Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!  Watson's first Christmas was a great success and so much fun!    Dad and Pat came to do an early Christmas last weekend and we had such a great visit with them.  Today, Watson's present to us was to snuggle in bed and go back to sleep until 10 am after he got his 7 am feed!!  This is usually when he is up for the day!  So Jason and I were well rested!  We got up and started getting ready for our company to arrive when it started pouring SNOW!  And it snowed all day...still is snowing!!  We had 14 dear family members over to our house for dinner, which went fabulously.  It was yummy and fun to visit with everyone.  Watson really enjoyed all of the presents and was in such a good mood all day.  I hope all of you had a wonderful day as well.  Here are our pictures from this Christmas!  Enjoy!

Watson is 6 months old today!!!  He weighed 17 lb 14 oz at his 6 mo dr apt on Monday and did really well with all of his shots.  He is a healthy little boy!  He is sitting up on his own and reaching for EVERYTHING now.  He really likes the remote control and my cell phone.  He LOVES to eat solids and is doing great with it.  We put him in a booster chair to eat solids and he loves getting in it.  He is more and more alert and interested in everything going on around him.  We took him to Lenox Mall this past weekend and he just looked around at all the people and things the entire time.  Jason and I decorated for Christmas last weekend as well, including putting up our tree.  Watson was in awe of it when he woke up- he just stares at the lights and tries to touch the tree and ornaments.  He is such a happy baby- really only cries when he needs something...mainly food!  We are looking forward to having everyone at our house for Christmas this year.  Jason and I continue to fall more and more in love with this little boy- he just melts our hearts!!!

Watson 4-5 months

Time is going by so fast!  Watson is doing great but changing every day.  We started solids 2 weeks ago and he has done really well so far.  I am making some of my own baby food and my neighbor is giving us some of her baby food, Yummy Spoonfuls (http://www.yummyspoonfuls.com/).  The only thing so far that he really doesn't seem to care for is avocado- he spits it out and even threw up over the side of his chair today when I kept trying to give it to him!  He is really vocal now, which is so funny to listen to him.  He blows bubbles and makes all kinds of funny noises.  We took him to his 1st Ga Tech game yesterday and he did so good!  He enjoyed watching all of the people, the game and the pom poms shaking!  He weighed in at 18 lbs on Friday at the pediatrician's office.  The picture below is a link to the latest pictures- just click on the picture!

4-5 months (november)

3-4 months

Well, time is flying by!  I went back to work September 7.  It is going really well.  It is nice to get out and feel like myself again!  I am working 3 days a week, so it is a nice balance.  Our little guy is growing so fast and is getting cuter and cuter by the day!  He is so talkative now- I wish I knew what he was saying!  He has his 4 month pediatrician visit on Monday and I think he is going to weigh in around 16 lbs!  He has to get shots so I am dreading that for him.  Jason and I went to Columbus for Brannon and Taylor's wedding last weekend.  It was our first time away from Watson for a weekend.  We had a blast but were excited to see him on Sunday when we got back.  We also celebrated our 5 yr anniversary this weekend!  Hard to believe it has already been 5 years!!  We got back from St Simons Island, Ga today.  Were there for the past week with Jason's family.  It was a great, relaxing week.  Our weather was awesome and Watson did really good being away and even for the 5 hour drive to and from!  We are planning to take him to a pumpkin patch next weekend.  We are going to the Ole Miss/Auburn game Halloween weekend so I am excited he will get to meet some of my besties from college!  I have some new pics from the past month below! You can click on the slideshow and it will take you to the album where pics can be seen bigger!

2-3 months

We have had a busy month!  I took Watson to Albany and visited my dad and grandparents a few weeks ago then headed to Macon for a "Sip and See" that Gloria and Rick had to introduce Watson to their friends and family.  It all went really well- he traveled great!  We have ventured out a little more.  We took him to dinner 3 times and he did good, it's just such a hassle to get everything together!  He goes to bed now at 7:30 and gets up almost on the dot at 7:30 am.  We still don't have a great daytime routine, but that is okay given how good he sleeps at night!  Watson is smiling and laughing all the time.  He makes new noises daily that Jason and I enjoy watching and hearing!  He loves all of his toys and the newest thing are the Baby Einstein DVD's.  He LOVES it!  And I am a big fan too because he will watch it, laugh, squeal in delight at the stupid little pictures that pop up...while I enjoy my coffee and breakfast!  We got a baby float and took him to the pool yesterday.  He wasn't a big fan at first.  I think this is because it wasn't as warm as his bath water.  But it didn't take long before he was enjoying it and even was kicking his little legs.  He floated around in the pool and then fell asleep in his stroller after.  I go back to work next Tuesday!  Hard to believe 12 weeks have come and gone!!  I am excited but will miss my little guy.  I am thankful that I have a job that allows me to work in an office part time so I can get away some but still have time with my baby.  Click the link below to see our latest pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/117845436179330967199/Watson23Mo?feat=directlink

10 weeks old!

I can't believe Watson is already 10 weeks old!  The time has FLOWN by!  We had his 2 month well check visit last Monday.  He was 12 lb 2 oz.  So much for me being so worried about him gaining weight slowly.  The little guy gained 3 lbs in the past month!  I know how...he eats every 2 hours in the a.m. and then goes to every 3 hours in the afternoon.  I can't complain b/c he is sleeping 12 hours at night!!  We put him down around 7:30 or 8:00 pm and he gets up at around 7:30 am.  He is such a cutie!  I just love snuggling with him!  He did great getting all of his shots at the doctor appointment- cried a little but I nursed him and he fell right to sleep. 
We went on a tour of south GA this past week.  I left on Wednesday and went to Albany to visit my dad Wed- Thurs.  We had a nice visit and then I stopped by my grand parents on Thursday.  They really appreciated me stopping in to let them see Watson again.  I headed up to Macon after that visit and was there Thurs- Sun.  Jason came to Macon on Fri.  His sister was in town for a "Sip n' See" party that Jason's parents had on Saturday to introduce Watson to their friends.  Watson was so good at the party!  I was so proud of him!! 
He still has problems with reflux but the medication keeps him from being in pain and miserable.  I am lucky to work at a peds GI office b/c they have been taking care of him and are sending me samples of the meds so we don't have to buy them (our insurance didn't want to pay for it!). 
I will upload some new pics when I get a chance.

Getting Bigger!

Watson will be 2 months old next week!!  Things are getting easier as we get used to him and his personality.  He has been sleeping about 10 hours/night most nights now that we have a good bedtime routine down.  We are still working on a daytime schedule with naps and what is going to work best for him.  He has started noticing toys and laughing at them in the past 2 weeks which is really fun for us to watch.  It also helps us with having some hands free time because he can entertain himself with the toys that hang above his bouncy seat and playmat.  He was 11 pounds last week when I took him in to see one of my fave GI docs.  His refulx was acting up again so I took him in and we adjusted the dose of his meds.  This made a big difference for him.  Jason and I had our first date night since Watson was born this past Saturday night!!  My mom came and babysat for us while we went to Eclipse di Luna.  This was our first dinner date 7 years ago and now was our first post baby dinner date!  I am posting some more pictures below!

Watson 2-5 weeks old

So, it has been a little rough.  Watson's sleep habits have gone from really good to him wanting to stay up after the 3 am feed....until 7 or 8 am.  So we are starting a schedule this w/e and have moved him into his crib in his nursery after last night's episode!!  He has reflux and is now on Prevacid and is doing much better...so the fussiness has improved with this under control now!  Things are still pretty crazy- I don't have much time to do anything for myself, which is why this blog is so choppy...but it's an update nonetheless.  We had our 1st trip to the lake last w/e and it went well after he got the reflux meds.  I have attached more pics below!

We made it 2 weeks!

Well, we made the 2 week mark!  Watson is doing really good with his sleep now.  I am actually having to wake him up to nurse after 5 hours.  He has not regained his birth weight so we are having to give him some formula because I am not keeping up with his needs quite yet.  He is such a good baby and is smiling a lot, which is great to see!  It's too hot outside to go strolling right now but I am hoping this weekend that we can get out early or late with Watson and the dogs.  We'll see how that goes!  I am posting some pics from his first 2 weeks!

Watson's arrival

So I was supposed to be induced 6/8 at 7 pm but my water broke before and I ended up at the hospital around 4:00. 25 long hours later, Watson came into this world 6/9 at 4:41 pm. All in all, it wasn't too bad...that is thanks to Fentanyl, epidural, RX strength Ibuprofen and Percocet. The worst part was the fact that I was exhausted...delirious from being up all night the night before + all night 6/8-6/9 (with the exception of about 1 hour the night before and 3 hours the laboring night after I got Fentanyl). Jason was an AWESOME coach! I am so lucky to have such a great husband! He is so hands on with Watson- it is so sweet to see him interact with Watson...I could watch them all day long! He's also been a great nurse for me, helping me do things around the house (or making me rest and not do things!) and making sure that I am taking the meds on time, documenting feeds, changing diapers, dressing the baby, etc.
The dogs surprised us the most. We sent 2 of Watson's shirts + blanket home with the Koch's the night before we were d/c from hospital. They said that Toby took both shirts, playing with them, wearing one on his head and then guarded them and would not let Tucker or the Koch's near them. When we got home, we introduced the boys. Tucker is really indifferent but Toby is being a big brother. He will not leave the baby's side- sits at the foot of the swing, stares at the baby, if he can't see the baby (crib or bassinet) then he will cry until we lift him and let him look and see that Watson is ok.
We had our first "outing" to the pediatrician yesterday. The appointment was at 10 am and we were getting ready by 8:15. We barely made it by 10....we are quickly learning to allow an extra 30 minutes AT LEAST for everything!!! We had to go in for a jaundice check b/c Watson was slightly jaundiced on d/c from the hospital. Long story short, the MD is not worried at all and said to come back for the newborn weight check on Wed when he is a week old. I was more concerned b/c he isn't breastfeeding as well as I'd like and his weight was down to 7 lb 1 oz. That is about a 9.5% weight loss. Me being a peds dietitian, I calculated this out and KNOW that it is totally normal and that babies don't need much breast milk in the first days of life, blah, blah blah....but it is totally different when it is your own child and I find myself second guessing things that I KNOW...very frustrating. Anyways...he is doing much better with the feeding now. The RN in the hospital said boys don't do as well after they are circumcised and then they are doped up for 24 hours with Tylenol and that doesn't help.
Overall, things are going good at home though. I will be ready to get him on a good schedule but he is too young and too little right now so we just have to go with the flow. This for Watson means sleeping most of the day and then waking around 10 and wanting to socialize until about 4 am. But then he sleep right well from there on.
Hope you all enjoy the pics- click on the picture posted and it will take you to the whole album. We will try to update the blog and post new pics as we are able!!

Only 1 more week...or less!!

I had my 37 weeks OB appointment this past Thursday and things are moving right along.  I was 1 cm dilated, 50-75% effaced and Watson is all the way down and ready to go!  So, the plan is that I will be admitted the evening of 6/8 to start the induction process and he will be here on 6/9.  That is if he doesn't come on his own before then!  We will keep everyone posted. 
I still don't have too many complaints.  It's definitely not as easy to get around and I have to go to the bathroom ALL the time.  My feet really hurt and my legs/ankles/feet are swollen by night time.  My sleep hasn't been all that great the last week or two. 
For Memorial Day W/e, Jason and I wanted to take it easy and get some more things done around the house.  Friday we were both tired and ended up staying in and going through the Krystal drive through around 9:30 pm.  By midnight, I was vomiting.  Turns out, I had food poisoning from my Krystal order and this went on until about 4 am.  It SUCKED!!!!  Not easy vomiting into a toilet with a big belly!!!  I was fine Saturday morning.  I cooked some things to freeze for after Watson's arrival and Jason worked on some projects around the house.  We had friends over for dinner Saturday night.  They brought their precious little 17 month old daughter....turns out our house is not child proof- AT ALL!!  And Toby does not get along with little ones.  Tucker did fine though.  It was cute.  She wanted to hold the ball that he kept dropping in front of her and he was wondering why she was not throwing the ball to him- there was a little bit of a communication problem there.  But they eventually figured it out.  We went to the Braves game yesterday which was fun- we won't be doing that again for a while! 
I hope everyone else had a great holiday w/e.  We will keep you all posted!!

We are just waiting now!

It has been a while since I posted so I will try to update everyone.  Jason and I headed to Lake Blackshear the last w/e of April for our last lake weekend without any kids.  We enjoyed the sunshine and relaxing.  Our shower in Macon was the 1st w/e of May.  It was great!  We spent the w/e with Jason's parents and his sister came down from Charleston.  The shower was nice and we received lots of great, much needed stuff!  Last w/e we went to Carillon Beach for a friend's wedding.  I was 34 weeks pregnant, so being on my feet all w/e and then the 6 hour drive home Sunday didn't do any good for swelling!  My ankles and feet were so swollen!  They are looking better now thankfully!  We had a great time at the wedding and got in some good beach time Friday and Saturday. 

My 34 week OB apt was last Thursday.  Watson looks good.  He wouldn't cooperate for the nonstress test, so my OB did an ultrasound.  They do the NST in women with gestational diabetes to make sure the baby is doing okay and that the amniotic fluid level is good.  The point is to see what his heartbeat did whenever he would move.  Well, this child moves all of the time but wouldn't budge for the test.  I was glad that we got to do an ultrasound so I could find out how big he is!  Once my doctor started the u/s, Watson started moving!  We were able to get some good pics of him for the 1st time.  I think he looks a lot like Jason.  We watched him suck/swallow/open/close his mouth and then he would suck on his fist!  It was really cute!  a/w.  Everything looked good.  He weighed in at 5 lbs 7 oz, which is the 69%ile for gestational age.  His femur bone (leg) is measuring between the 70-80%ile, so I think he may be tall as well.  If he keeps up the weight curve of ~70%ile, he would be ~8 lbs 6 oz at birth.  I go back to the doctor tomorrow for my 35 week appointment.
It's hard to believe we are so close!  Everything for the most part is done.  We still have a few small things left, but it shouldn't take more than a few hours in 1 day to get everything left to do done!    I am posting some recent pics below.

Dad and I at Betsy's wedding- 34 weeks pregnant

Melanie, me, Gloria at the Macon shower- 33 weeks pregnant

32 week appointment and CCDHC Shower

I had my 32 week appointment this morning.  I am measuring at 33 weeks.  My doctor is a little concerned about some of my blood sugar levels, so I will go back again next week for another follow up.  If my blood sugars aren't better, then I think she is going to put me on an oral diabetic med.  I will also start having the fetal stress tests next week when I go back.  This is where they put the fetal monitor around me and watch his heartbeat over a period of time.  They do this with women who have gestational diabetes (GD) so they can make sure the baby is doing okay since there can be issues with the placenta.  I will have another ultrasound at 36 weeks to determine his size since larger babies are also more common in women who have GD. After my appointment, the GI office I work at 3 days a week gave me a baby shower.  It was so nice!  One of our pharm reps catered PF Chang's and everyone was so generous. My mom was able to make it to this shower as well.  I came home after the shower and washed all the linens, clothes, etc. that we received.  I was able to put things away in his closet/dresser/room.  I am getting really excited about his nearing arrival as I get the nursery more and more together!!

Atlanta Baby Shower and Nursery

Jason and I have been hard at work the last 2 weekends getting the nursery ready for this weekend. My grandparents and his parents came up this weekend for my first baby shower that was today at Meg's house. I am so happy with the way the nursery turned out!! Link to the pics below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/117845436179330967199/Nursery#slideshow/5461659480195941106

The shower was so nice and so much fun! This is the fun part...getting ready....and it is also the part that makes me realize how close we are to Watson's arrival! We received lots of great gifts that were fun putting away in his room when we got home. I didn't realize how BIG I have gotten until I saw all the pics from the shower- wowzers...and to think I am probably going to double in size before he gets here!!! Link to the pics below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/117845436179330967199/AtlantaBabyShower#5461662813407615282

30 week appointment

 I had my 30 week appointment yesterday.  We didn't do an ultrasound this visit but Watson's heartbeat is "perfect" and I am measuring at 31 weeks.  The doctor said there is a 3 cm margin of error, so I am right on target (31 cm belly = 31 weeks).  I did the 3 hour glucose tolerance test since I failed the 1 hour screen at my 28 week visit.  I am hoping that I pass this one.  If I don't, the next step per my doctor is a referral to a dietitian...haha...how ironic.  I will not be going to see another dietitian...will continue as I am doing since there isn't too much I would need to change other than cutting back on my newfound sweet tooth and having to check my blood sugars several times a day.  I will be going in every 2 weeks from now until I am 36 weeks along.  Once 36 weeks, I go in for weekly visits.  Watson is still very active but now I can feel his entire body moving (like a wave in my belly!) vs jerky kicks and elbows.  I still feel great but am having to get up several times a night to go to the bathroom and I have noticed some swelling in my feet and hands first thing in the am and then in the evening.
We are putting the crib together and getting his closet set up this weekend among other small things that need to be done before he makes his grand entrance.  While Jason was painting the nursery last weekend, my mom and I went shopping for curtains and other nursery details.  The nursery is painted (looks really good!), curtains are hung and the chest of drawers is in there as of last weekend.  My dad drove the rocker/ottomon up yesterday from Albany and helped Jason move it into the nursery as well.  It matches perfectly!  I can't wait for us to finish everything this weekend.  Once we finish, I will post pictures!  We will still have the details to finish up and I will post pics once it is completely finished as well.

28 weeks

28 weeks pregnant

Look Closely:  He is upside down.  You can see his profile and he has his mouth open.

Watson has continued to be a very active little one.  I feel him moving all day long- it is pretty cool!  Jason has signed an office lease and is moving into his new office space this weekend!  We will start painting the nursery and getting everything together next weekend.  I will post pics as we go.
We had our 28 week OB appointment this afternoon.  Watson continues to be uncooperative as far as allowing us to get a good picture on ultrasound!  Everytime our doctor thinks we will have a good shot, he turns his head or puts his hands over his face.  He does appear to have chubby little cheeks and Jason thinks he has my nose.  Not only am I getting quite large, Watson has gone from the 50%ile at 24 weeks to the 70%ile at today's appointment.  He is weighing ~3 lbs 1 oz and you can tell his master bedroom, o/w known as my uterus, is no longer as roomy as it has been. 
We are going on the hospital tour tomorrow.  I talked to my doctor today about not wanting to go past my due date because of work scheduling issues.  So, it appears the plan would be to induce if I do not go into labor before my due date of June 17th.

27 weeks- Babymoon

We went on our "babymoon" to Key West this past Wednesday through Monday.  It was a much needed vacation that we both thoroughly enjoyed; Jason enjoyed the drinks, while I enjoyed having dessert every night + some other type of sweet every day :).  Jason and I could notice a difference in my belly even from the start of the vacation until the end! 

24 weeks

24 weeks Pregnant

We had our 24 week OB appointment today. Watson is tracking along exactly as he should be, measuring right at the 50%ile. This means that he is currently ~1 lb, 7 oz and if he keeps this growth velocity up then he will be around 7 lbs at birth. So, keep your fingers crossed that he does not take after his mother and end up being 8 lbs, 14 oz!!!
We didn't get any good shots on the video camara. Our doctor said he is still very, very active so it is hard to get him to settle down and look at us to get a good picture! I already knew he was active b/c I feel him moving nonstop! He has gone from moving around late in the evening to now moving some late in the evening but also early in the morning. I awoke this morning with a kick to my pelvic bone. I was sleeping on my side, so he had settled in on that side of my belly. Jason can definitely feel him move at this point, which is really cool for him.
As you can see by my pics, my belly has popped in the last 4 weeks. Thank God my weight gain is still tracking where it should be as well...I do not want to gain much more than 25 lbs...but maybe that is wishful thinking?
We go back for our 28 week appointment March 26.  They said we should be able to get a great video at this visit because he will actually have some fat on his bones.  I will post that video as long as he cooperates and we get some good shots!

Watson Richard Koch

We had the 20 week ultrasound Thursday. Hard to believe we are 1/2 way through this pregnancy.  I still feel great but am noticing a growing bump every day!  It was confirmed that we are definitely expecting a little boy, so Jason and I were excited to reveal the name that we have chosen and love! The ultrasound technology is amazing. Our doctor was able to go from head to toe looking at all the anatomy making sure Watson has 5 fingers and toes, his heart is healthy, bones are the way they should be and even that his blood is flowing in the right direction! I can now feel him moving around although it's still not consistent. Everytime I feel him, Jason puts his hand on my belly in hopes that he will also be able to feel it but it is too early for that. It'll probably be another 4 weeks before Jason can feel him kicking.
Our crib is in and I found the crib bedding! So, now I can start getting the nursery together even though I can't actually put it all together since Jason is still using it as his office until March. BUT, it will all be ready to go when he does move into his own office space...and it is going to be super cute!
Below is a short video of the 20 wk ultrasound when we got a limited view of his face. Enjoy!

16 week ultrasound- It's a Boy!!!

Jason and I were so excited to find out the sex. We really didn't care what the baby is, as long as he/she is healthy. The news is out, we are expecting a BOY and couldn't be more excited!! It's amazing how much the little one changes from ultrasound to ultrasound. He already has a personality. Every ultrasound thus far (9 week, 12 week and 16 week), he is rubbing his face, eyes or putting his hand behind his head just chillin'! I hope he is laid back like his daddy! Our doctor said this visit that he is very active already! Hope you enjoy the video!!!!

16 weeks pregnant- starting to show!