Happy 1-Month Birthday!

Today is ADub's 1-month birthday.  Whoo hoo!  Mommy and Daddy haven't killed him yet!  ADub loves to sleep, poop, pee, and eat.  But, what makes him different from other babies?  

• He loves to stretch and sleep with his arms above his head.  
• He talks non-stop...even in his sleep.  Genetic?...Thank you PDub for your contribution.  Sometimes I think they have conversations in their sleep together.  
• ADub's favorite song is Sedona by Houndmouth; sometimes it's the only thing to calm him down.  
• He loves dancing, but with a groovy mom like this, that's predictable.  
• He is grateful for his puppy, Maya, who licks the spit-up off of his face, apparel, and burp cloth.  
• He attacks Mom's breasts like a banshee, battle cry and all.
• ADub loves using his beautiful eyes to stare outside and follow movement.
• He has made it up to 4 in learning his numbers and currently working on 5....even though his enunciation is a bit off. 
• With guidance from Maya, rolling over has occurred twice.

Our month in a nutshell....

1st day home.  There's plenty of room on my lap!

Relaxin'.

Maya-ADub snuggles.

All smiles.

Passy-kisses.

Are you really going to wear that?

Sexy pose!

Drop my toy, Maya.  I'm going to mess you up!  

This just in: Daddy has conquered the swaddle.

Enough said.

I think he likes it.  Life, that is.

The men in my life.

First visit to the doctor.  Okay, so it wasn't all smiles and giggles.

Daddy preparing to hike with our ADub.....many, many months from now.

Meeting one of the Great-Grandma's.

Sending love to daddy.

Bathtime!

One of these twinkies had a complete blowout (like in the hair and all) right after this picture.

Maya completing her job as spit-up clean-up crew.

Pops, the manny, dancing with ADub.

All snores, no rocks.  My manny sleeping on the job?  Tsk, tsk.

First bottle.

Second trip to the doctor.

Laters gators.

Our New Little Adventure

     On the evening of September 26th, I sat down to study for the first exam in Pathology.  When I reached question 16 in the neoplasms section, I felt a pop and immediately told the little gentleman residing in my abdomen that this movement was new.  I decided to head to the bathroom where I proceeded to lose a good amount of water.  What did I do next?  Probably what most individuals my age would do.  I Googled "what does it feel like to break your water."  After confirming that this was indeed what I had done, I called the on-call doctor, gathered up Maya, threw a towel on the driver's seat, and drove myself to the hospital.  PDub was called during this madness, and he began his 3-hour journey from Chicago to Indianapolis (only after he finished his dinner, of course).  
     At 7:10am on September 27th and exactly 2 weeks early, our new little adventure was born, weighing 7 pounds with a length of 19 inches.

Minutes after push-thirty (giving birth).  Other than oxytocin to speed up the process....I was drug-free.

Hours and minutes before giving birth.

My weight....7 pounds.

Who are these people???

I made this gal a Nana

Meet Grandma B.

Daddy kisses.

What do I do with my hands?

First bath.

First poop.

Poop (Game) Face

Family Picture...minus Maya.

Daddy's first swaddle job....room for improvement.

All I ever do is sleep....

....and sleep

Busting out of the hospital.  It's been real, folks.

Maternity Photos

The Dubs get maternity photos taken....

Can't wait to meet you, Mr. Abram!

Babymooning in Brown County Indiana

"Babymoon" is defined as a relaxing or romantic vacation taken by parents-to-be before their baby is born.  For ours, we headed to Brown County, Indiana for some hiking, eating, and relaxing.  Our first stop was Morgan Monroe State Forest for a 3-mile hike.  Don't judge the small distance; I happen to be carrying 20 pounds of extra weight.

Maya taking on the rugged terrain.

JDub with her baby bump, making it look easy.....let alone the sweat, swollen ankles, and painful back and hips.

What's 12 more pounds?

After check-in at a wonderful bed and breakfast called the Red Rabbit Inn, we headed to meet some friends in Nashville, IN for pizza and beer (or Shirley Temples for those of us who can't drink) at Big Wood Brewery and Pizza Co.

Fall leaves in Nashville, IN.  Just FYI, they aren't real.

On day two, we headed to Brown County State Park for yet another 3-mile hike and only to realize that every site we were headed for, you could actually just drive to.  Slackers!

And the selfies begin.....

Hesitation Point. Kudos to that name.

That evening we headed into Bloomington for nourishment at Upland Brewing Co.  On our final day, we awoke and headed back to Indy where we proceeded to do more baby shopping.  Baby this, baby that.

Although a babymoon is supposed to be composed of something that couples won't be able to do after having a baby, I'm pretty sure we will be able to share our love for hiking (and eating) with Baby Dub after he arrives.....it might just be poopier.

Reviving a Broken Heart

     Cinco de Mayo is supposed to be a day of bright colors, margaritas (for those of us not pregnant), tacos, and hey, why not throw in that mariachi band.  Mine started with a microbiology final and ended with a hospital visit; forget the bright colors and La Cucaracha.

     For my parents, their Cinco de Mayo started just like any other day; they both went to work.  Close to 5pm, my dad mowed the front lawn, and my mom put the groceries away for their Cinco de Mayo dinner.  That moment, when everything seems to fall apart but actually aligns, then occurred.  A neighbor, who was not even supposed to come home that day, drove by and witnessed my father collapse over the lawn mower and then fall backwards.  She immediately pulled over, ran to our back door, and yelled for my mom.  While the neighbor called 911, my mother threw herself on the ground next to my father, who at the time had no pulse and was unresponsive, and she proceeded to perform CPR.  Within minutes, two ambulances arrived and revived my father by shocking him with a defibrillator and placing an IV for drugs.

     Today, my father is back home.  He had open heart surgery where 5 coronary arteries, including the LAD (the "widow maker"), were bypassed.  Yes, he had quintuple bypass surgery.  At 67 years old with a healthy history, my father was hit by the leading cause of death in this country....but....he survived.

     I write you this story not only because it has shaken my life, but I hope that its power will also shake yours.  Eat better!  Notice changes in your body!  Start marking off items on that bucket list!  CPR saves lives; get certified!  And most of all, say "I love you" to those special people in your lives ALL THE TIME!

Thank you, mom, for being kickass, just in general.

Thank you, dad, for being a fighter.

Thank you, friends and family, for being there and supporting us through everything from sitting in waiting rooms to finishing up the half-mowed lawn.

Thank you, God, for aligning those stars that day; I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my father just yet.

So happy to still have both of my parents: my mom, the superstar CPR-ist, and my daddy, the heart attack survivor and fighter.

May we have many, MANY more years together!

Our New Adventure

PDub, Maya, and I have decided to take on a new adventure.  We welcome Baby Dub into our little family this October.

Bring on the late nights, gassy smiles, poopy diapers, and especially cuddle time...