Thursday, June 30, 2005

Brenden with dad 2


Brenden with dad 2
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
What can I say to this? We're a family now and it's still a difficult concept for me (and Jon) to get our heads around.

Brenden at 3 weeks.


Brenden at 3 weeks.
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Our boy is growing. I think we'll have to move him out of his bassinet into his crib at the six week mark.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Let's share


Let's share
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Brenden is three weeks old. I don't really have anything new to say - he's doing good, his father is busy, and I am slightly batty. Pookie, as you can see, likes Brenden even if he doesn't know how to pet her yet.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Jon's mom is here for a week and she's spoiling us rotten by taking care of Brenden at night. Sleep is a wonderful thing! So are grandmothers.

I can't decide if Brenden's arm movements remind me more of Joe Cocker or that robot from Lost in Space. He only gets the Joe Cocker facial expressions when he gets fussy. Sometimes I think I should get him little semaphore flags because I swear he's sending signals.

Not much else to say. Vasquez saw me playing with Brenden on the floor so she came over and butted heads with him, trying to get him to pet her. He of course flailed his little hands around and missed her completely, much to her disappointment.

We might actually go see Batman Begins tonight!

Monday, June 20, 2005

Catchin Rays


Catchin Rays
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Andrea and I sat by the pool on Saturday it was so nice. Brenden joined us and decided to soak up some rays. I kid - he was in the shade enjoying the breeze.

7 Months


7 Months
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Here's one of the photos my mom brought to give Brenden. It's of me at 7 months of age; my first Christmas.

I look like I'm cackling over all my loot.
Brenden is two weeks old today, and he had his first pediatrician visit. In short, she said: "keep doing what you're doing". Well okay then.

He has gained 9 ounces since birth. I think he lost three of them after that big poop he took shortly after being weighed.

Jon's sinus infection is back; he's on many meds. That didn't stop him from fixing the washing machine today although he has no idea how he fixed it.

I was exhausted by the end of Sunday. I don't know how people raise kids with no help. I am glad to note that I never get angry or impatient with Brenden, but there have been many times all ready where I have snotted up his onesie because I'm crying as hard as he is. Then Jon came home from the dz and I got to sleep a whole 5 hours in a row! What decadent luxury.

All the books say spend time talking and playing with your kid, even if he's just a newborn. I'm trying, although at night Brenden and I watch a lot of TV. I am just so zoned that's all I can muster. We have become big "Seinfeld" watchers because for some reason TiVo has obsessed in recording as many eps as it can hold of that sitcom.

As you can see, not much to say.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Just a quick note today. I am zombified because of last night. Brenden and I did okay; I just need to learn how to fall asleep quicker.

Anyways I have finally upgraded my Flickr account to Pro. That way I can post shots of Brenden for everyone to overdose on. I am putting it in my permanent links, as well.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Family Portrait


Family Portrait
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
How come quotes from Raising Arizona keep floating through my brain?
You would think that someone who is at home all the time would have time to write in her blog. I blame Brenden, and I'm sticking to my story.

Speaking of the little fella, his willy is all healed from the circumcision and his umbilical cord fell off last night. Hooray! That means I can start torturing him with real baths!

Tuesday Ileana graciously volunteered to babysit while Jon and I went to a movie. It felt so good to get out of the house! I forgot what sunlight was. We saw Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which was okay. My biggest complaint was the big scene where they beat the crap out of each other and then shtupped: they cut the scene! Dammit, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer ep where Spike and Buffy did the same thing was *far* more entertaining and sexy! Sheesh. I wanna see Batman Begins, dammit! Maybe when Jon's mom comes for a visit.

Ileana left Wednesday morning, and Jon and I discovered how spoiled we got having her here. But we've adjusted pretty well now and thanks to tag-team newborn care, I actually got enough sleep last night. My mom came by Wednesday and Thursday and got to meet her grandson; she brought a bunch of old pictures for him (which I *need* to put into an album!). They include shots of me as a young girl. Maybe I'll get around to scanning them and putting them on Flickr.

Yesterday was Brenden's first excursion out of the house: Jon and I had dinner at Lisa's house (she was the one who helped us set up our registry and was 38 months pregnant at the time). Her baby is 4 months old (and cute as a button but not as cute as ours). Brenden handled it pretty well with only a little fussing.

Tonight will be an interesting test: Brenden and I will be alone for the night. I think we can handle it. I'm learning to sleep and ignore all the little sounds he makes and only wake up for the fussy moments before he starts a good wail. I'll give Brenden his due: he warns you well before he lets go with the howling.

Monday, June 13, 2005

chilling


chilling
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Is it any wonder that chicks dig him? Actually all the guys dig him, too.

with mom


withmom
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
I found one picture of me with our baby during our hospital stay.
Happy Birthday Brenden! You are one week old today. Your abuela keeps threatening to run away with you; you have that effect on people. Again, I couldn't have made it through this first week without Ileana's help. I'm learning to deal - I haven't broken down in tears since Friday night. I have learnt that his crying isn't him in real pain - he just wants something. So I have learned not to panic. I just take my time and get what he needs done out of the way, then I comfort him.

I get a kick out of his little hands and feet. He doesn't really have any coordination yet, but every once in a while his flailing hand will find his mouth and he'll jam a finger in there and suck with much gusto.

I do realize I'm going to be a one-track blogger here for a while. Hell, I haven't been out of the house since I got back from the hospital! I'm almost looking forward to having my staples removed.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Brenden is sleeping soundly right now. I had a rough night - he had gas problems and tends not to sleep at night anyway. My dad's wife Ileana is here. She took over for me last night around 12 when I got so stressed I couldn't stop crying. She didn't wake me up until 9:30. Actually I woke up on my own. I owe her my life! Jon is out at the dz working - he needed a real break because he has really been doing a lot because of my C-section.

Jon just adores his kid. He's gotten good at doing all the drudge work - cleaning, changing, feeding, burping, etc. I'm working on trying to get him to talk to Brenden when he's holding him. I talk to him non-stop when I'm holding him. Jon has had reality slap him in the face - Thursday night he got stressed out and I spelled him for the rest of the night. Tag-team is the only way to handle this.

Brenden's poor little willie! The circumcision looks good - no signs of infection and I think we can stop wrapping it in gauze in a few days. I will feel so much better when his penis heals and his umbilical cord falls off - besides then we can start the full baths! Not that he needs them but I want to add that in to our activities.

The cats are for the most part, taking it in stride. Vasquez just doesn't give a shit - she's too old to be too curious and she can't hear the baby anyway. Big Fat Kitty is having a bout of sibling rivalry, I think. He's now number 2 on the totem pole and that confuses him. He sees me laying on the couch and there's this hairless kitten in his place. He's checked Brenden out a few times (no signs of allergies yet, hallelujiah!) and gets freaked when he starts waving his arms around or makes noises.

I did fall asleep on the bed with Brenden next to me a few afternoons ago. Big Fat Kitty jumped on the bed, and tactfully took a spot near my knees to lay down. That worked out perfectly.

I miss my beautiful, baby-filled round belly. Now I have this flaccid waist that would look right at home on any middle-aged man's beer belly. Not surprisingly I have to force myself to eat anything. I have zero hunger. I have these enormous ta-ta's, but so what. I also have 14 staples which should be removed Monday. Time is slow right now. Excuse me; I have to go stare raptly at my little baby again for a while.

Friday, June 10, 2005

dadson3


dadson3
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Proud dad with his new kid.

Brenden1


Brenden1
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Feed me!

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Brenden, Jon and I are back from the hospital. Matter of fact we left a day early because I didn't see any reason for us to stay.

For a quick recap, before Brenden wakes up: I couldn't sleep at all Sunday night. When 4am rolled around, Jon and Andrea woke up. We gathered some last minute items and we arrived at the hospital at 5. By six I had my L&D room; was dressed in a gown and was hooked up to an IV. By 6:30 I was in the O.R; by 6:45 I had received the spinal block and the docs were all business by then. I was layed out on this operating table, my arms out and loosely tied down. They draped a drape between my head and my belly, and at that point both Jon and Andrea were allowed in to watch.

Jon gave me progress reports of what the doc was doing; all I felt was pull-pull-tug-tug-yank-yank and I kept thinking "when is he going to cut?" Jon then said "It's almost over" and I'm still feeling pull-pull-tug-tug-yank-yank and then a big PUSH and I heard a baby cry. A few seconds later, someone brought the kid around to the other side of the curtain, and I saw this little baby - he was wet, but he wasn't bloody or covered in vernix at all. He had his eyes open, and they were wild and staring and I realized then that he had the same exact look on his face that I had on mine: "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!!?"

They whisk him away so Jon tells me what the doc is doing while stitching me up - including pulling my uterus out to examine it. Jon's taking this well but I'm a little tensed up so they give me something to relax. They brought the kid back in after a while and I spend some time looking at him and Jon gets to hold him. Me, I'm sinking into a Demerol haze and can't remember much after that but I'm simply astonished that something so perfect could come out of me. I'll write more later; but just so you know: Brenden Edward Maynard was born June 6th, 2005 at 6:53 A.M. 8 pounds, 2 ounces, 21 inches.

Brenden


Brenden
Originally uploaded by Sandra Maynard.
Jon and I think he's the most beautiful baby in the world. Everyone *is* right: it is absolutely impossible to be impartial about your own kid. But still: look at him!

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Less than 18 hours to go.

Still scared, and sleeping with nightmares. Last night I cried a lot. I finally figured out it's because I'm scared for Brenden. There's so many things that can be wrong with a newborn.

I'm feeling better today. It's so hot and muggy outside I couldn't resist the pool. I know why Brenden doesn't want to leave - it's so cozy and relaxing to just float around.

There's the finish line... just a few.... more...... feet!

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Less than 48 hours to go... I am excited, and nervous, and a little scared. Last night I had a great deal of nightmares - none about the baby, but nightmares nonetheless.

We had a pool party, of all things, last night. I didn't have to do much of anything, but I was still overwhelmed with the amount of people in the house. I went to bed early. One thing Jon did for me was to ask a young woman who is just learning to skydive to stay at the house and clean up in the morning.

Good God, Kristina! I don't think he meant 'clean the oil off the garage floor'! She did EVERYTHING! Kristina is from Lithuania and was an Au Pair for a while. She's nice and very calm. Jon and I are thinking about hiring her occasionally to help w/ Brenden. The nice thing is we can exchange her help for skydives.

So anyway, my house is CLEANER than it was last night. Can't beat that with a shovel.

I kept meaning to comment on this and it's about high time again: Congratulations many times over to Helly and Alan! They are now engaged, and that is so cool!

They both commented on how they met each other in Helly's blog: Here is Helly's story, and here is Alan's story. Alan is one of my oldest friends (along with Mark and Nancy); friends I've had since college. Only Hector and Victor, and Vasquez, have I known as long. Anyways I am sooo happy for Alan. And Helly, of course; one of these days I will get to meet her.

And I'm going to make a totally unsolicited suggestion for them: since I doubt Helly will ever convince Alan that a beach in the Caribbean is in no way the same thing as a beach in Florida or Georgia (different planets! Completely!), plus the cost might be prohibitive, I would like to suggest to them to get hitched in the Smokey Mountains, Tennessee.

Bear with me, guys! First off, befor Jon and I got out from under a mountain of debt we vacationed up there several times near Pigeon Forge. I also went up there for a friends wedding (I think it was in Townsend). Yes, it's the Redneck Riviera; that's part of it's charm!

There's a ton of things to do up there for one thing - from skiing to skeetball to shopping for cheapass tee-shirts. Plus, I always got a strange X-Files vibe from around there. I think it was caused by all the Ripley's Believe it or Not poop in Gatlinburg. Plus there's the kewl shark-infested aquarium and the spiffiest haunted house I've ever been in. But what I liked the most was the wedding I attended. It was low-key yet tasteful (in a Tennessee way) and PROFESSIONAL wedding. It was one of those Chapel O' Love deals, but for one affordable price, you could get a well-designed and well-run wedding that could be as traditional as you like. Everything ran like clockwork. I was truly impressed by the people who ran everything. Considering how nightmarish most weddings are, I really approve of forking over a wad of cash to these people and saying "do it".

All three times I was there we rented a house. Except for one that had a really shitty fireplace (gas logs BEHIND GLASS with a frickin' timer!!!!!) our experiences were good. Oh, back to that fireplace. I could pull my underwear down and stick my behind on the glass and maybe it would feel warm. The owners could have splurged on a bigger tv set and just stuck a video tape of a fire in and the effect would have been the same!

So just my suggestion to you both: if you want to plan a wedding/honeymoon not too far away with a minimum of fuss, think about Tennessee. If Jon and I hadn't done the Skydiving thing I'm sure we would have set it up there. Everything can make fun of rednecks all they want. There are some things they get right!

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Week 39 - 4 days

I haven't updated because I had nothing to say really. I feel like I've been on a long walk and even though I can see the finish line I just.... can't... reach... it!

But: I just got back from the doctor. I am scheduled for a C - Section Monday morning. Yes, I'm nervous and excited. And I am tickled that my kid's birthday will be D-Day. Heh.

Anyway, the kid is just fine - the C Section is because he's simply not showing any signs of actually wanting to leave. He's just floating around having a good time. His head isn't even remotely engaged. The doc said if we induce there's a slim to none chance of me delivering normally anyway; so I decided we'd skip that part and go straight to the cutting.

Oy. I am ready to not be pregnant any more!

To catch up on last week. A stupid bird got caught in the stove in our chimney. I tried to get him out and only succeeded in freeing him into the house. So Big Fat Kitty chased the bird, I chased BFK, and my husband called me an "idiot". I managed to keep BFK from hurting the bird (he was really outraged that I wouldn't let him play with his new toy), and I picked it up and set it outside. It didn't move any and I was afraid it was hurt. All of this happened Friday, I think; before I had to go to work. By the time I was ready to leave for work I burst out crying.

The weekend itself saw a continuation of my cleaning mania: I cleaned the pool again then I cleaned the refrigerator. Then I sat down with Quicken and worked on a budget, started tracking all of our assets and debts, and went back since the first of the year to correct all of my entries. My head hurts.

I did actually get some quality pool time on Saturday. Bliss. Wish I could have had a beer or two while I floated around. Not much longer at all!