4 months!

Four months! I can't believe it! My little man is getting SO BIG! At his 4 month check up, Waylon weighed in at 15lbs 15oz!

Just when you think things couldn't get any better...they do. Last month, Waylon discovered his feet and hands. This month, he's able to grab things, play with his feet (constantly)and roll over! At first, it was only his bottom half that rolled over but after a couple of weeks, he was finally able to roll all the way over.

But the very best thing Waylon has learned to do? Laugh. Oh. My. God. His giggles are quite possibly the most incredible sound my ears have ever heard. It's the sweetest, cutest thing in the world! Every time he laughs, my heart explodes with happiness. No matter what a horrible day I've had, coming home to his smile and his laugh makes it all go away.

We've finally gotten into a good routine since I've returned to work. Waylon usually falls asleep between 7-8pm. I try to read him a book every night before I put him down. He sleeps all night (YES!) and wakes up between 6-7am. He's doing really well at daycare and his sitter LOVES him to pieces. Whenever I drop him off in the morning, the little girls scream, "Baby Waylon!" It's so cute.

Speaking of ladies...Waylon is quite the flirt. He loves the ladies! He smiles and coos at them, no matter what age. At my friend Jessica's going away party, my other friend, Angela, was holding Waylon. After a few minutes, she looked down and noticed that Waylon had somehow unbottoned her shirt. Go figure. He is his father's son.

*Mustache in the first photo courtesy of Gigi Buddendeck's first birthday party. :)

Welcome Fraylee Ann!

Snowblynd is having babies! In case you don't know, Snowblynd is my husband's band. You should check them out. They're the best band you've never heard. ;)

So now my hubby's not the only member of the band with a new baby. Congrats to Snowblynd's singer, Brad, and his wife, Crystal, on their beautiful new baby girl, Fraylee Ann! She was born August 10, 2011 and weighed 8lbs 7oz and was 21in long. Can you guess who they named her after???? Heeheehee....

Our kids will be going to the same sitter, so they'll grow up together! How cool is that?

12 Weeks!

Going back to work was awful. Other Moms tell you how terrible it will be but it's as bad as they tell you times a million. The night before I returned to work, I sat with my little man in his room and rocked to him to sleep...while I cried my eyeballs out.

We are incredibly lucky to have a friend who watches kids in her home (and she happens to be engaged to one of Columbus' best guitar players to boot!), so I know Waylon is in really good hands. But it was still incredibly difficult to leave him with her that Monday morning. After I kissed him about a hundred times, I got in my car and cried on my way to work. Ugh. Needless to say, the day dragged, and all I really did was delete about 800 emails and stare at pictures of Waylon. When 5pm finally creeped around, I couldn't get to Waylon fast enough. And I was rewarded with the biggest, sweetest toothless smile ever. :)

Waylon has recently discovered his hands and feet. He will stare at his little fists so intently, like they're the most amazing things he's ever seen. And he's reaching for his feet and staring at them, too. His coordination is getting better by the day. He purposefully swats at things and usually hits his target. Today I noticed that when his bink falls out of his mouth, he actually tries to put it back in. He'll grab it and clumsily aim for his mouth...and miss. But damn it, he tries! :)

July was a big month for Waylon. To our great delight, Waylon's Grandpa Mark was finally able to make it to see him for the first time! Yippee!!!!! He was finally on a break from touring with Bob Seger and made it a point to come see the little guy. We had a great time visiting with him.

Waylon also got to see his bearded uncles in Blackberry Smoke again last month. We drove up early to hang out for a little bit. While we were on the bus, Waylon got a little impromptu, personal concert from Charlie. Simply amazing.

The Shape of a Mother

Right after I put up my last post, I happened to stumble across a post on a message board on Baby Center from a lady who was feeling just like me: depressed over her post baby body.

Look, NO ONE tells you about the aftermath of childbirth and pregnancy. Yes, we all know about stretch marks, but there's SO much more that happens to your body than that. So it was great to find this post and know that there were so many other new Moms who felt the exact same way as me.

One woman who commented listed a fantastic website: The Shape of a Mother. It's a site that celebrates the post baby body and lets women tell their own post baby body stories. Whether these women love their bodies or hate them, they all have the guts to share their stories, their emotions and their pictures. Yup, they post pics of their post baby bodies. Even before I had a baby I wouldn't have had the balls to post pics of my body on a website, let alone after I had a baby.

The site just helps you feel less alone and makes you realize that your body may never be the same, but hopefully you will grow to accept it.

I Hate My Body/I Heart Pink

No matter what you do or what people tell you, there is no way to prepare yourself for what pregnancy and childbirth will do to your body.

Yes, I'm fully aware that I just gave birth to a child, but that doesn't mean I feel good about the way my body has transformed since that beautiful experience. I loved being pregnant, but I had a hard time adjusting to not being able to fit into my normal clothes. And I love being a Mom, but I'm having an even harder time not having my normal body and not being able to fit into my normal clothes. Although everyone I talk to tells me I look great (and I appreciate their compliments), I don't' feel great. I gained about 40lbs while I was pregnant and have lost about 30lbs so far (thank you, breastfeeding!). It's the last 10lbs that are killing me.

It didn't take too long for me to get tired of wearing maternity clothes after I gave birth, so I decided to go shopping for a couple of things while I was in my in between stage. Never in my life did I think it would be as horrifying as it was. Nothing fit. The actual size that I could fit into was devastating. I didn't think I looked that big, but apparently I was. And it's not just the extra weight that was causing my bigger size; it's also my larger hips. Good gawd...as if my hips weren't big enough already! Now they're even wider!

I know it took 10 months to put on this weight, so it'll take almost as long to take it off. I'm just impatient. ;) But I'm working on it, so hopefully I'll be back to normal sooner than later.

Speaking of after baby bodies...The media always shows beautiful models and actresses with their amazing post baby bodies. It's as if they lost all their pregnancy weight the day after they gave birth. In just four weeks, these ladies look totally stunning. It's so unfair! Of course, that certainly doesn't help with my insecurities. But I suppose if I had millions of dollars, a trainer and a personal chef, I'd look that great in four weeks, too.

Enter Pink. I'm a big fan of Pink. She's smart and sassy and hot. She doesn't give a f*ck what anyone thinks of her, and I truly appreciate that. So I was pretty stoked to find out she was pregnant at the same time I was pregnant. She gave birth about a month after me to a little girl. I wasn't expecting to see any pics of her until she was back to her awesome pre-baby body. But I was dead wrong! Check out Pink, out and about five days after giving birth and rocking her post baby body! Kudos to Pink! Thanks for being real! You look fantastic!

Photo: ivillage.com

8 Weeks!

It is absolutely stunning how much babies grow and evolve in a matter of a month. Waylon is 12lbs 14oz and changing every day. The most wonderful things he's started to do are smiling real smiles and cooing.

Oh my...his smiles and coos are heart melting. I can sit and have little conversations with him and he answers me back with the most adorable little ooo's and ahh's. It is completely amazing. Waylon will smile and coo at "Mr. Frog," his favorite toy, and when I read him his favorite book, Baby Panda (a soft book in red, black and white with lots of shapes). Waylon has also started to try and reach for and touch things. He still doesn't have complete control of his arms and legs, but it sure is cute to watch him swat at things. And he's been trying to roll over but hasn't succeeded quite yet.

This past weekend was one of our favorite times of the year: Goodguys Car Show. Hot rods from all over the country swarm into Columbus for the biggest car show of the year. We were so excited to take Waylon! He sat with his Daddy and his Great Grandma and watched all the cool cars roll in, and he loved it! Check out Daddy and Waylon next to our 1954 Belair!

The only major struggle I've had up until this point is breastfeeding. I stopped nursing him after about 2-3 weeks and just pumped. That transition went well until my milk supply couldn't keep up with Waylon's demand. I started supplementing with formula and that helped. But now...my milk supply is slowly but surely dwindling down to nothing. Sigh...at least I had a good 2 month run. Not being able to feed Waylon solely on breast milk made me feel like a failure. I know I'm not but I really wanted to go at least 6 months.

For any breastfeeding Moms out there, may I recommend the My Breast Friend breastfeeding pillow. Most people only know about the Boppy, but I think My Breast Friend is much better for breastfeeding. It's firmer. It wraps all the way around you and gives you much better support. The Boppy works, but feels a little more flimsy and doesn't give as much support. I love the Boppy for Waylon to lounge in and for his tummy time; we use it every day.

4 Weeks

Whew! That flew by WAY too fast! I know that as of the date of this post, Waylon is technically 7 weeks, but I'm running a little behind on my posts. He kind of takes up a lot of my time. ;)

Here's my little man at 4 weeks!

He takes so many cute pictures that I can't post just one....

And here's a picture of Waylon wearing his special "Okinawa" onesie. He is, after all, 1/4 Japanese...not that you can tell.

He's grown so much! At 5 weeks he weighed a little over 11lbs! He's a big eater...and a big pooper. He has big hands and long fingers, so we're all guessing he'll be a guitar player. Go figure.

I Hang Out With Rock Stars

That's right. Waylon was partying backstage with Blackberry Smoke at 3 weeks! You may remember that they played at our wedding. They are the most amazing bunch of guys and we're grateful to have them as friends. Thanks for letting us hang out!

Waylon is Here!

Yes! He finally arrived on May 4, 2011 at 9:29AM!!!!! He weighed 8lbs 13oz and was 21in long. Labor was WAY more painful and intense than I ever imagined. Yes, I had an epidural, but nothing prepared me for the pressure that came along with pushing. Yikes! At one point, Greg left the room while I was pushing because he was so overwhelmed by my pain and the fact that he couldn't do anything to help me. Don't worry, he only left for about 5 seconds and was in the room for the amazing moment our son was born.

When the doctor put Waylon on my stomach, I'd never felt so much love and amazement in all of my life. Greg and I (and our Moms, too) just cried and cried. He was so beautiful and perfect!

Motherhood is great, but it's also quite an adjustment. It's very strange to go from being so independent and then having a little guy who is completely dependent on you for everything. I've only had a couple of melt downs, which I think is pretty good. But when I look at Waylon's face...my heart just melts and everything gets better.

Let me just say that I'm stunned that I gave birth to such a white baby. I'm half Japanese, so I was totally expecting a baby with dark brown hair. Nope. I gave birth to a super white baby with blond hair. Ha! Waylon looks just like Greg. Sometimes I wonder if my genes are even a part of him because I don't see me in him at all! Ha!

Once again, the AMAZING Sharon Elaine Photography captured this special moment in our lives. I seriously don't know how Sharon manages to catch the most perfect pictures! She took the cutest pictures of Waylon when he was about 10 days old! :)

38 Weeks

We're in the home stretch now! Waylon could come at any moment!!!! Weeeeeee!!!! :)

This has probably been the most uncomfortable and bitchy I've been through this entire pregnancy. I have never been so exhausted in all of my life. It's very hard to not have the energy to do anything or to be out of breath from walking from one side of the room to the other. I'm frustrated because there are so many things I want to do, but I don't have the energy to do them. Sleeping is nearly impossible since I wake up 3-4 times a night to pee. I waddle instead of walk. My feet are swollen and hurt. I could go on and on and on...but I won't.

So far, I've had three...yes, three...baby showers. And now we're completely prepared for Waylon to arrive. We have everything we need. My friends and family are wonderful. THANK YOU to all of you!!!

And thank you to my friend, Sharon, for taking these amazing maternity photos. She also took our wedding photos and she's already scheduled to take pictures of Waylon when he gets here. Sharon, you are incredible and so very special to us. Check out my belly at 35 weeks! :)

30 Weeks

So at 29 weeks, I had my second 3D ultrasound to get a little sneak peak at our little guy. Of course his first course of action: show off his goods. What is it with this kid? Ha!

Then Waylon decided he wanted to be stubborn and not show his face. We got some good profile shots, but no amount of poking and prodding made him turn to show us his whole face. He also decided that he wanted to keep his hands in his face. He may be stubborn, but he's also got the cutest, chubbiest cheeks and Greg's nose. I'm madly, deeply in love already. Just looking at his little face makes my heart melt. I can't wait until he's here and I can hold him and kiss those cheeks!

Peace! Or...piss off.

Look at his cute, little smile!!!

He's yawning...or sticking his tongue out.

I will be at 31 weeks this Thursday. Waylon is moving around like crazy! And he's discovered how to sit on my bladder just right so that I almost pee myself. He's going to be a handful when he comes out!

Still no complaints aside from the usual heartburn and not being able to sleep. I'm definitely beginning to get tired more easily. I still feel so lucky that this pregnancy has been so amazing for me.

I've started taking a prenatal yoga class on Saturdays. It's kind of nice being surrounded by so many pregnant women at different stages but who all have similar gripes and pains. The class is incredibly relaxing and I love it. Then after Waylon is here...there's a Baby & Mom yoga class! And lucky for me, my BFF Jenelle is already taking that class, so we'll be able to take it together. Woohoo!

Nursery

From the moment I knew I was pregnant, I started looking at crib bedding. Unfortunately, I didn't like much of anything I saw. Look, I'm not your typical girl, so I need something that's different, funky and cute. I don't want teddy bears and Disney characters. When I helped my friend, Jenelle, make her crib bedding, I decided to make my own, too. So the hunt was on for the perfect fabric.

And I found it. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it and there was nothing that was going to change my mind. Before ordering it online, I went to my locally owned fabric store, Sew to Speak, to see if they had it or if they could order it. To my surprise, the lady at the store told me the fabric was Australian and they didn't order Australian fabric because it was much too expensive. Uh oh. When I took a closer look at the website, it was indeed an Australian site and the price was per half meter. Gulp. I needed at least 4 yards (approx 4 meters) and that was going to cost me a small fortune, not including shipping. But I said to hell with it and ordered it anyway because my kid is totally worth it. I bought enough for one half of the crib bumper and a little extra for other projects. And seriously...the fabric couldn't be anymore me and my husband. It's the freaking cutest thing on the planet and I think Waylon will LOVE it.

So his nursery is based on this fabric. We decided to paint one wall orange and the the other three walls turquoise and have navy blue accents (curtains, rug, etc.).

The first task was to empty the room. We were using it as a closet, so we had a lot of clothes to move and get rid of. Then a close friend of ours, who just happens to be a professional painter, painted Waylon's room as a gift. How awesome, is that?

Now it was a matter of getting the motivation and finding the time to put the crib and dresser together. I'll be honest...I'm in TOTAL nesting mode, so I was SO ready to get this room together ASAP. Unfortunately, my husband did not have the same sense of urgency as I did. But I really didn't have to wait too long because he knew I was getting antsy. So this weekend was it!

And of course after everything was set up...I realized that I didn't really have as much room as I thought I did. I still need to get a changing table and glider. We also still need to paint the bookcase, get some pictures/paintings on the walls, and sew the curtains. I'm sure I'm forgetting something...but the room is about 80% finished and I'm excited about it!

24 Weeks

Today, I'm officially at 24 weeks. That's 6 months. I'm more than half way there!

Aside from not sleeping as well as I used to, vicious heartburn and charlie horses, this mama has no complaints. People are constantly asking me, "How are you feeling?" My reply is always, "Great!" Because honestly...I do feel great. Aside from Waylon moving around in there, I don't even feel pregnant. I'm SO lucky!

Speaking of Waylon moving...Greg finally got to feel Waylon kick last week! He was so happy and had the biggest smile on his face. He'd been trying for a couple of weeks to feel Waylon kick, but whenever he put his hand on my belly, Waylon would just stop. My Mom was actually the first person to feel Waylon kick, and needless to say, she was super excited!

I try to play Waylon as music as possible. Music is a HUGE part of our lives (obviously...we're naming our kid after a musical legend), and we want our son to be exposed to and love as much music as possible. I play him Waylon Jennings (of course), Elvis, Johnny Cash, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackberry Smoke and even a little Motley Crue. I also throw in a little classical because it's beautiful and because I play the violin (or used to).

I wish I could explain to you how incredible it is to feel Waylon moving around inside my belly or to sit and watch my belly move when I play him "Home Sweet Home." It brings tears to my eyes because it's seriously one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced in my life. It's magical and breathtaking.

Check out the belly at 23 weeks!