Big Boy Bath Time

Luke had his very first big boy bath in the bathtub yesterday!! This is a milestone because all of his "parts" fell off and now he can actually get wet! I am happy to report that he seems to LOVE his baths. Gigi has been the official bath giver since he was born (I am way to nervous to flip flop a slippery newborn in my hands over a sink), but I feel confident that I can do it myself in a bathtub -- so confident that I am going to try it on my own tonight (okay, I will probably have Andy help me to prevent any major catastrophes).

Cross your fingers,

Kays

2 Weeks Old Today

Sorry for the delay in posting (I am sure all of you mothers out there will forgive me)....

I last left off at Luke's first doctors appointment. This was a hard day for me because we found out that he had lost almost 1 pound since he was born (~10%). The reason it was so hard for me was because I am the one not making enough milk. This revelation began the most exhausting 10 days (and counting) EVER. I began what I termed 'Cloud Dairy, Inc.' I had to go to a strict every 2 hour feeding cycle with simultaneous pumping (trying to trick my body into thinking I had twins) along with supplemention with breastmilk +/- formula with each feeding. This process takes ~1 hour and if you do the math it only leaves 1 hour until the next feeding begins. Thankfully, I have the best husband ever and he has been by my side the entire time (well, except for the night he had off when my sister spent the night -- one of us needed a good night's sleep, right?)

Now, fast forward to his 2 week appoinment (today) and he weighs 9 pounds, 3.5 ounces!!! We worked really hard to get where we are today and I can say that although it was/is exhausting, it was worth it!!! He is now 75th percentile for weight, 95th for height, and between 75th and 95th for head circumference. I am proud of our accomplishments!!

We wanted to make sure we thanked all of you who have stopped by to see our little man, brought dinner, and/or sent your prayers and love our way. It truly means a lot to us to have such wonderful people in our lives that love us.

I am hoping that I will be able to post more frequently in the coming weeks,

Kays

The First 48

We proudly brought home our sweet baby boy ~48hrs ago and we are absolutely exhausted!! Last night was really rough and I have shed many tears, but I am proud to say that I have survived thus far. We are very blessed to have such great friends and family around to help out. Tomorrow is our little man's first doctors appointment and I am hoping to get a few questions answered so that I feel better about my parenting skills.

Just waiting until the next 2hr cat nap,

Kays

Lucas Robert Cloud

Sorry it took so long to get to this. I'm actually typing this in my sleep because that's the only way I can get anything done now.

Lucas Robert Cloud joined us at 7:58 p.m. on March 10, 2010. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 3 ounces and was 21.65 inches long.

Here are some pictures. I'll be able to give you more details when I wake up.

Andy

The Dangers of Eating Too Much Tortellini

The picture is from her last doctor's appointment when they were listening to Luke's heartbeat.

Happy for Hump Day!

Hi everyone. I got so excited after today's doctor's appointment that I had to take this post. I know it probably won't be as entertaining as Kaysey's, but I just can't help myself.

For most people, Wednesdays mean you're that much closer to Friday and a couple of well-earned days of rest. Fortunately for us, this coming Wednesday has taken on an entirely new meaning. A new world of sleepless nights and dirty diapers are on their way! We just got home from Kaysey's last exam and things are progressing so well that the doctor has decided to induce her on Wednesday morning!

Her blood pressure is still a little high when she's been up and moving around but there are no more signs of protein in her urine and she is, as the doctor so eloquently put it, 'starting to ripen,' so Momma and Baby are healthy and ready for the big day. We'll arrive at the hospital at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 and hopefully we'll get to see Luke for the first time later that day! For now, we just need to make sure our bags are packed and that we cling to as much sleep as we can until then.

We'd like to thank you all for your prayers as we go through this new and exciting time in our lives. It is by God's grace and mercy that we have been given this gift and we'd like to thank all of our family and friends for your support and advice as we try to get prepared for something we probably can't prepare for. Most of all, we pray for God's will in our lives, and that His will includes a healthy Momma and Baby.

Please also pray for me, I have a midterm tomorrow and, with baby on the brain, I might not be able to choose anything but 'B.'

I'll do most of the blogging once labor begins and will try to update and upload pictures as often as I can.

Thanks Again,

Andy

P.S. For the first time in my life, someone used the word 'alas' in casual conversation. First of all, no Men's room in the doctor's office? Really? It's a male doctor. But when I asked this question, the response was, "Alas, no, but there is one out by the elevator." Weird. I should have said, "Verily, I thank you."

Mango Slicer - Deal or Dud?

I thought I would break up the monotony of pregnancy related blogs to talk about the mango slicer. This is a new gadget my mom bought for me a few months ago and today was the first time it was used in the Cloud household.

I should first tell you about my love/hate relationship with the mango. I was first introduced to the mango when I was a child at Christina's house (~9-11 years of age). It was a new and exotic fruit that I never even knew existed and since we didn't get mangos at the Lowery household my love for the mango began....

Then I entered into adulthood and decided that I should start buying mangos. Turns out that this is when my hatred for the mango began. I never realized just how difficult it was to slice a mango and optimize the amount of fruit available to eat. They have this huge pit in the middle, they are slippery and juicy, and....well, you get the point. I never realized the talent that it took to slice one of those things - I am sorry Elena for not appreciating or recognizing your talent all those years ago. So now, for the past 8-10 years I have been avoiding the mango all together.....UNTIL NOW!!

Andy was nice and picked up a few mangos at the store yesterday as a treat while I am on bed rest and I had one with breakfast today for the first time in years. Andy was able to slice the mango with the mango slicer and I had 4 full pieces of mango to eat - BEAUTIFUL! The slices were perfect and he said that minimal mango was lost to the pit. Can you believe it? It was that easy (or easy for Andy since I haven't actually used it yet) - all those years spent avoiding that exotic fruit that I fell in love with so many years ago......my heart is still warm thinking about it!!

So long story short, if you love mangos then you need a mango slicer - it is definitely a DEAL. It ranks up there with the apple slicer and the beloved pineapple slicer and now will be a MVP of my kitchen.

I love you mango slicer,
Kays

38 weeks (tomorrow)!

Went to the doctor again this AM and it was a good visit. Believe it or not, I actually look forward to going to the doctor these days!! It just feels good to get out of the house and it seems to lift my spirits.

Overall the visit itself was uneventful. My blood pressure was lower than it has been the past week and the baby passed all of his tests (doesn't surprise me, I know he is going to be a good test taker). I was actually kind of bummed that he didn't do a pelvic exam to check my progress -- is that weird?? Most women cringe at the idea of a pelvic exam, but apparently not me!

The current plan is to induce hopefully on Wednesday of next week (the exact same day my Mom is scheduled to close on her new house - yikes). It actually has not been scheduled so this date may change. It will all be finalized at my visit on Monday (or at least this is my understanding). I will keep you all posted as soon as I know more. Nothing more really to report other than I dropped of my urine to be checked for protein and I had some blood work drawn (no results yet).

Lastly, I have been trying to be more positive about being on bed rest so I figured I would end with 5 reasons bed rest is a GREAT thing (no particular order):

1. I am well rested
2. My dogs are getting more attention (as this will decrease once Lucas is here)
3. I am spending more time with my husband
4. Friends and family stop by
5. I feel better! (swelling and pain has decreased DRASTICALLY)

There is light at the end of this tunnel,
Kays

God is Good!

God answered a prayer of mine today! He has lifted a burden from my shoulders and given me peace regarding this bed rest thing! To answer your question - yes, I am still on bed rest and no, the baby hasn't shown any signs of coming.

I just wanted to give glory to God and thank you all again for your prayers -
Kays

I'm Inducible!!

Just got back from our doctor's appointment and I have nothing but GREAT news to share!!!

First things first - I do NOT have pre-ecampsia. While I do have protein in my urine (which they are monitoring closely), the amount is below the cut off for pre-eclampsia!! I have only been officially diagnosed with PIH or pregnancy induced hypertension. The other way to look at it is pre-pre-eclampsia (Andy's term, not theirs).

Second, my exam has changed slightly (again, no "gross" details unless requested) and because of this I have been officially deemed "INDUCIBLE." The doctor said that if the baby does not come soon, then he will induce at ~39 weeks (which is next Friday-ish, ~1.5 more weeks). This means that my dreaded bed rest will be cut short by ~1 week - YAY!! The exact date has not been set yet, but I will keep you informed once it gets scheduled.

Lastly, the baby is still doing well. He was not wanting to participate in the sonogram today as he was tired. I think he knows that rainy weather = good sleeping weather -- who can blame the little guy?? Other than a that he scored well on all of his tests this morning.

I have another appointment, biophysical profile, and lab work scheduled for Thursday morning. I will let you all know how it goes as soon as I can.

Praise the Lord and thank you for your prayers!!
Kays

P.S. I lost 4.8lbs of the 6lbs that I had gained at the last visit and my BP is lower (although not at my baseline). Turns out that bed rest works - who would have thought??

P.P.S. Please continue to pray for our health (both Lucas and I) and also remember that we are praying that he makes his grand entrance into the world sooner vs. later (although I am "inducible" it would be great if he was able to come on his own)!!