For the first two weeks after Gideon was born (while my Mom was here), I napped daily, it's true. And I don't know if my body decided it was recovered, or if I simply can't sleep without my Mom, but I haven't taken a nap since the day she left. I used to force myself to try to nap while Gideon was napping, but it got annoying quickly because I never fell asleep and I would have preferred to be facebook stalking, reading, or watching Numb3rs, so I just accepted the fact that my body doesn't like to nap and moved on. But I digress.....

It's weird to blog on Father's Day without mentioning it, so HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! I truly have the best Father, Father in law, and baby Daddy in the entire world, for which I am VERY THANKFUL!

Anyway, back to the point of this post: I am a homebody. Yes, it's true. Surprised? Many of you will be surprised to hear this, and I don't know exactly why.... because I'm outgoing and social? Because I'm loud and funny? Because I have a lot of friends? In any case, I really am a homebody. Neal claims "bait and switch" because he had no idea of this until we got married, although he did have a small inkling once we started dating seriously. The truth of the matter is, I'd rather be home in my pj's eating treats and watching movies than out being social, plain and simple, ESPECIALLY after I found my one and only. That cut down drastically on my social inclinations.

Since I've had Gideon, people are always asking me "are you able to get out much?" or "are you sure you won't go crazy staying home with a baby?!?" The thing is, I prefer to be home. I call myself lazy because I love just lounging at home. Last summer, I would work out every single day, but other than that, I might have only left the house once or twice a week. I love my friends, I love seeing people and keeping in touch with them, and I love a good lunch date now and then, but I rarely get lonely being home alone all day, and frequent social gatherings aren't my favorite thing. So there you have it, something you might not have known about me. Other things you might not know about me:

--It's nearly impossible for me to refrain my wincing when I hear people say "irregardless" or "but yet" ... "literally" also falls into this category because people do not know when to use it! I am literally typing. I am not literally laughing my head off, got it?

--I liked the movie "Crossroads" with Brittney Spears

--I loathe putting the clothes from the washer in the dryer... *shudder*

--I love Mac & Cheese, but prefer the store brand over Kraft

--I took a tap dancing class at SUU for fun

--I am certified in SCUBA, mostly to prove to myself my fear of sharks doesn't control me (and what did I see during the certification dive? You guessed it.)

--I think Eminem is brilliant but totally inappropriate

and last but not least...

--I think my husband is best and my baby is the cutest! Oh, you already knew that? Seriously?

Gideon's first week at church!

Here's a picture taken right after the fact... you be the judge as to how much he liked it:

It's okay buddy, we've all been there. . . fortunately, he was feeling more chipper after lunch:

I know right? He's adorable!!!!! Yesterday, we here hanging out with these amazing people:

And Clint asked us what's the biggest change since having Gideon. We decided the biggest change was how rapidly nothing else seems to matter as much as our little baby! Everything else just seems less important, somehow. We're quickly adjusting to getting less sleep, and neither of us mind having to be more flexible with our schedule. Gideon is a very relaxed and easy baby so far (we're still waiting for the other shoe to drop!) and things really are.... blissful! Of course sometimes he wails for a few minutes as we're sitting down to dinner, or just drifting off to sleep, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Plus, now Neal has a collar popping buddy, since I refuse:

*Note: Neal has never actually popped his collar in his life, I'm kidding. This picture was taken as a joke.

In other news, we're trying to figure out a way that Neal can make millions and retire next week and stay home with us all day... paternity leave was THAT amazing. I realize all I do now is talk about my baby and post pictures of him, but I can't help it!!! He's the cutest!

Getting to know you...

Baby G is four weeks old now, and I can barely believe it. I used to laugh at parents who would talk about what their baby liked and didn't like at this age, but you know, I'm that parent know so here goes:

LIKES:

*his parents :)

*furrowing his eyebrows

*tummy time-- he coos so sweetly!

*baths--he has never cried or even grunted in the tub, which brings me to my next item...

*grunting--(although he is grunting less now)

*his plug (pacifier)

*his bouncer

*being swaddled--it settles him down instantly!

*staring at people and objects while furrowing his brows

*making noise--this kid is LOUD! He is always making some kind of noise.

*snuggling with us

*music and singing

DISLIKES:

*waiting to be fed--he goes from "I might be hungry" to "If I don't eat immediately I WILL DIE!!!!" in 0.25 seconds...whew!

*his back being rubbed or scratched

*hiccups (actually I'm sure he doesn't mind them, but he grunts after each hiccup like "arg! Hiccups again?!?)

*being far away from the action--luckily we have a one bedroom apartment! ;)

*grunting-- yeah, pretty sure he has a love/hate relationship with grunting... sometimes he does it when he's totally happy and content, other times when he's frustrated and/or pooping

*watching us eat molten cakes--I think he's jealous he's not having one!!!

Gideon is still a super chill baby. He's only been fussy without apparent cause for 30 minutes total his entire life, seriously. Of course, he cries, but usually only after the 0.25 second window he gives us to be fed. He is still easily soothed, and is able to fall asleep very well on his own, which is especially good because I'm too tired to rock him back to sleep in the middle of the night. He just lays in his crib and grunts himself to sleep, so good for him! Lately, I've been pumping a little so Neal can take one of the night feedings since he's been off work this week-- it's AMAZING! I may die when he goes back to work and I won't let him (unless I'm really, really desperate!)... It's funny though because when I get up in the morning and see G, I realize I really missed him while Neal was feeding him. It's nice to sleep though. :)

He is smiling more and more while awake, and we cannot wait for him to smile at us on purpose! He is super alert now, and stays awake for 3 hours straight during the day sometimes! His little dented chin is adorable and we love him to pieces. I cannot believe how much love I feel for him... even when I'm tired and he's taking a while to settle down, I just feel so patient and loving toward him. He is the light of our lives, and we already can't imagine our life without him! I've said it before and I'll say it again.. HE IS THE CUTEST!

Look-- I finally had the energy to go on a walk! (And it wasn't 95 degrees out + humidity... shudder!!!!!)

My new lifestyle...

Well, it's finally happened. My Mom has gone back to UT and Neal is back at work (he's actually been working the whole time Mom's been here, but is taking off 10 days starting Friday--woot!) and I am officially alone as a mom. It's so crazy! Since it's hard for a 2 week old to have a schedule, our days mostly consist of sleeping, grunting (him, not me usually), changing diapers, and nursing, which if you've done it you know it takes FOREVER each time-- sheesh! I'm waiting for my energy to come back, but I fear I may be waiting a long while... I am not good at taking naps, and the second I force myself to try to take one, he pops awake and wants to grunt/eat/stare at me/be changed. ALTHOUGH I did take Mom to Iwo Jima because she'd never been, so I think that's pretty good considering G was one week old!

Notice how I've already mentioned his grunting twice? Yeah, he grunts ALL THE TIME. At first we thought there was something wrong with him, now we mostly just think he's a grunting goat boy and might always be... he may grunt until he can talk, who knows? Anyway. Mom kept telling us, "no babies are EASY, but he really is a pretty easy baby!" He rarely cries and is easily soothed most of the time. He's really only been "fussy" for about ten minutes total since he was born, unless of course, grunting is being fussy, which I don't think it is. He is truly a joy to be around, and is the CUTEST LITTLE GUY in the history of the world, we're pretty sure.

I LOVE seeing Neal as a Papa too! He is so adorable with Gideon. I'm adjusting pretty well to being a Mom, I think. I really do feel patient with him, even in the middle of the night. (oh, except when he spits up in my hair and simultaneously poops on me, then pees in his own face while being changed-- then I just walk away from him and Neal takes over.) I'm still pretty emotional and drained, but since it's only been 2.5 weeks, I think that's to be expected.

All in all, it is a wonderful change. We already love him SO MUCH, it's crazy! He brings a lot of joy (and grunting) into our home, and we are so lucky to have him! We are also lucky to have so much support-- I might die without it all the meals, presents, visits, e-mails, texts, phone calls, etc. So keep it up, people!

Once upon a time....

I had an adorable baby boy! Many people have asked about the labor and delivery, so I thought I'd post 2 versions of the story.

The short version:

Gideon Robert McMillan was born on May 5th at 11:45 AM. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long. He came out wide eyed and alert and stayed that way for 2 hours. He is so darling and we love him very much.

The very long/detailed version:

Tuesday night, may 3rd, I started having contractions 10 minutes apart around midnight. I was so excited at first! But then they didn't go away or get closer together, and from midnight to 10 AM I didn't get a wink of sleep because they were growing in intensity, just not getting closer together. Around 10 they slowed down to 20 minutes apart (just enough to prevent me from napping at all!) and this continued all day. Around 4 that afternoon, they picked back up to 10 minutes apart, but still never got closer together. The intensity was such that I couldn't talk through them, but had to be up and bounce on the ball, lunging, squatting, whatever I could to deal with them. I had called my OB and she agreed that I shouldn't come in until they were closer together. I was becoming increasing demoralized because these contractions were getting hard for me to get through. I had planned and prepared for a natural birth, and the fact that these "false" contractions were getting difficult was very discouraging. Around midnight, I started bleeding pretty heavily, and my OB advised me to go in to get checked out, but was doubtful they'd admit me because I had only been dilated to a 1+ on 5/3 and my contractions weren't close enough together to be the "real thing."

I woke up Neal and we drove to the hospital (after getting detoured in TWO (2) construction zones!!!!) and I mostly just felt nervous they would tell me I wasn't in labor and to go back home. I hadn't slept in 24 hours, and was not feeling very positive about ANYTHING! When the nurse checked my cervix, we were all astonished to discover I was dilated to a 5 and she said "you're gonna have that baby today!" I was SOOOO relieved-- so this WAS real labor-- I'm not a wimp! She asked if I wanted a epidural, and I declined. I was feeling pretty good at this point! So we were admitted at 1 AM and just excited and working through contractions. Around 5:30, my body started shaking violently between contractions, making it impossible for me to prepare for the next contraction (they were one minute apart now) and I felt like I had exhausted my energy supply. I had already labored for 13 hours naturally, and felt proud of myself. I told Neal I wanted an epidural, and he, trying to be supportive, suggested I get checked first to see how far along I was. When I was told "oh, you're a 6 now" I said "yeah.. I'm gonna need that epidural immediately!!!" Then the blessed anesthesiologist came in and gave me one, and I slept for about 45 minutes until I woke up thinking "I still have to push out the baby!!!!!" I felt exhausted and totally drained. The nurse put me on pitocin because I was stuck at an 8 for 2 hours and my OB came and broke my water.

Finally, I was ready to push. Everyone in my family has practically sneezed out a baby, so imagine my surprise when after 1.5 hours, I had made little progress (actually, I had made a lot of progress, but since I could only see a pea sized amount of his head, I was very discouraged!!!) I had been super confident and upbeat up until this point-- I was watching his head in the mirror and feeling great. For some reason though, after 1.5 hours, I just hit a wall and blurted out "I can't do it!" and started sobbing hysterically. It was so weird!!! It was like I was another person. The nurse and Neal were SO shocked because this came out of nowhere and I couldn't stop crying. Neal started getting emotional too, and wasn't much help (love you, babe) but the nurse looked me in the eyes and gave me an AMAZING pep talk. Unfortunately, it didn't help my weirdness go away, and I just cried and apologized for crying, felt super embarrassed and wimpy, and honestly felt I could NOT push out this baby. The nurse called in my OB for moral support, I think, and started breaking down the bed to the birthing position, mostly to make me feel like I was almost there. This worked a little, and I was able to push one more really good series. By this time-- enough of the head was out for my OB to tell that he was turned sunny side up, which was making it extra hard for him to come out (thanks for that, Gideon) and she assured me that if I could push once more, she would turn him over and he would pop right out. I really didn't think I could, so I just prayed and prayed and the rest is a blur. Neal says everyone was shocked at my next series of pushes (I think FINALLY the primordial instinct kicked in... I was waiting for it!!!) and the OB turned his head and he popped out and they put him on my belly.

It was the most surreal and amazing sight I have ever beheld. He cried for a few seconds, and then just kind of looked at me, wide awake. It was so precious! (Luckily, he distracted me from the after birth stuff-- are you kidding me? Pushing, pulling, prodding, poking, stitching?!?! I was like "LEAVE ME ALONE PEOPLE!!!") I suddenly exclaimed "I can't believe I just pushed him OUT OF MY VAGINA!!!" and everyone started laughing. Neal looked VERY relieved I was out of my weird zone, and the nurse hugged me and said "There's Hannah-- she's back!" Later, she told me she wasn't surprised at all that I had a hard time pushing a sunny side up baby for 2 hours, she was just surprised at my sudden lack of confidence-- so was I! It was truly so weird!!! I feel very positive about my laboring, but not nearly as positive about my pushing! SHEESH! Oh well, all is well that ends well, and this most certainly ended well. Seeing my son wide awake and alert staring at everyone was the most amazing moment of my entire life so far-- Neal and I have just been over the moon. So there you have it! And now some pictures:

Last pregnant picture! Taken 5/2

Feeling so relieved that I was dilated to a 5!!!

First family picture... we love him!