It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas...

I realized this morning it has been quite some time since I've blogged about our family. Anthony James is a happy, healthy almost 11 month old. He's reached all of the appropriate milestones well before he was due. He just started walking a few steps at a time, and has gotten pretty "confident" in himself. We are starting to transition him to a solid food diet as he is nearing a year old. He still has about 3 bottles a day, but he gets most of his nutrients through jar or homemade food. His favorites seem to be yogurt, bananas, carrots and yellow squash. He loves his orange veggies, so much so, that a few weeks ago he started to get an orange tint to him, haha. The pediatrician said this was normal, and that it was ok to continue to feed him these. Recently, Anthony has had his second cold since he was born, poor little guy. I'm thankful he hasn't been more sick, although he took it like a champ. He still has a runny nose, but the doctor said it was more than likely just allergies.

The past 9 months since I last blogged have flown by. Anthony has learned so much and brought so much joy into our lives. He still goes to Mom-Mom's house 2.5 days a week, and spends his other days with Mom and Dad. 

We started physical therapy with Anthony for a torticollis diagnosis at about 4 months old. His head would always tilt to one direction, which he began to notice at 3 months of age. Throughout this particular journey Anthony has undergone an EEG, MRI of his brain and cervical spine, blood tests and numerous doctors appointments with specialists like a Neurologist and Neurological Ophthalmologist. After seeing the Neurologist for the first time we were told he was being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, as he didn't just have torticollis, he had complete right sided weakness. Luckily, he has come around full circle and they aren't seeing any weaknesses at this time. In the past month we were able to cut his physical therapy appointments down to once a month, instead of once a week. We also patch his left eye (the good eye) in attempts to strengthen his right eye which seems to have become weak. None of this has phased Anthony though, he still plays hard and is just as happy as can be.

We've decked the house out for Anthony's 1st Christmas (pictures to follow), and are well under way with shopping for his gifts. The only things left on our wish list for him are big boy car seats (which we are in no hurry for, he still fits in his infant seat just fine), the Boon frog tub organizer, a sturdy umbrella stroller, a ball pit and the Radio Flyer tricycle that grows with the child until age 4. We may just save those for his birthday, though.

We are starting to work on the details for his 1st Birthday Party. We are so excited to celebrate this milestone in his life!

JJ and I are doing well, he is still working for Orlando Health in the Security department, and I am still at the Drs office near Dr. P Phillips Hospital. We are enjoying our home still, finally getting this up on the walls and starting the wheels rolling to decorate the rest of the house. We have big ideas, Pinterest has become an awesome website to pull ideas off of.

9 Weeks Old

JJ and I are amazed by how much Anthony has changed and grown since birth. At his 2 week check up he gained 1lb and 1inch respectively putting him at 8lbs 6.5oz and 21.25inches with his head measuring 14inches. It has taken him quite some time to learn his days from his nights, but finally seems to be falling into a nice sleeping pattern, though it took him a good 8 weeks to learn this. He loves taking baths and showers, and is a fantastic eater, averaging 30oz per day (4-5oz at a time). 

I thoroughly enjoyed my 6 weeks of Maternity Leave (FMLA) but returned to work on March 6th. It was really tough to leave Anthony for 24hours straight, and he seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to the schedule once he was home with Daddy. He enjoyed his days with MomMom and Auntie Katryna though. Recently I was presented with another job opportunity, that would allow me to be home every morning and every evening working Monday through Friday. After a lot of consideration, I put my two weeks notice into Lake Sumter and accepted the new position. I will be staying on the ambulance part-time, picking up shifts whenever I can. JJ and I look forward to getting Anthony into a nightly routine and hopefully teaching Anthony to sleep through the night. He has a bit of a nighttime routine now, but is still waking up every 3-4.5 hours to eat. Don't get me wrong we are thankful for the full hours of sleep!

Anthony James Marinelli

We welcomed our Anthony James into this world on January 17, 2011 at 6:40pm at Winter Park Memorial Hospital. After 24 long hours of labor, and an additional 2.5 hours of pushing he made his debut into the world. I wish I could say the minutes following his birth were amazing, but they weren't. Instead, they were down right terrifying. Anthony was as blue as could be and was not breathing. They carried him to the warmer and had to bag him for over 2 minutes. His APGAR score was 0 at birth, 4 at 2 minutes and then 9 at 5 minutes. JJ went with him and was not allowed to take pictures. He finally whimpered, then cried and I knew our baby boy was going to be okay. But what an awful first 5 minutes. The first time I got to hold him was incredible. He was absolutely perfect. 10 fingers and 10 little toes. No, I didn't actually count them in the moment. :)

In the warmer

My contractions started around 4:30pm on Sunday, January 16th. I had already had one run in with being in Early Labor, so JJ and I decided to go for a walk around the complex to keep them coming. About 9pm the contractions were so frequent and intense we collected all of our belongings and headed to the hospital. Upon first exam I was 3cm dilated and 70% effaced, and my contractions were 4 minutes apart and not letting up. The doctor decided they were going to admit me and if I wasn't progressing on my own, they would start pitocin in the morning after the new shift started. I labored all night, contracting steadily the whole way through. At 7am the doctor did another exam and I was 4cm dilated and 100% effaced, and still contracting. Around 10am Dr. Breit came back and broke my water and started the pitocin. My Mom and sister were there to keep us both company. About 1pm I got my epidural (and was told I became a completely different person), and by 4pm it was time to start pushing. 2.5 hours later and Anthony James was born. 

The Marinelli Family

We had only family visitors while at the hospital (at our request). We all were so exhausted the whole time, it seems like such a blur now. We spent a little over 36 hours at the hospital and were sent home on Wednesday, January 19th. 

Leaving the hospital

The past 2 weeks have been amazing, crazy and trying. Anthony still hasn't gotten the memo that you're supposed to sleep at night and stay awake during the day. He had his first doctors appointment the Friday after we left the hospital and he was only 3ozs under his birth weight. 

At the doctors for the 1st time

The following Tuesday he had his circumcision, which was a terrifying experience all in itself.  I thought it would be a good idea to go with him for the procedure and hold his hand (I definitely don't recommend any Mom do that, by the way). He goes for his 2 week checkup tomorrow, and we hope he has gained some weight. We think he looks thinner, but longer. He is a really good eater and feeds every 2-3 hours, 2-3ozs per serving. He isn't a big fan of his baths, but we sleeps really well after them.

My First Bath (at home)

It's incredible the strong emotions that come with being a parent. We love and adore our little boy and can't even seem to remember what life was like without him. Watching TV has taken a back seat to watching our little guy make different faces, including smiling after he eats and is "milk drunk". We will try to update as often as possible, but am sure it won't be nearly as often as before.

38 Weeks

Not a whole lot has gone on the past few weeks, we are up to weekly doctors appointments. At the last two appointments I was 1cm dilated, Anthony's heartbeat was 130-140 and beating strong, and he is considered FULL TERM!Yay!  I've gained another 4lbs total, making a grand total of 8lbs from pre-pregnancy. My belly is feeling much heavier these days, and the dreaded stretch marks have reared their ugly head. I've had a few episodes of tachycardia (increased heart rate in the 130's when 60-100 is normal), shortness of breath, and near syncope and was sent to the hospital for monitoring at my 36 week appointment. They didn't find anything wrong, my urine-analysis came back normal, as did all the blood work, and my blood pressure was fine. The doctor said it could be just a blood flow issue involving my vena cava, the main artery that supplies my body with blood. I was urged to rest and relax as much as possible, and have been trying my best to do just that. 

JJ and I had a great Christmas surrounded by family. He worked a lot of overtime over the holidays, which I am both sad and grateful for. Since JJ was working at Wyndham New Years Eve, I went to a neighborhood party with my Mom and Step-dad to celebrate. They only live about 5 minutes away so I figured that was the safest option with the least amount of driving.

I had a labor scare on Thursday, January 8th starting around 8:30pm. I started getting contractions, and as time went on they were getting more and more intense and coming closer together. Eventually I used one of my iPhone apps to time them, and they were coming every 3.5 minutes and lasting a little over a minute each, for about 3 hours steadily. JJ was fast asleep, and I figured if this was it, I might as well try to get a nap in while they weren't too intense to handle. Turns out they stopped on their own, but I now know what to expect when the time comes. They felt nothing like the Braxton Hick's I have experienced since about 18 weeks, I could tell these were much different.

As if adding a new baby to our lives isn't stressful enough, we are looking to move into a house shortly after he arrives. Our apartment complex has gone downhill a bit and we are concerned about our safety and Anthony's. There have been break ins and burglary's, and we feel it's time to move onto bigger and better things. In the meantime, we have decided not to set up Anthony's real nursery to avoid having to move it shortly and have instead set up the pack n play in our bedroom to bring him home to the first few days or weeks. I have been nesting and organizing all of his stuff, washing and folding clothes and cleaning the apartment to make for a smooth transition when we do come home. I have packed my hospital bag, all except for the electronics (computer, camera, video camera) and JJ's things. Since things could happen any day now, I wanted to be prepared. Mom-Mom will be shopping for Anthony's going home outfit soon, since it is her goal to buy each grandchild their going home from the hospital outfit.

Anthony's Setup in our bedroom

 The next step will be to have our car seat bases installed in our cars, in preparation of bringing Anthony home! How exciting! We will take them to a local Fire Department where they are trained to install them properly. 

JJ and I are thrilled and nervous that the big day is right around the corner! Mom-Mom is hosting a Baby Shower on January 14th at her home to celebrate baby Anthony's arrival! We are hoping he holds off on his arrival until after this event. Insomnia has set in for me and I seem to get my best sleep in our recliner in the living room. I'm awake most of the night, and rely heavily on my daily nap everyday from 6am-9am. Oddly enough it seems to last me throughout the day. I keep saying it's to prepare me for the sleepless nights to come. And boy, I can't wait!

*38 Weeks 5 Days*

35 weeks 4 days

Time seems to be flying by and delivery is right around the corner! Yikes! I have finished up working and can finally start to really prepare for Anthony's arrival. We are still working on his nursery, his furniture should be arriving sometime in between Christmas and New Year's.

Auntie Katryna and Uncle Nathan threw us an amazing co-ed Baby Shower on Saturday, Dec. 11th. We were so happy to be able to celebrate our little man with many of our friends. We received lots of fun gifts that we can't wait to use once baby gets here.

 

The Host

Awesome Homemade Gifts from Aunt Brianne and Uncle Peter

Diaper Cake from Ashley and Kelly

JJ and I attended a Breastfeeding class, the last Baby class of the year, and we really learned a lot.Obviously we're really new to this whole process so we've really enjoyed taking these classes. I am hoping to exclusively breastfeed for the first four weeks, and then pump and be able to transition back and forth with the bottle once I go back to work. :( We are hoping to use the First Years Breastflow bottles which should minimize confusion for little Anthony. They are the only bottle out on the market that mimic the suction needed while breastfeeding, so we hope Anthony takes to them really well. Every baby is different, so it'll be just a trial and error type of thing.

We took our last mini-vacation before baby arrives to Miami this past weekend. JJ's cousin Michael was getting married, and JJ was able to switch his days off in order to be able to go. We drove our car down and stayed at the Baymont Inn in Doral, about 4 miles from the reception site. We were thrilled to be able to go to the Rehearsal dinner on Friday and visited with JJ's grandfather for several hours during the day on Saturday before the wedding. JJ's grandfather, who is Jerry John Sr, was really excited to talk about Anthony coming and dubbed him "Big Tony" from the very beginning. He is eager to meet him after he is born, and offered to babysit him and let him spend the night in his room. It was really sweet!

3 Generations of Marinelli men (inc "Big Tony")

The wedding got a late start (we left in the middle of the party at 1:30am) but was so much fun! The bride and groom looked amazing, of course. They had this "Loco Hour" where they handed out Mardi Gras beads, different kinds of noise makers and hats, and various props and they played awesome dance music, while everyone went "crazy." It was a really creative idea and everyone loved it.

Katryna, Uncle Fred (Father of the Groom), JJ

I was hoping to be able to make a trip up to Georgia before baby was born so I can see my Grandpa Johnson who has been in and out of the hospital, but the little road trip to Miami was a lot for my body to handle. My limbs swelled up pretty good and it took an entire day and a half in order to get it to go back to normal, so I can only imagine a trip that was two times the duration. Plus, sitting in a car took a toll on my back and my ache belly.

I had my 35 week checkup yesterday (we have now started to go once a week until delivery), I have gained another 2lbs, which totals 4lbs of weight gain this pregnancy, and Anthony's heartbeat was in the 140-150 range. The doctor said my cervix is really soft but I am not "really" dilated yet. Things can happen really quickly from here on out or dilation can take several weeks, every woman is different. I've had some pretty uncomfortable contractions in the past few days but nothing steady. The doctor said this is normal. I still haven't really had any cravings, maybe water? I am drinking a ton of water (at least 2L a day) and still feel like I'm dehydrated all the time. I can't get enough of it. My belly button has stayed an innie, but I swear any day now it will pop out.

Anthony continues to be a REALLY active little boy, even though he has pretty much run out of room to play. JJ and I play guess the body part and guess his position. Sometimes we just sit on the couch and watch my belly morph and move. It really is an incredible thing to see. All of his organs are nearly complete. His kidneys are fully developed and his liver is functional and capable of processing waste products. He weighs somewhere around 5.5lbs and should be near 20inches long. 

9 months *36 weeks*

8 Months or 32 Weeks

So much has happened in the past 3 weeks! JJ and I attended our first and second Child Birthing classes out at Winter Park Hospital. On Saturday, November 13th we went to an all day seminar learning all about the child birth process (natural, medicated and c-sections), some breathing and relaxation techniques and other general baby knowledge. On the 22nd of November we attended the Child Care class offered by the hospital. This was a much shorter class consisting of bathing, diapering and comforting techniques. I know it sounds so simple and a lot of people wonder why we decided to take these classes, but they are fun and JJ and I really have learned some helpful things so far. Since we are so new to all of this, we want to know everything going into it. We have two more classes in December, and we are really looking forward to those.

Working on preparing for babies arrival we went to Babies R Us with Anthony’s Mom-Mom (my Mom) and picked out his nursery furniture. We chose the crib and changing table from the Palisades collection in a Cherry Wood color. We will be using a dresser that his Mom-Mom had when she was growing up, and was then passed down to me in bedroom as a little girl too. We will have fun in the next few weeks painting and decorating it to match his fire nursery theme.

We cannot wait to set up his room, which we spent two whole days cleaning and organizing! For the time being he will share his nursery with our home office, but we really condensed it. There’s only the desk with the computer in there, leaving plenty of room for all of Anthony’s furniture. Shortly after he arrives we will be searching for a bigger house to live in. But we figure he’ll be such a little guy for a while, he won’t know the difference anyways.

I had my 31 week appointment on Tuesday, November 23rd. Although it wasn’t my best experience at the office, we were happy to hear Anthony’s heartbeat, as always. We were really rushed through the appointment from start to finish and left kind of upset and with our questions unanswered. The medical assistant who took my weight didn’t even bother to adjust the scale, making me heavier than I actually was at the appointment. However, according to her assessment, I have gained 2lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. (Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be unhappy if that was the case, it’s just the principal.) 

We also briefly discussed my working options. It appears as though December 15th will be my last day on the job before going out for Maternity Leave. It’s getting far too difficult to be on 24 hour shifts, running all sorts of crazy calls at all hours of the day and night, and I feel bad having to rely so heavily on my partner and the fire department for assistant. The lifting requirements for my job are 150lbs at any given time. Just the stretcher with our equipment makes up that weight, so throw a patient into the mix and the number sky rockets. Luckily, I’ve had a great partner for the second half of this pregnancy and other colleagues who have really helped me out, but I feel like they shouldn’t have to do extra work because I’m just not able to do it anymore. Also, my limbs are swelling so bad after a shift that I’m stuck resting the whole next day. Not to mention, the lack of sleep is really starting to get to my brain. Overall, the stress and physical requirements just aren’t worth the risk to Anthony or me. He could come really early if I continue any longer than that, and we want him to bake as long as possible. It puts me out at 35 weeks, which is around the norm for my field.

The other night JJ (and Jenny) put the stroller together and we tested the car seat in both our vehicles. We were a little concerned the seat wouldn’t fit in my Ion being that it was a larger model carrier, but to our surprise it fits just fine. I test drove it around for a few days. :)

We celebrated Thanksgiving surrounded by lots of family. JJ worked until 2:30pm, so I went and watched the Macy’s parade with Mom and Pierson, and then went to my Dad’s house for lunch, and then back to Mom’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. JJ’s family joined us this year, which was a nice treat. The food was amazing, and Anthony really seemed to enjoy the desserts, especially his Mom-Mom’s White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake.

How Mom is doing: Anthony is still a really active little guy! He moves around constantly and kicks/punches all day and night. I’m surprised he still has room to flip around in there, but he manages just fine. I’m convinced I have a few bruised ribs already. The heartburn has really been well managed with the Zantac, thank goodness. I can really tell when I miss a dose. Still no odd ball cravings. Sleep is still a major ordeal, and I suspect it won’t be getting any better anytime soon. I’m pretty uncomfortable these days, lots of back and hip pains. And it’s awfully hard to get up from a sitting or laying down position. I’ve also been having a ton of Braxton Hick’s contractions each day. Luckily they aren’t painful, just a little uncomfortable squeezing of my abdominal muscles.

29 Weeks

So I had my 7 month check up this past week, and also took the 1 hour glucose test at the same appointment. Anthony's heartbeat was very strong, and the doctor said my is belly growing right on track. We were concerned about my weight gain, or lack thereof, and the doctor said he was comfortable with my numbers. I am still down 1lb pre-pregnancy. He did say that I may start to gain some weight in the next 12 weeks as this is when the baby does the most growing. We shall see what the next few weeks bring. Sadly, we were told we wouldn't have any more ultrasounds unless there were any questions or concerns. We could have a 3d/4d ultrasound, but it's not covered by insurance and costs $100. It's supposed to give the parents a pretty good indication of what the baby will look like at birth, but we chose to forgo it and put the money towards newborn pictures when Anthony is about 2 weeks old.  But, I thought I'd get to see him at least one more time before he was born. :(

Baby Bump 28w4d

I was informed a few days after my appointment that I didn't pass my 1hr glucose test. I got a 142, passing for regular patients is 140, but with my history of Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (something that can cause insulin resistance all by itself) and my families extensive history of diabetes, they'd prefer to see it below 130. So I went back in for the 3hr glucose test. I was instructed to fast for 12 hours prior to the test. I showed up, they drew my blood, I drank the 10oz of disgusting lemon-lime sugar water, and then had my blood drawn once every hour for three hours. My poor arm looked like a pin cushion when all was said and done. They sent the blood off to the lab over the weekend, and called today with the awesome results. No gestational diabetes for me, thank goodness. What a relief!

JJ and I have started to move things around and organize our apartment for Anthony coming home. I made room next to my bed for the Pack N' Play with the bassinet and changing table combo we're hoping to get and use in the first few months. We will start organizing our spare bedroom to make room for Anthony's nursery next. We have a TON of work to do in there, as we use it as a storage room/office right now and there is only so much room in this tiny apartment. Looks like it might be time to have a garage sale and get rid of some of the junk we have but never use. 

He's still moving around a ton. The doctor told me at our appointment that I can take 3 Zantac a day for the heartburn and see if that helps any, and it has been a Godsend! My heartburn, which has plagued me since the very beginning, is virtually gone. I don't want to jinx it, but it's amazing what a relief it has been. Sleeping has become a bit of an ordeal, I can only sleep on my left side, as I can't seem to breathe when on my right side and my back is a big no no (cuts off oxygen supply to the baby). The bed is getting smaller and smaller with the pillows I'm using. JJ says it's time for a King size bed, and sometime down the line, he may be right.

We've also started crate training our dog Jenny in preparation for Anthony's arrival. We haven't left her in it unsupervised (that didn't go well in the past) but she goes in it at bed time to create some boundaries. I figured we could use it when people come over to visit, or when the baby is laying on the floor for Tummy Time, or just when we need a break. She seems to like it now, as she will randomly go in there when we are watching TV in our bedroom. She laid in there all day today when I was cleaning, watching me, probably wondering what I was doing since she hasn't really seen me clean in the past 5 months, haha. :)

Jenny snuggling in her cage