Six Week Checkup

Xander went to the doctor's on Friday for his second well-baby checkup. He's now 11 pounds 6 ounces, 22 1/2 inches long. The heart murmur that the doctor heard at his first checkup has healed.

Starting three nights ago, he began sleeping for 4 1/2 to 5 hour stretches. The lactation consultants mentioned that at around 12 pounds babies have enough weight on them to stay asleep longer without getting hungry. This is pretty lucky for us--once he gets 5 1/2 hours at a stretch he's officially considered to have "slept through the night."

Mommy and Xander in Moby
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Six Weeks Old

Baby Xander quietly stalks the milk source. At the right moment he will pounce on the unsuspecting prey.

Xander Stalking Mommy
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Knitted Presents

Alexander has recieved some very thoughtful gifts from lots of people. Here are two items--a hat knitted by Grandma Dixie and a blanket crocheted by Buckland family friend Dorothy. Beautiful! Thank you!

Knitted Presents
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Beginning Smiles

Beginning Smiles
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland
Click on the photo for more images.

He looks a little concerned here, but he's about to smile.
For those of you who haven't been able to experience the baby-talk first hand, here's a partial list of nicknames we have for the little bumpkin:

Xander (official nickname)
Xander the Meanderer
Squiggly Worm
Wiggly Worm
Squigglebert
Mr. Burp-a-lot
Baby
Baby-boo
Mr. Cute
Sir Cute-a-lot
Mr. Man
Little Monkey
Cutie
Cutie Pie
Sweetie
Sugar-Pie
Mr. Mump (my favorite, coined by Micah)

In other news, we just found a daycare for Xander. It's a family day care run by a woman who used to be a nanny, her daughter and an assistant. They have five kids right now and Xander will be the sixth and youngest. The references I called all had glowing reviews. When I called tonight, the owner said that after we left the daycare, her daughter said, "oh I hope they place him here, he's such a little man." He will get lots of holding and love there. It's nice to have that taken care of.

One Month

Tomorrow young Xander will be four weeks--one month--old. What did he learn this month?

• puts hands in mouth (erratically)
  
• self-soothes by sucking hands
  
• can hold head up when on belly or on shoulder
  
• can move head from one side to other when on belly
  
• latches on very well
  
• makes occasional "coo" sound--mostly by accident or after a yawn
  
• focuses on faces and toys
  
• turns toward mom or dad's voice
• smiles randomly
  

Click on any of the photos to see more pictures.

Young Buddah Baby
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Growing Xander

We went to Alexander's first pediatrician appointment today. He is now 9 pounds 3 ounces! He gained 1 pound 12 oz since birth. He's also 20 1/2 inches long now. Growing like a cute little sprout.

He's sleeping on daddy's chest right now.

Young Alexander and His Hiccups

Young Alexander and His Hiccups
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Little human sounds coming from little humans are really cute.

Ready for my Closeup

Alexander is now two weeks and one day old. We're adjusting to baby time. It's amazing the difference between getting woken up ever hour versus getting woken up every three hours.

Micah and I are learning how to understand Xander's cries. There's the crying and rooting (hungry), the scrunched up wiggle worm (pooping), the dying cat wail (you aren't responding fast enough!), the quiet ah-lah (I've forgotten what I was crying about, but I'm still crying but I'm also kind of sleepy...), the constant fuss (change my diaper) and the less dramatic fuss (hold me).

We also have fallen into a routine--Micah has been making most meals, which is great since he's such a good cook. I'm feeding Xander every 2-3 hours. We take turns on diapers except at night when Micah does diaper duty while I wake up to nurse. Micah's managed to get in a bunch of bike rides and going in to work. I generally either sleep, do chores, or take walks with Xander when I'm not nursing him. I got a chance to go swimming the other day, too.

We both agree that he's the best thing that ever happened to us.

closeup
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Alexander in Motion

Alexander in Motion
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Yes, at long last, coming to the small screen near you: Alexander Charles Ledbetter in full motion.

Alexander's First Trips

Alexander is now a week old and he's done a bunch of things already. His first bouldering trip--to Turtle Rock in Marin County--was on november 13th. He hung out in the shade with his mom while his dad was climbing, and vice-versa. The Ledbetter grandparents, Denis and Ellen, had come to visit a few days before and joined us at the rock. Later that day he went out to his first restaraunt--sushi in Rockridge--with Ann and Wiley. Lauren was very happy to finally have some raw fish, boy was it good.

IMG_0705
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Birth Story

I thought I'd add a condensed version of how the birth went. I loved reading birth stories when I was pregnant--just to see how things might turn out.

Pretty much there's no planning anything. Beyond the goal of making sure Alexander was born healthy, I had wanted--ideally--to start birth naturally, use hypnobirthing techniques to manage the discomfort, and give birth with very little pain medication.

What ended up happening was different, but still an incredible experience. Since Alexander was overdue, the doctors had us schedule an induction for November 5th. I started having contractions on November 3rd, but they weren't regular (every 6 to 10 minutes). I went in to the hospital as scheduled with Mom and Micah on November 5th at 6:30 pm. I was barely (1-2 cm) dilated. Around 9 pm they started me on pitocin to augment my labor. Within an hour and a half I was having contractions every 2 minutes. However after four hours of this, I still wasn't any more dilated. At that point I decided I was in it for the long haul and opted to have some morphine. Though it didn't deaden the pain, it did make it more manageable.

After a few more hours, the doctors checked me again and I still wasn't dilated. The doctor manually tried to dilate me (very happy I had painkillers at this point) and I immediately moved open to 4 centimeters. After that, things progressed normally--with me ready to push around 10 am. Alexander was born at 11:02 am after 14 hours of labor. Micah received him, cut the cord, then bathed him and we all got into bed together to snuggle for half an hour. The nurse and doctor who were with us for the delivery were great--very willing to have us use alternative pushing techniques.

So did the hypnobirthing work? It kept me calm--the whole labor was very calm and almost meditative for me. I used hypnobirthing to relax through contractions--I listened to the relaxation CD and Micah read some scripts to me. I needed it completely quiet during contractions--the only thing I felt comfortable doing was closing my eyes and breathing out very slowly while moaning. (My mom called it humming, I think of it as lowing like a cow.) I eventually became overwhelmed with contractions (also not dilating at all was worrying me) so opted to use drugs.

Newborn Family

Baby Alexander is alert and on Daddy's chest next to Mommy. He's about 30 minutes old in this photo. Click on the photo to see some other pictures.

We're all home now and doing very well. Alexander is too cute for words!

We'll upload more after we get some sleep!

Newborn Family
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

No News Yet..

Baby still is happy in his warm little womb. I'm scheduled to go in tomorrow early evening to be induced, though, so it is likely that baby will be born by Friday. I've been having somewhat regular contractions since last night, so *maybe* I'll go into labor naturally. That would be nice.

Mom and I have been walking, window shopping, knitting and cooking for the past few days, just hanging out. Several of the stores in Rockridge are offering 15% discounts today if you voted. We were on a search for Obama pins--only found Obama action figures--but were told we can get some cheap pins outside a nearby Safeway.

Tonight we're going to go to a local pub to eat burgers & fries, drink beer (those of us who can) and watch the election results on TV. Go-bama! No on Prop 8!

Flashback!

Forty-one weeks and 35 pounds ago....
Less than a week to go until baby is out and cooing, gurgling and pooping!

Week 11 or so
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Trick or Treat

For his first Halloween, I dressed baby up as a pumpkin. Note the resemblance to the round, red ball at the top right of the picture.

Lauren and Baby's Halloween Costume
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Check Back in a Week

Went to the doctor's again today--I'm not getting much closer to labor. It will be 41 weeks on Halloween. My costume ideas are all based on large, rotund objects--pumpkin, blimp, a small planet.

We scheduled an appointment for induction for a week from today. Hopefully, he'll decide to show up before then. I'm certainly ready now.

When oh when?

I had Mom move her flight a week out because there isn't much action on the baby front. She's coming in next Saturday. We surmised that maybe baby is waiting for grandma to get here. I have an appointment on Wednesday, and they're going to "talk about induction." I suspect that they were off a week on my due date--one reason is that at our 10-week ultrasound, the embryo was measuring a week earlier than they anticipated, but they decided not to change my due date.

Here's baby's horoscope from yesterday. I think it's kind of funny:

You have a lot on your plate already and the world seems to be piling more upon it each day. A grim situation which you can't wait to be free from looks as if it is determined to hover for a while longer. You are beginning to lose faith in the notion that one day, things will be easier and lighter. But the thunderous noise that you can hear in the distance is not an imminent heavy storm. It is the sound of hooves. A cosmic cavalry is riding to your rescue. Soon you will have a real cause for great celebration.

Sweater on Phineas Picnic

I just finished sewing a baby sweater for junior. In the photo below, Micah holds Phineas Picnic (bunny knitted for me by Danette) who is modeling the sweater. I used fabric from a cashmere sweater that I accidentally shrunk and added a fish applique and blanket-stitched yarn around the edges. I have two more shrunken sweaters to transform into baby items. One will become a blanket, the other, maybe another sweater.

Sweater on Phineas Picnic
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Additional Belly Castings on Flickr

This photostream is pretty cool-check out all the designs she's used to paint the belly.

Belly Casting (Amy's 1st) Sports theme
Originally uploaded by Hope's art

Plaster Cast of Belly 39 Weeks 5 days

I'm off work now, and it's so nice! I've been cooking and freezing food for post-baby, running errands, planting mums in containers in the back, cleaning house, and try to walk a bit each day. This evening is prenatal yoga--maybe (hopefully?) my last class. Tomorrow is a prenatal visit and I scheduled an at-home massage. Mom flies in on Sunday, and hopefully baby will come along before she leaves on the 2nd of November.

Last night Danette came over and we made a plaster cast of my torso. It's drying here in this picture. I'm thinking of a few ideas for it..and am accepting suggestions. :)

• Halloween costume for Micah
  
• paint it navy blue, drill little constellation-type holes in it and light it from behind
  
• paint it with a henna-type design
  
• make it waterproof,hang it on the wall and have plants growing out of the top
  
• flip it over and use it as a fruit bowl
  
• use it as a slightly inappropriate centerpiece during a dinner party
  

Plaster Cast of Belly 39 Weeks 5 days
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

New Arrival?

No, not yet, junior has not arrived. But I wanted to share one of the half dozen pictures I've collected of cute things. Rather than use a candle, or a rock, or a peacefull image to focus on while in labor I'm going to have a whole bunch of pictures of really cute things that make me feel giddy. I'll report back and let you know if it works.

Cute Kitten
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Still Pregnant

I'm due in ten days, so I shouldn't be hoping to go into labor soon, but I am. Micah predicts next Monday. My last day of work is this Friday. Tonight I led a public meeting in Orinda for their Bicycle, Trail and Walkway Master Plan that I'm managing. Came home all invigorated from the meeting and am just now winding down enough to go to bed.

Real Round Belly - 38 weeks

This is probably the most surreal view of my larger-and-larger belly. I gained 1 pound this week, 3 pounds the week before. I'm just now beginning to want to stop being pregnant. It's kind of like wishing for Christmas to come, except with shortness of breath, inability to pick anything up from the floor, aching hips keeping me up at night, and exhaustion.

Real Round Belly - 38 weeks
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland
Oh, and here's some pictures from the baby shower.

Pica, Status, Baby Shower

Ever heard of pica? It's common in kids and pregnant women--a craving for inedible or strange things, like dirt, ice, baking soda. I'm pretty sure I have a mild form of it--I really like the smell of Pine Sol, roof tar and fresh asphalt. I discovered my cravings as they were repaving the street in front of our work building. They don't know what causes it, but it tends to be related to an iron deficiency. And women who had it as kids are more likely to have it when they're pregnant. I think I may have had pica as a kid--I remember standing in the car exhaust breathing in the fumes because they smelled so good. Plus I did (still do) really like the smell of mildew.

In other news, my doctor seems to think I'll be on time or maybe a bit early. Micah leans over to my belly several times a day and tells junior that he should just stay in there for a week and a half longer so Daddy can get his job applications done.

And, lastly, my neighbors Else and Emily threw a wonderful baby shower for us! Else's sister decorated the house, and we had a lot of our friends come for a potluck brunch. Micah's parents came down from Humboldt for the day. It was great to see everyone, and I'll post photos soon.

Things are Coming Together

We're close to ready. Some items that we've gotten done recently:

• Purchased used glider on Craigslist ($200 for $500 glider, great deal)
• Looked at rugs for office/baby room
• Got permission from our landlady to use a spare dresser she has in the garage (Micah's dresser will be the changing table)
  
• Found a doula in training who needs one more birth before she can become certified and will interview her soon
  
• Took cats to vet for a flea bath and nail trimming (they are so much happier now)
• Calculated how many days a week I have to go back to work in January (4 at my current salary, possibly 3 if we're really budget-conscious, I get a raise or we find low-cost daycare)
• Ordered diaper service
• Got references for about 15 home-based daycare centers in Berkeley near my work
• Researched breast pumps and decided on one
  
• Signed up for baby CPR and first aid classes
  

It's been a lot of work. Especially while working full-time, ok more than full-time, and not getting enough sleep at night. (Stress, aches and pains and a highly compressed bladder will do that to you.) Surprisingly, I'm not too overwhelmed. I think it helps that I'm still listening to the relaxation CD that came with our hypnosis class, and it works wonders. When Micah gets the chance to read a script to me, that is also very nice.

Saturday we have a little pre-baby birthday party brunch that my backyard neighbors are organizing. Super sweet!

Stinson Beach Day Off

My work organized a trip to Stinson Beach last Friday. You can see pictures if you click on the one below. It was actually really warm -- 73 degrees--and I probably could have gone swimming if I was so inclined.

Lauren Wading
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Only four weeks left!

The photo is from last week, but I'm already bigger. I don't look too happy because my back was hurting. I gave up biking to work because of it. Now I walk 1/2 mile to the bus stop or *gasp* drive to work.

This weekend Micah and I spent a lot of time organizing and cleaning the house and comparison shopping for the furniture we need--a glider chair for nursing, a new desk and desk chair for Micah, a new, possibly bigger bed for us, and a rug for the office/nursing room/studio.

I went to yoga class on Saturday and saw a woman from our hypnobirthing class--she's one week overdue and they want to induce her. She's trying all kinds of things to naturally induce labor--including eggplant parmesan and spicy pizza, walking, intimate relations with her husband. Another woman from our class gave birth 3 weeks early and it was less than three hours from her water breaking to delivery. First child, too.

My last day of work is Oct 17th, and I'm looking forward to having a week to relax and get the last things in order, and get some sleep before the little one comes along and changes everything.

Thirty Five Weeks
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

No photos, but some stories

I guess I'm supposed to have people coming up to me and grabbing my belly and offering unsolicited, rude advice, but I haven't experienced that at all. Instead, my interactions with strangers has been really nice. Here's some examples, most taking place on public transit (and nicely illustrating why I like taking the train and bus):

Micah and I were waiting for BART at Embarcadero station after Sunday Streets and a man about 65 approached us with a plastic bag. The bag was completely full of dates. He offered us some, stating that back in his country, they always made sure pregnant women ate dates, as they were very good for pregnant women. We each grabbed a handful, and they were delicious.

I was walking back to BART along Market Street after having brunch at the Blue Bottle Cafe and seeing the Frieda Kahlo exhibit at SFMoma with Danette, Jay, Sabrina, Jenny, Derek, Alex and one of Alex's friends. A young (20's?) Asian guy walks up next to me and says, "you're having a girl." I say no, actually, it's a boy. We begin to talk and it turns out his high school sweetheart is pregnant. We walk down to BART together and he tells me about how they found out. His girlfriend's grandmother had a dream about fishes and at the next family gathering pointed to her granddaughter and said "I had a dream. You're pregnant." Turns out she was right, and neither of them knew at the time.

I was taking the bus home from work today and three preteen girls got on. They were chatting and giggling in the back of the bus, and one of them came up to me and asked if I was pregnant. I said yes, and the others all came over and asked if it was a boy or a girl and started telling me about how their sister and their cousin were both pregnant. We all got off at the same stop and one of the girls asked if she could touch my belly, and I said yes. Another asked if we had a name yet and I said no. She asked what the baby's father's name was, and I said Micah. She said we should name him that. Then they all got on another bus to go to Telegraph Avenue.

I got on the bus last week on my way to Cafe Grattitude to meet some friends for a birthday dinner. The bus driver saw me and said, "How you two doing?"

Oh there's one more...I was early to Cafe Grattitude (a vegan, raw, organic, hippy, love-in sort of place) and the hostess seated me early. As I was waiting for my friends, our waitress came over and told me about a website where women give birth in the Black Sea among dolphins birthasweknowit.com. Then the bartender gave me a free sample of an amazing sweet almond drink.

Obama Mama

Here I am at thirty weeks--this was taken around August 13th.
Baby is really kicking now--last night Micah and I sat around on the sofa and watched my belly move like in Aliens.

We're coming along with preparations..including:

• ordered a combined carseat/stroller.
  
• given the cats baths and combed them
  
• made space in our spare bedroom for baby supplies
  
• started looking into daycare for February
  
• taken many classes (hypnobirthing, breastfeeding, taking care of baby)
  
• made a financial plan
  
• asked for a raise :)

We're both VERY excited - only 8 more weeks to go (give or take two weeks!)

Lauren at 30 weeks
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

really fuzzy photo of ultrasound on May 8th

This is from the second ultrasound we had--the first picture of baby looking like more than a little jellybean. It's a side view of him--youc an see his belly, ribs, then his little head, nose and mouth. The still photos don't do the ultrasound justice--it is amazing to see how much he moves--he's very active. When I feel him move these days, he bumps around regularly for about 10 minutes then calms down and sleeps. Once I felt him with hiccups.

My next ultrasound is scheduled for weeks 37/38 to see if he's in the proper birthing position- head down.

photo of ultrasound on May 8th
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Week 26

This photo is a few weeks old--taken on July 26th. I now weigh as much as Micah!

Fortunately, almost all my maternity clothes are borrowed or used. For new items, I've purchased a bathing suit, two pairs of pants, two tops and two bras new for about $300. In contrast, I have two drawers of borrowed clothes, and a (used) skirt, three tops, and a pair of pants for $70.

We're beginning to figure out how to organize/rearrange our house to accommodate baby. The idea right now is to block off one half of our house into an extended bedroom/private area with no kitty access using walk-through pet gates and have baby sleep with us in a cosleeper in our bedroom.

We finished hypnobirthing classes last week, but continue to practice.
Tomorrow we go to our first newborn care class--free through my health insurance! We're also signed up for classes to learn about "what to expect in the hospital" and breastfeeding.

We have a busy next three months!

Micah and Lauren and Junior
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Look at that Belly

Here's some more pics of the belly from our Trondheim, Norway trip two weeks ago.

Micah and I started taking HypnoBirthing classes last week. The idea behind this birthing technique is to learn methods of deep relaxation (essentially self-hypnosis) that you can use during labor to reduce or even eliminate the pain. Micah reads relaxation scripts to me and I practice relaxing & listening to affirmations (e.g. "your body and your baby are working together for a calm, peaceful birth"). I have faith that this will really help create a calm joyful birth.

In terms of medicine, I'll be totally willing to have some if I need it, but my first method will be relaxing and letting my body do what it does naturally. I'm pretty excited about the whole process, and very excited to meet the little bugger that is bumping around in my belly.

Look at that Belly
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Week 20 or so

This was taken June 7th, when it was really hot out. I'm wearing a dress Grandma Georgia helped me make (she helped me fit it). That's Micah's bike in the picture.

Picture with Bike
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Norway!

We're off to Norway for a week! Micah is presenting at a physics conference, and I'll be walking around the medieval town of Trondheim. He managed to come up with some new discoveries yesterday, so he'll be talking about something no one else has done--exciting!

Baby is really moving around now. Micah felt him kick last night. You could actually see my belly move.

I'm getting bigger by the day, too. I'm up to four meals a day.

We'll post pictures and stories from our trip.

Week 20

We've reached the halfway point! Hard to believe it is already here. At the 20-week appointment on Tuesday, they measured my belly by putting a measuring tape going up the center of my belly (pubic bone to top of uterus). I'm 20 cm. We listened to baby's heart beat and the doctor could hear when he was kicking. Now I realize that all those little plips and pops and things I thought were intestinal workings are baby movements. He's a very active little one.

Belly Week 17 or so.

So, I meant to do some sort of cool art project that involved taking pictures every week in the same position and meshing them together in a video, but have failed to take more than four photos. But even so, the photos are kind of cool.

Belly Week 17 or so.
Originally uploaded by lauren buckland

Start of the Belly

I just wanted to set up this website to keep far away friends and family up-to-date on Micah & I and the soon-to-be here little one.

Baby Ledbetter is due on October 24, which means I'm 18 weeks pregnant tomorrow--nearly halfway through. However, each time I've been to the doctor, they seem to think I'm a week earlier, so I wouldn't be surprised if baby came along a week later.

We just heard back from the doctor on the amnio test--baby's chromosomes are all normal, and he's a boy.

I think I look pregnant, and so does Micah, but I haven't had anyone asking me when I'm due or noticing, so I suspect I just look like I ate a big burrito. I think I'll post a belly picture soon.