Welcome Fall

What a busy summer!  Corbin's baptism, Moving to Raytown, Getting accepted to Midwifery school, Doula births, Camping in Eminence, Traveling to Kentucky, Corbin's first birthday...

Now it is fall, and I am so enjoying the weather.  This is my favorite season.  I've taken Corbin to the park several times in the last week.  We've gone on walks and to the dog park and will be going on bike rides.  Corbin is a playful, mischievous, stubborn pre-toddler.  He's not walking yet, but has been crawling and cruising since we moved to our new house in May.  He just started standing for moments at a time around his birthday.  His favorite things now are to throw all the food from his high chair for the dogs to eat, bang his toys or throw them across the room, stick things in mama and dada's mouths, and climb on everything.  He makes it up and down the three steps into our lower living room.  He loves playing with his wooden hammer, blocks, balls, and noisy things.  He makes "brrrm" sounds when he plays with his cars.  He loves to be chased around the house, dancing, and being flipped upside down.  He's as girl crazy as they come and very affectionate with other kids, giving them hugs and kisses.  He says some words, "dada" "mum" "odi (odin)" "doddy (doggy)" "ball" "yeah" "hi" "byebye".  He repeats us a lot and babbles all the time.  He has his dada's temper and has started throwing mini temper tantrums when he's angry with us.  We threw him a first birthday party with lots of family and friends. I love watching my little baby becoming a little boy.

How can you resist this handsomeness:

Spring and Happy Baby

Well, it has been quite some time since I posted.  The months are flying by for me and my incredibly active 7 month old.  Corbin is not crawling yet, but he gets on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth.  He pushes himself backwards with his arms, but hasn't figured out how to propel himself with his legs yet.  When sitting, he can turn himself around.  He has gotten a lot more comfortable on his tummy.  When we hold him in our laps, he climbs all over us.  He is so curious about every little thing and, of course, everything goes straight into his mouth.  His favorite new thing is to stand (supported) by the coffee table and pound on it with his palms.  He breaks out into a huge smile and giggles.  He also likes being tossed up by his dadda and hanging upside down over our shoulders.  As always, he loves to be read and sung to.  A couple we are friends with brought over their guitar and bongos to play for us the other night.  Corbin was absolutely captivated by the music.  Corbin has started eating softened finger foods, but is allergic to every fruit we've given him.  His poor skin breaks out into a rash all over his tummy and chest.  Because of this, we are introducing new foods slowly.  No teeth yet, but he sure is acting like they're ready to make an appearance.  He babbles quite a bit now, mostly "ahhh" and "da da da da" or variations of that.  He says "mba mba" when he's upset with his dadda and wants me.  He is long and lean, but he's starting to get a little chub on him.  We started taking him to a pediatric chiropractor for adjustments.  Apparently, he was very out of line and this was affecting his nursing.  Since we started going, he has been much less fussy and a better nurser.  We've been taking him to the park since the weather has been nice.  He loves the swings and playing with the bars on the jungle gym.  He got his first baby sunburn on his arms when mama didn't think to put sunscreen on him.  He didn't seem bothered by it and it was gone in a day, but now I keep some sunscreen in the diaper bag.  We are starting baby safety swim lessons next week at the YMCA.  He already loves the water and taking baths, so this should be fun.  My favorite thing is being told by everyone around us how exceptionally cute Corbin is.  I would have to agree!

In our lives: Chris started a new job at Truman Behavioral Health (doing the same thing but more $).  I am serving as a doula (kcbirthmama.webs.com) in addition to working as a nurse on the weekends at Truman.  We were looking at houses to buy, but decided that now wasn't the right time.  So we will be spending another year in Oak Grove.  I applied to midwifery school to get my CNM through a distance education program and am waiting to hear back from them.   This spring has been uplifting and I feel like a lot of good changes will happen this year.

Zen in 2010

I read in my Parenting magazine that 2010 is supposed to be the year of Zen style parenting, or parenting based on the assumption that everything will be OK and parents do in fact know what is best for their children.  I have noticed that I am constantly being pressured/guilted into things regarding Corbin that I would not have naturally chosen.  Things regarding the time I spend holding him, that I stay home with him during the week, how I worry about germs and him getting sick, that he still sleeps in our room, that I haven't and am not planning on giving him formula, that I haven't started solids yet, that I don't want a break from him...etc.  And each time, I worry, thinking Are these more experienced moms right? 

The conclusion: I love my baby...and if I couldn't wait to hand him off so that I could have a "break," or couldn't wait for him to sleep in another room, or didn't spend time cuddling with him, then we would not have the attachment, love, and trust that our relationship is based on.  I am so thankful that my job allows me to spend only two days away from him a week.  When I worked full time, I did notice that I wasn't as in-tune or responsive to his cries.  As for the rest of the stuff, he's only barely 5 months old as I'm writing this, we are certainly Not behind schedule.  I shouldn't let other people pressure me to parent in a way that goes against my instincts

The end to that rant.  As for Corbin's milestones, he has rolled from back to front and front to back, but seems to have forgotten how to now.  He is sitting up on his own, which makes play time much easier on mommy.  I'm sure he'll be crawling before too long.  He has been very fussy, drooly, and has been chewing on everything.  He spiked a low fever last week and had a loose stool, so teeth might be showing up soon. He also loves to have his gums rubbed.  He smiles at himself in the mirror, talks to his toys, laughs when we talk to him, and reaches for everything that catches his eye.  His favorite thing to do is bounce on mommy and daddy's lap.  Corbin loves it when we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," or being sung to in general.  He loves being read to, danced with, and tickled.  Corbin is very curious, demanding, and energetic, getting bored easily.  He loves being around other kids and babies.  He now sleeps in the pack-n-play next to our bed because he's outgrown his bassinet.  We have said goodbye to the pacifier except for long car rides and restless nights.

Christmas loaded us with a car full of toys in bad weather.  His favorites: a stuffed car that he can sit in, a crawly ball, a music table, a rattle, and a book called "10 Little Penguins."  His great grandpa Cottrell made him a wooden rocking horse.  I'm really glad we made it through the weather to see everybody.  New Years was spent with another couple who have a baby girl the same age as Corbin, much better than being stuck at home.  I have to say, the Estlund's have been tremendous mentors on our new parent journey. 

We have taken him to the pool at the Y a couple of times.  He loves it, he'll kick his legs like a frog and splash the water.  We're putting him through parent-child swim lessons in April.  We are getting him baptized in May at St. Andrews Episcopal, which we are very excited about. Hopefully many more exciting things will come with warm weather.

3 months, going on 4

I apologize for my infrequent updates.  It's difficult to find both the time and the motivation.  I started a new job last month and was on daytime orientation until last week.  Corbin went to an at home babysitter during the days.  It was an adjustment to get him to take a bottle for a while, but he does very well now.  He still wont take the bottle from me though.  His last day at the babysitter's was last Wednesday, and she was sad to see him go.  Now I only work Saturday and Sunday nights, while Chris watches him.  This allows me to be home with Corbin during the week.  I am so glad - Babies belong with their Mamas, and by the time I would come home from the day shift, I missed him so much and hogged him all evening.  Not to mention how much I hated pumping.  Chris has no problem putting him to bed while I'm at work and he sleeps almost all night now.   His first full night of sleep was last Wednesday.  He slept from 9:30p to 7:30a.  We were amazed, and I have to admit that I woke up several times and checked to see if he was still warm and breathing.  Normally he wakes up around 4a, nurses, and goes back to sleep - he may not even open his eyes.

Being home with him is not easy though.  I don't get nearly enough done through the day.  Corbin naps only once around noon for a couple hours and wakes easily to the dogs playing and other sounds.  Then he gets really cranky, so the afternoons are out.  In the mornings, he is a happy playful baby, but he gets very demanding when he's bored.  From the time he was born, he's habitually nursed once an hour while he's awake.  Even now, I'm having to type this in several shifts.  

Our Thanksgiving was great.  Corbin met so many family and friends, and some people who haven't seen him since he's been as alert as he is.  It's a new perspective thinking of my in-laws as Corbin's family.  Corbin obediently smiled at anyone who talked to him.  He's been doing this shy thing where he hides his face in my shoulder when he smiles.  A few days before Thanksgiving, Corbin began laughing out loud.  We have a video tape of him laughing at the dogs.  The dogs seem to be the only ones that can produce the out loud laugh.  We also took a day trip to visit Uncle Jesse.  It's very entertaining watching people who aren't used to babies interact with Corbin.

When we take Corbin Christmas shopping people just gush over him, especially when Chris has him in the sling.  Corbin loves all the bright colors and lights.  We had a Parents as Teachers meeting last week and he is right on schedule, even a little ahead of the game.  He babbles, interacts, turns toward sounds, bats, kicks, reaches for things, and brings things into his mouth - which is his favorite thing to do lately.  When we're supporting him, he sits and stands well.  He started sucking his thumb last week (picture below). We haven't gotten him to roll over yet and he still hates tummy time, but we're working on it.  His favorite thing to do is have mommy and daddy read to him while he bats at the pictures.

Here are his latest favorite photos (more on facebook):

Corbin's First Halloween

Corbin is a completely different baby than he was last post.  He is awake all the time and loves to look around the room at anything bright and colorful.  He loves sitting in his bouncy seat and batting and talking to the hanging toys.  We have a video of him glaring at one of them saying "Ahh, Oh, Ah."  He never was a baby to be laid down but he is so much more social now and gets bored if we don't interact with him or give him something to do.  When we put him in front of a mirror, he talks to himself and tries to bat at his reflection.  He has become very interested in his feet lately, staring at them and kicking them.  He giggles and smiles all the time, especially when we play airplane or patty cake games.  When he gets mad, he sticks out his bottom lip in an oh-so-cute pouty face.  Pretty much all his expressions are cute and we have a zillion pictures of each one.
We had our first Halloween party with Corbin.  He was dressed as Yoda, Chris was Sherlock Holms, and I was a Punk Rock Princess.  We have some very funny pictures of the event on facebook.  Corbin helped celebrate both MeeMaw Jamie's and cousin Kanden's birthdays.  Corbin also attended his first Weenie Roast with Chris's family.  We bundled him up in his snow suit, which was absolutely adorable.  Last weekend, we took him down to see Grandma Liz and Grandpa Dave's land near Springfield.
I went back to work last week so Chris's mom watched Corbin most of the week.  I hated leaving him and I missed him and worried about him all day long.  He didn't do well on the bottle, only eating four or so ounces during the eight hours I was gone.  But he didn't cry or act hungry.  I'm told that as long as he is nursing more when I get home and he gets enough in 24 hours then he's fine.  He was very gassy (Probably from all the candy I ate over Halloween weekend) so we started giving him some gas drops as needed.  They seem to be helping.  Friday, he spent his first day at the babysitter's.  He did very well for her and ate almost 10 ounces.  She didn't need to use the gas drops or the pacifier all day.  I have three more weeks of orientation on days and then I'll be switching to weekends only after Thanksgiving.

We took a family photo near some beautiful fall trees and will be including it in our Christmas cards.  We are definitely looking forward to the holidays!

First Month

I know I'm probably partial, but Corbin is an amazing baby.  I'm so excited to see him discover the world and learn to do things.  He is already smiling back at us and imitating our faces.  Sometimes he even makes little giggly noises.  Just this week, he's been starting to coo and babble.  We sing to him a lot.  Chris especially likes to sing Beatles songs and some lullabies from a daddy's lullaby CD.  We found a Rock-a-bye Baby Beatles CD that Corbin enjoys.  When I read to him, he reaches an arm out to touch the pictures, although he's not quite coordinated enough and his hands are still in fists most of the time.  He can mostly hold his head up on his own when he's fully awake.  His legs are also very strong and he kicks forcefully.  We are using cloth diapers, but Corbin seems the most content when we're changing him and he doesn't have a diaper on.  Tummy time is difficult because he gets held all the time. He wants to be upright looking over our shoulder and walked around.  He's also a gassy, burpy baby and goes on crying fits until he's able to express air.  I am thankful that he's a good sleeper at night.  He's also a good eater and I am discovering creative ways to breastfeed in public, while also losing some modesty.

Once while we were out at a crowded public event, I fed him in the bathroom.  I found that disgusting and degrading and I will never do that again.  I don't want to eat in a public restroom, why should my child.  We have a sling carrier that is very handy for discrete feedings and still allows me to walk around without taking up any time.  We've been going on several evening family walks to enjoy the last little bits of warm weather.  He has also been to a few social outings, including the Greek Fest, a trip to St. Louis for a friend's wedding, and the City Market Harvest Fest.  Everywhere we go, people want to admire him, especially older women.  Twice, I've had him in the sling with his face covered and an older woman has come up and pulled the sling aside to look at him.  Thank goodness I wasn't nursing him at the time!  Maybe it's because I'm a new mother and have that protective instinct, but I think people should ask my permission to bask in my baby's cuteness. 

The month of October is very busy for us.  We are getting involved with Parents as Teachers, the local library's story time, and La Leche League.  We have Chris's mom's birthday party, the family weenie roast, a friend's coming out party for her newborn, and our own first annual Halloween Party.  There are also several fall and Halloween themed community events that we will be attending.  We have already found Corbin his first costume and, let me tell you, he makes the cutest Yoda in the world.  I'm going to try to piece together a Princess Leia and Jedi costume for mama and daddy.  It is so fun being a family and having a child to go to community events with, even though Corbin may sleep through them.  He already has so much personality and expression.  I can't wait to watch him grow into a little man.

Corbin's Birth

Corbin Michael Arwood blessed us with his adorable presence 2 entire weeks after his due date.  Because I spent the last two months of my pregnancy not working, those two weeks seemed to lull by and each day brought me more anxiety about whether I was even capable of birthing my baby.  I had done plenty of reading to prepare for the natural home birth I had planned.  But when my midwife suggested a hospital induction if I went past two weeks overdue, I was determined to get this baby OUT.  On Tuesday of the week he was born, my midwife Cheryl suggested we strip my membranes, only to change her mind when she found that the baby wasn't descended and I wasn't dilated in the slightest.  She sent me home with two homeopathics and evening prim rose oil.  I spent the majority of the next few days bouncing on my birth ball and going on long walks.  My mom came up and we made the famous labor producing Eggplant Parmesan, of which I had two bites.  On Wednesday, my mucus plug came out, but there were no signs of contractions.  On Friday, we paid $200 for a Biophysical profile to make sure Corbin was OK.  That afternoon, Cheryl suggested the dreaded Caster Oil, which I regretfully took just before laying down for a nap.


Within 15 minutes, hardly enough time for the Caster Oil to kick in, I was having hard contractions.  Thinking that this would be another false alarm, I tried to nap for another hour before getting up and suggesting to my mom that we inflate the birth pool.  When Chris got home from work, the contractions were the same and we decided to notify Cheryl.  As if fate wanted to disapoint me one last time, my contractions slowed nearly to a stop at her arrival.  However, I was still feeling the full digestive effects of the Caster Oil.  She layed me down on my right side with one leg curled up and told me to call her in an hour if my contractions increased or stopped.  The moment she walked out the door, my contractions intensified and I desperately wanted to move out of that position to find one that relieved the pain.  Chris laid with me and encouraged me as I squeezed his hands.


We called Cheryl back around 11 P.M.  Her assistant Melanie checked my dilation because I had been shaking uncontrollably.  I was only 4 centimeters.  They suggested I take a warm shower to help with the pain.  Chris rocked and moaned and grunted with me as the warm water hit my back.  I would have stayed in the shower longer, but I felt this need to address my "guests".  When we got out, I realized they had already made themselves comfortable with pillows on the floor, prepared to stay all night.  Chris rocked and moaned with me standing and bouncing on the birth ball and sitting on the bed.  With each change in position, the contractions got stronger, but never unbearable.  The lights were off except for the hall light and the room was quiet and tranquil.  The focus was on me, and my only focus was on breathing through the contractions.  Each hour, Melanie listened to the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler.  Cheryl had been feeling sick and regretfully called for a substitute.  This was the first birth that she had ever left.  Rachel, who had trained Cheryl, came to replace her and attend my birth.  I had never met Rachel before and greeted her with small talk between moans and rocks.  I had met some of her previous clients, however, and they all referred to her fondly.  I trusted her.  I took another shower, then asked if I could try the birth pool.  Concerned that the pool might slow my contractions, she checked my dilation.  I was at 6 centimeters.  I got in the pool around 3 A.M.  Kneeling over the side of the pool and holding Chris's hands, I rocked through my labor with my eyes shut, completely unaware of the world around me.  Someone brought me a plate of fruit and cheese and a glass of lemonade. Around 5 A.M., Chris got my mom to replace him while he took a nap.  Before going to bed, he called his parents and told them to start heading up.  At 5:30, my water broke.


This bursting sensation surprised me and I opened my eyes to find the whole room transformed.  Someone had gotten my birth kit and prepared the room for Corbin's arrival.  Flannel backed vinyl table cloths and chucks pads were spread across our bed and our sterilized towels were close at hand.  The midwives also had an array of medical equipment prepared.  I asked someone to wake up my husband and soon I was clutching both my mom's hand and his.  I was encouraged to push, but didn't feel the intense need to.  I pushed anyway.  Soon, the pushing became painful, then very painful.  I could feel the pressure of my baby's head coming through my vagina.  It felt like a bowling ball.  I thought, there is no way something this big is going to come out of me.  I just can't do it.  "You are doing it," came Rachel's voice, "You have to."  Melanie mentioned something about visualization, but I couldn't visualize anything but a gigantic baby stretching me to breaking point.  I got out of the pool to see if another position would be easier.  I tried squatting while Chris held my arms.  I had to stand up between each contraction to catch my breath.  Someone suggested a side-lying position on the bed.  As my baby crowned, I reached down and felt his head.  I could feel his hair and his wrinkles.  I also felt my skin stretching to its max.  At some point in here, my in-laws showed up, but I don't remember them.  Chris's mom stayed in the room, while his dad decided to take the dogs for a walk after hearing me cry out.  Rachel felt around Corbin's head and discovered the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice.  She had me get on all fours to finish pushing, a position that felt much better anyway.  I felt his head slide down and out.  With one more great push, the rest of him slipped out with ease.


They laid him beside me and wiped him down with the sterilized towels while they suctioned his nose and mouth with the bulb syringe.  He wasn't breathing.  I had seen enough live births to know that this is common and I wasn't worried.  Chris was crying, though, and the midwives told me to talk to my baby.  I was awe struck and it took me a moment to find my voice.  I rubbed his pink chest and said "Hey, Baby."  He gurgled a few times as they worked on him. Then, he began to cry.  The moment I knew he was OK, I looked down and saw how much blood I had lost.  Too much.


Corbin was born at 7 A.M. in our bed, and weighed all of 8 pounds, 3 ounces.  The rest of the day, I spent passed out or in a dazey wake.  I had 4 stitches for a small tear.  Melanie pushed me to drink fluids and Chris's mom made me some scrambled eggs.  I was told to eat lots of iron and drink plenty to restore my blood supply.  I don't remember nursing Corbin for the first time.  I remember my father in-law coming in to see the baby and kissing me and saying he was proud of me.  Chris's brother also came up at some point.  Our moms made us some meatloaf for dinner that night and Chris and I ate in bed with our sleeping newborn between us.  He was beautiful and perfect.  I don't regret a moment of my birth and I am proud of my self that I had him naturally and at home.