1 Month Doctor visit

We had our 1 month doctor visit today!  We were very curious about his weight and nervous for his first shot in front on us.  Ian is still not a huge fan of being naked, so he didn’t really enjoy the visit.  The doctor was happy to hear his singing voice, as he put it.  The doctor said Ian looks great and that all is well.  Here are the stats followed by some pictures from the visit, as you can see we bring a blanket as we wait for the doctor…

Weight – 9 lbs 7 oz and in the 50th percentile (that is a 1 lb 5 oz gain in the last 2 weeks)

Height – 22 3/4 inches and in the 90th percentile (this is why he is growing out of the newborn clothes)

Head size – 14 15/16 inches and between the 25th and 50th percentile

Shaun and Ian getting ready for the big weigh in

Helping Ian stay warm

I also wanted to publish a photo of Ian watching the Super Bowl and it actually includes a picture of me since I am usually the photographer.  Ian made it until about 9:00 pm before falling asleep, but of course as soon as I took him up to bed, it woke up and didn’t actually go to sleep until 11 pm after more food.

Ian's shocked at the Saint's comeback!

Keep your fingers crossed we don’t get additional snow this week, the snowblower is really getting its workout   At the moment it looks like we may get 11 more inches on Wednesday.

Our first Month together

Ian has survived his first month with us as parents…. good guy.  Here is his 1 month photo:

Here is another one I enjoyed of him… I am wondering what he is contemplating….

Wish I knew what he was thinking...

As most of you know we got hit with a large snow storm Friday into Saturday.  We got about 15 inches here with Philly getting over 20.  Shaun came home early from the cabin to help with the snow and he spent about 3 hours outside blowing off the driveway, sidewalks and then shoveling some paths in the back for Stanley.  Here are a few pictures of our snow from Saturday and Sunday…

On Sunday, Poppy Bill came down to see Ian along with Sam and Taylor.  Stanley and the dogs had a lot of fun running around the back.  Here is also a picture of Poppy with Ian…

 

Dogs playing in the snow - Sunday

Now we are getting ready for some football tonight.  My Mom and a close family friend from California, Gail, will be here to watch the game with us.  We are planning on having some of Shaun’s favorite wings along with guacamole and chili.  Here is Ian napping in his football outfit in prep for tonight…

 

Enjoy the game or the commercials tonight!!!!

 

3 weeks

I am actually posting less than a week from the last post… amazing!  We have had a relatively quiet week with Ian focusing mostly on eating, sleeping and growing. 

Lets start with his 3 week picture… 

3 week picture

 

The little man is starting to grow and is getting heavier in the arms.  We have a doctor’s appt next Monday for his 1 month check up and I am looking forward to see his weight and length.  There are a few outfits that are starting to get a little snug, so we may have to start moving to others. 

We did have one special visitor this weekend.  My good friend Susan from Minnesota who I have known since birth was in Maryland for training and rented a car to spend the weekend with us.  It was awesome to have her here and her knowledge from her own 3 children.  Ian was an angel all weekend for her.  Here are some pictures… 

Ian, Susan and Stanley

 

Ian looking handsome for Susan

 

And of course Stanley, needed attention… so he got in Grandma Ruth’s lap… 

 

Susan has headed back to Maryland and Shaun is headed to New York for work, so my Mom and I are hanging out with Ian for the next few days.  I did take a few other pictures this week of funny (at least to me) things that Ian is doing… 

Favorite way to sleep - The Touchdown pose

 

Funny lip face after a good meal

 

The other big thing this week was how my awesome husband took Ian for a few hours on Friday so I could go get a pedicure.  It was a nice break from the house and I was able to run other errands.  He did it again on Saturday so all of the girls could run to babies r us.  I am really lucky to have Shaun! 

Hope you have a good week!

Week 2

Hi all

Sorry it has taken me longer to write than I thought it would.  My one laptop is not working, so it has been harder to get away and post from the upstairs computer. 

2 weeks old program

Ian is doing well, growing.  We had two more weight checks in the second week and he was up to 8 lbs 5 oz as of the 22nd.  We go back in Feb. for his one month check up, but you can tell he is starting to gain weight. 

Shaun and I are still working on less sleep than normal.  Ian is still feeding about every 3 hours, so at night I am getting sleep in 1 to 2 hour increments depending on how long it takes him to fall back asleep.  I am looking forward to when he is eating more and can go longer than 3 hours.

Here are some pictures from the second week…

We did have some firsts this week, we tried out the swing (he likes it sometimes, other times he cries) and some tummy time…

Swing Time

Tummy Time

He also had some visitors.  On Saturday the 16th, my Aunt Marilyn and Uncle John were in from Colorado.  We had a nice dinner with them, John, Lisa, and the girls at my Mom’s place.  Ian did pretty well, though did get a little over tired at the end of the night.  Shaun even learned how to eat and hold him at the same time.

Marilyn and Ian

Then on Monday the 18th, our friends Dan and Melissa came up from Baltimore with their son Nathan (their Daughter Sammi was on a trip).  Nathan was born in October and wanted to meet his future Penn State roommate.  Here are some of the pictures of the Williams and McAdams boys… look close at the picture of Ian giving the peace sign…

McAdams and Williams Men

Ian and Nathan - peace

Here is another picture that I liked this week…

Cat nap with Dad

I will try to post on Sunday any new pictures from week 3.

The first week

So we have survived the first week!!!  I wanted to post pictures from the first week, this are just a few that we took, I will send out a kodak gallery hopefully today as well that includes a lot more shots.

Here are shots of some of the visitors we had at the hospital…

Ian with Grandma Ruth

Ian with Mom Mom Liz

Ian with Poppy Bill

Ian with Aunt Karen and Uncle Doug

This week has been full of getting used to having a baby around.   Ian’s days and nights are a little backwards, so we have not had a lot of sleep.  We are both trying to take naps during the day when he is sleeping to help us get some sleep.  It will be interesting with Shaun going back to work next week as he needs to get more sleep as he will be going to NY at least one trip.

We were able to complete a few milestones this week.  Ian got his first ‘bath’… more of a sponge bath than a soak.  He does not really like being naked, so he cried through most of it.  Though he did come out smelling so great…

First Bath

Other firsts this week… multiple outfits because to a quick second pooh, he lost his cord stump, and a few card rides for errands – though he stayed in the car.  As parents, we had our first trip away from Ian to go see the OB for an incision checkup.  Poppy Bill and Grandma Cindy sat with Ian while we left.  It went well, though he did provide some fun for them with a change of outfit due an overall messy diaper change

As for our furry son, Stanley has gotten use to having another creature in the house.  At first he was just so happy to have us home, then he started to realize that another being was going to be crying while he tried to sleep.  Sometimes at night when Ian is fussy, Stanley goes to sleep in the guest bedroom and if we are downstairs wants to go out to get away from the crying.  But he also comes in from outside and checks where Ian is.  Here is a picture from this week of all my Men together…

Stanley and Ian

Ian is going to meet his Great Aunt Marilyn and Uncle John today as they are in visiting from Colorado.  Mom Mom is also coming for a visit, so he will be spoiled with visitors.

Here are two photos taken on his 1 week ‘birthday’…

1 week picture with Dad

1 week picture with Mom

Here is a link to 48 pictures of Ian’s first week.  If you want to be included in the email send of these pictures, let me know – http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=121179361803%3A191668947

Have a good weekend!

First few Days…

Hi all 

I am not sure how to write about the last week.  It seemed like we were in the hospital so long for the little man to arrive and now I can’t imagine life without him.  

We came in on Wednesday night to start some pre-induction drugs to help kick start the process.  I was never in ‘real’ labor but did have a number of contractions and was somewhat dilated.  The decision was made to go to the c-section since he was still high and was not dropping.  We are not sure why he didn’t drop,  I may have had a small pelvis.  

So at 10:01 am on Friday January 8th, Ian Richard McAdams made his appearance into the world.  We do have some pictures that I will post at a later date of initial shots, but I can’t get them off the camera while I am still in the hospital. 

The days since Friday have been a whirlwind… we have been focusing on feeding Ian, my recovery and learning his traits.  He definitely has his days and nights messed up and is more alert from 8 pm on.  We will have to work on that.   I am still working on his feeding and hope being home will help the process, it is more difficult with many different opinions than I ever imagined. 

Shaun has been amazing.  Since I am still taking my time in getting up and walking around, he has been the primary go to person for diapers, swaddling and soothing.  Not only as he created an amazing bond with Ian, he has been supportive of me.  I could not do this without him and he is an amazing father. 

We have also had a lot of family and friend support over the weekend with visitors.  Ian was an angel and got to sleep and be in a number of loved one’s arms.  I have pictures to go along with all of this, but plan on sending them out through kodak gallery at some point and try to post the link to them here. 

So I would not leave this blog without pictures.  A professional photographer comes around takes some amazing pictures of Ian.  Here are a few that I couldn’t resist posting…. 

Ian with his green blanket

 

Special skills - winking while sticking out my tongue

 

Shaun and Ian

The plan is to go home tomorrow – yippie!!!  I hope that we can start updating the blog more frequently,  but it may take me a few weeks to get onto a schedule. 

Thanks for all the emails and calls and visits!!!  We can’t wait for everyone to get to know Ian!

39 Weeks – Stubborn Baby

Hi all

I hope you have a wonderful New Year and 2010 has started well for you! 

There are no pictures this week, but a quick update from our doctor’s visit today.  It looks like the little man seems to be a little comfortable.  He really has not descended and I am not dilated at all, actually I am closed up like fort knox. 

The doctor thinks there is a good chance that I may have to have a c-section since the baby is not moving down and that maybe his head is larger than my pelvis can handle. 

So the current plan is for us to check into the hospital Wednesday night, as long as they are not full of women in full labor.  They will then try to do a few things to get little man moving.  There is a chance that they may send me home if he continues to be uncooperative and re-try next week, but will see. 

Maybe we will have a baby by the end of the week, maybe the update will be that we will try again next week.  I will update as I can.

38 weeks – Merry Christmas

 

Hi all

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday and were able to give and receive many happy memories.

The first three days of the week were my last at work – 2 days at home and 1 on site.  I am now on vacation and waiting mode.  I will say that I am not so good at being patient and need to start finding ways to relax or keep my mind off of the ticking clock.  The end of the week was good for that as we had many Christmas events.

It kicked off on Thursday with my Mom attending my non-stress test, which went fine as usual.  Then she was able to see the ultrasound when the check my fluid level.  She had never seen one before and saw the little man’s head, chest/ribs/heart, and then his huge feet.  Yep, they are big… I believe there is a good chance he will be closer to the Anderl family height than I ever got.  Luckily I do know of some 6 foot 7 hockey players out there

My mom and I then stopped by to see John and Lisa and the girls to exchange a few gifts.  The girls were in a very festive mood and set the mood for the day.  Unfortunately I did not take any pictures.  Christmas Eve night we had family friends Vicki and Susannah over for our traditional Christmas Eve meal – Cream of Broccoli soup and Wild Rice soup.  It was very delicious and a fun evening.  We also stopped by our neighbors for an open house, but left after 20 mins or so as I needed to head to bed – don’t have tons of energy anymore.  We did get an Anderl/McAdams photo that night…

Ruth, Shaun and Carrie - Christmas Eve

Christmas day itself was very relaxed.  Shaun, my Mom and I opened gifts, had our traditional Sausage Fondue (egg dish) and then relaxed all day.  We had a nice dinner for the three of us and just enjoyed being together.  Here is a picture of Stanley enjoying his candy cane bone and then him helping me opening presents.  I did wear a special t-shirt that day that said… ‘I am hiding the best present EVER’…

Stanley with his 'candy cane'

Stanley helping me with presents

My Mom left the morning of the 26th after being a great help to us all week, we really appreciated all her help throughout the week!!

Shaun’s Mom, her fiance Bob, Karen, Doug, Abby, Ben, Kate and Gordy (dog) then came down to celebrate Christmas.  We had a great time catching up and having the kids help to break in the little man’s toys.  Abby loved the farm set we got from a friend’s garage sale and Ben took to the exerciser.  We also were able to have a great turkey dinner (first full turkey we had done without using the fryer).  After the kids went to bed we got a chance to watch the Hangover, recommend it for a laugh.  The only bad thing that day was that it rained all day and all our snow washed away!  Here is a picture of all of us, it took a couple and then the kids got tired of us continually readjusting.

The McAdams, Prechtel, Mack families

Sunday was another holiday celebration with Shaun’s Dad, stepmom Cindy, and step brothers Casey and Chad along with their girlfriends Tasha and Nicki down.  We had more food (ham this time) and laughs.  It was again great to see everyone and get a chance to hang out and watch some football.  Here is a picture of Poppy and Grandmom with Chad reading Abby one of her new books…

Reading to Abby

Shaun and I did see the doctor today.  The little man passed his non stress and according to the doctor I am still on a wait and see line.  The plan is to discuss induction next week if I don’t go naturally by then.  We will see how I do waiting and seeing

Hope you have a great week and Happy New Year!

37 weeks and snow

Hi all

Hope you are doing well.  Last week was my last full week of work.  I ended up working 2 days from home since I have found that the commute and the size of AZ was leading to some walking pains.  So in order to honor the working from home, here is a picture of me working from home today… you can only see 2 of the 3 computers that are currently on to support this habit…

Working from home

I am working 2 more days from home this week and 1 day on site.  Then I will be on vacation until the baby comes and I go on leave.  We saw the doctor today and I am still not moving anywhere close to showing signs the baby is coming… we will see.

I am ready for a break, I have found that I have a harder time focusing on things lately… a little scatter brained is what I would call it.  I pick up one thing to do and then start 2 others. 

As many of you know the East coast was hit this weekend with some snow.  We didn’t get hit as bad as downtown Philly who had the largest December snow fall in 100 years with 23+ inches.  According to Shaun’s estimates we got around 10 inches. 

Luckily my Mom came over before it got really going as we had cookies to make for the cookie exchange I had planned for Sunday.  We spent the day (okay Shaun and my Mom did most of the work) making snickerdoodles and orange drop cookies.   They are very tasty and I think we have over 15 dozen cookies total now.  Due to the snow we cancelled the cookie exchange since a number of people needed the time to shovel out.  I guess there is always next year and I now have tons of cookies to help my sweet tooth.

Shaun and Mom took care of getting rid of our snow.  Shaun was finally able to use the snow blower that my Dad left us in the house.  It did a great job and my Mom helped him as she could.  They wouldn’t let me help… oh well   Here is a picture before they cleaned out the driveway of Shaun cross-country skiing with Stanley.  They went across the street to the field for some time until Stanley caught the scent of a cat and Shaun had to take off the skis to chase him…

Shaun skiing, Stanley running to the right

Here is a picture of the house on Sunday looking ready for Christmas with the snow…

Hope you have a great Holiday week!!!  Merry Early Christmas!!!  Wish we could see everyone over the holiday!

36 weeks and feeling it

Hi all

I hit 36 weeks on Saturday and I am feeling it.  I have tried not to complain too much during the pregnancy since I have had it reasonably easy compared to some of my friends and stories I have heard.  Well I guess little man is making up for it in the 9th month. 

Due to where he is positioned and how big he is getting, I am having a much harder time walking.  The walk from the car to my cube at work usually is about a 5 minute walk and now it is taking me 10 – 15 minutes.  People must be looking at me strangely as I waddle/gimp to my desk.  I have made a decision though to try to work a few more days at home this week and next.  I am then taking vacation until my leave starts when the baby is born.  I am counting down the days… 3 more days on site, 4 more days working from home… so 7 days left

I don’t have any pictures of me, but will take some next weekend.  I did have an ultrasound today and the baby is doing well.  He is over 6 pounds based on their calculations getting towards 7 quickly.  They did do the first exam to see if I am dilated, etc… I am not.  So although Shaun and I believe he may come early, I don’t think it will be this week.

Here is a picture from the ultrasound, a very alien looking one.  It is his face and chest, you can kinda see the ribs.  Since he is getting bigger there is less room for good pictures, sorry it is a little hard to see.

36 week ultrasound

Otherwise we are doing well here… Stanley and Shaun went on a trip North today for a few hours to find grouse in celebration of Stanley’s 4th birthday.  I can’t believe we have had him that long.  He still seems and acts like a puppy. 

Have a good week!!!