The Adventures of Baby Douglas

New York City 2011

2011-08-27T19:43:00.008-05:00

Last year, Ethan and Mommy took an amazing trip to NYC, so... why not try it again?! We aren't going through a major whirlwind of life changes like we were last year and our time would only be limited to five days, but hey, we know how to make the best of life.

Day 1:
We got in early, left our bags at the hotel and headed straight to my favorite place - Central Park! The lush surroundings, the Pond, the street performers, and THE CAROUSEL, what's not to love!!!

When we took a break to have lunch, we noticed groups of business people on the street. I overheard one man say they were evacuated because of an earthquake. Huh, an EARTHQUAKE... we didn't feel a thing!

Later we went off to Time Square and then to the gorgeous, Chelsea Pier for sites and Chelsea Market for a bite to eat.

Day 2:
We headed to grab a bagel and then went to hang out by Rockefeller Center to eat our breakfast. Next we decided to take the train to Battery Park where we took the NYC Water Taxi to see the one and only, Statue of Liberty.

From there we got off at South Street Seaport and headed to the G.E. solar powered carousel "Carousolar." That was probably one of the coolest things I've experienced... a carousel, powered solely by the sun!

Later that evening, we went back to Central Park to play and then to Toys R Us Time Square to ride the ferris wheel. If you've never been to NYC, this is a great place to take kids... the store is so big that the ferris wheel is right inside.

Day 3:
Mommy had to squeeze in a business lunch, so our amazing friend, Jen, took Ethan for a couple hours. Later that day, we headed to Serendipity for ice cream, well, Frozen Hot Chocolate to be exact. For any of you romantics out there, yes, from the movie:)

Loosen those buttons... Before ice cream, we checked out Dylan's Candy Bar, where the stairs are really made of candy. Just amazing. For dinner, we headed to S'Mac to indulge in gourmet mac'n'cheese...mmm.

Day 4:
The Hamptons!!! Or maybe not. Since Hurricane Irene (yes, two natural disasters in a four day trip) was on her way, we had to cancel our plans to visit my friends beach house. We spent most of the morning changing plans in attempt to get back home early. That stunk, but we still had time for a little fun.

We made our way to Union Square where we played at the playground, grabbed some food, and watched a bunch of people dance to old school music to raise money for children. After that, we walked to SoHo for a bit of last minute shopping.

Max Brenner's chocolate restaurant was up the street by Union Station, so we walked there for dinner. Ethan was sound asleep when we got there. And after my server decided not to put my order in until his replacement came 15 minutes later, I figured it was better to say goodbye to the idea of another gluttonous meal. So back to the hotel we went.

Our final moments in NYC were a bit crazy. When we got to the airport, they told us that my reservation had not be changed and we could "try" to fly standby. If we didn't get on this plane, we probably wouldn't have another change to fly out until after the hurricane had made it's mark.

At 8:45pm (the flight was set for 9pm and we were at the airport at 6pm), they finally told us that we would be able to make the flight. Then the crew told us that there would be a 20 minute delay for a maintenance check.

Finally we were on the plane to go home! We sat by three lovely girls who entertained us the entire way home. Though the Flight Attendants and a few grumps next to us didn't enjoy our happy disposition, we didn't let that stop us from giggling and taking photos for the next two hours. hehe;)

Love,

E & T

p.s. Spirit Airline SUCKS!!!

Two Year Check-up

2011-01-18T14:14:00.004-06:00

Yeah, I know... it's been very long since I've posted. I'm sorry.

December marked the official 2nd birthday and the required (yes, required) festivities. However, since I've yet to put up the 1st year party pics, you're only getting the stats from the doctors visit on this post.

Height: 36"
Weight: 32lbs
Head Circumference: I can't remember... oops

He's in the 75th% for height. The 75th-90th% for weight. And the 90th% for body mass, which his doctor said generally indicates a child at borderline obesity. Anyone who knows Ethan, know that he's is just muscular, there isn't much fat to that little man.

So there you have it. He's not quite the monster he was before. But he's definitely still a little monster.

Oh! Before I forget... some new stuff. Ethan is quite the talker. He's gone from finally saying phrases to using some sentences and imitating almost every word that comes out of my mouth (careful Tonia!).

Counting from one to eleven is something he can do, though he prefers this counting method: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 8, 9, 10. What can I say, he's gifted;)

He also knows his main colors and is working on the Spanish equivalent. You may be interested to know that I'm fluent in my Spanish colors now. Haha. Ethan also knows every, yes EVERY, body part. And thanks to my sis, Rikki, he's still killing sign language.

Sports and dancing are his absolute favorites. He knows just about every sport that comes on TV and can imitate them very well. But when there is music playing, it doesn't matter what else is going on, it is time for a dance party.

August Updates!

2010-08-10T18:39:00.003-05:00

Yet again I have taken another ridiculously long time to update my blog. Ethan and I have been enjoying the summer and taking advantage of the fantastic weather!

Here are the updates:

18 month doctors appointment: My giant boy is still in the 95% at 34" tall and 30lbs.

New friends: We have made some new friends and enjoyed lots of playdates. Thursdays we generally join the "Bump & Baby Club" in Wicker Park for fun in the sun. Also, my friend Heidi has been sweet enough to invite us over to join her on Wednesdays to play with the boy she nannies.

Good Friends: Ethan & I generally join my fabulous friend, Beverly, and her two kids, Austin & Addyson, for a weekly date in the park.
Words: It's finally happened, Ethan is starting to repeat everything I say. Luckily we have avoided bad words. We've learned cool, dude, happy, happy birthday (sounds like appakirchu), elbow, oh man, boo (or boooooo), airplane, hippo, bra, owie, and... boobs (or boo boos, not to be confused with owie). Lots and lots of words... it would take all day to list them.

Style: Yup, my boy needs a style section now! He's wearing 2T and some 3T clothing. I found little Hanes tanks (aka: wife beaters, dago tees - sorry if these offend) that are so cute on him since he's little. We found this awesome skull and crossbones hat at Psycho Baby. He also got his third, and most stylish, haircut a couple weeks ago.

Mama cut it... we went a little retro. I love it!

The Cute Things: When I say "dragonfly" he does this cute eww gross thing with his face and hands. He responds to "I love you" by blowing a kissing, or sometimes by saying whaa (kinda like muah). And just to make you fall even more in love with him, if you ask him some like "why are you so cute?!" he will shrug and lean his head to one side. You have to see it to understand how adorable it is.

Fun Stuff: Ethan is taking gymnastics with his cousin, Maggie. He loves it and never wants to leave. Ethan even mastered the somersault. Okay, well maybe not mastered but he practices every chance he gets. It's too cute!

We have also gone to several splash parks and had some city fun, especially at Millennium Park!

Last but not least... PICTURES!

Ethan Loves NYC!

2010-06-12T18:08:00.004-05:00

With the start of 2010 being closer to a soap opera than real life, Ethan and I were ready for a vacation. I called my friend Jennifer, discussed plans, bought tickets, and flew off to New York City for a change of scenery.

Unfortunately, Ethan decided to become a toddler just days before his first vacation, and thus, his first flight. I was a little nervous when our flight was delayed, and even more nervous when he started getting bored before takeoff.

Despite my concerns and some momentary spouts of tantrums, Ethan was relatively good on the flight. I would love to claim success because of my fantastic planning, but in reality, the guy that sat next to us deserves all of the credit. Not only did he pull a random plastic motorcycle out of his computer bag, but he also let Ethan play with his calculator and the case for his reading glasses.

Our trip was filled with walking around Manhattan, people watching at Time Square and on the subway, enjoying the sites in Central Park, and soaking up the culture of NYC. Oh, we also went to a Yankees game! It was my attempt at making up for all of the shopping in Soho... he already hates shopping.

It's Been a While, but We're Back... New Ethan Update

2010-01-29T10:17:00.005-06:00

Has it really been two months since I last posted? Did I not do the fabulous First Birthday Celebration post that I had planned on since Ethan's DOB?? Well, I hope I haven't disappointed you all as much as I've disappointed myself...

So let's see. We had a condo-full of many friends and family for Ethan's first b-day! The theme was "Winter ONEderland." Snowflakes and white lights were hung on the ceiling, and the menu was all comfort food.

We had a hot chocolate bar, grilled cheese bar, eggnog, and other appetizers. And the best part, Central Continental Bakery created a truly unique cake to celebrate the occasion! I came up with the design, and they really took my visualization to reality. Ethan's "smash cake" wasn't as beautiful, but he didn't seem to mind!

He also had his one year check-up. As always, he's a very, very big boy! Here are the stats:

Heights: 31 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 26 1/2 lbs (90th percentile)

What's new? Ethan is getting really good at signing. He can do: eat, milk, more, please, and book. He said "Mama, Mama" right to me the other day when he was getting his diaper changed. Other words he says are: no, bubba (for the cat at his daycare), uh oh, cheese (sounds more like teese), up (sound like yup), and ni-night (usually he says it to get his pacifier since he gets that at bedtime).

When I say "Ready," he replies "Go!"

That's about it for now. I'll get some additional pics up soon!

Ethan Update!

2009-11-20T09:37:00.004-06:00

Sad to say, it has been some time since I have last blogged. I definitely could blog everyday about something new and wonderful that Ethan is doing, but I just get so busy and wrapped up with the day-to-day.

Here are the updates on E:

Weight: almost 26 lbs (I just looked in my baby book, and I did not weight that until age three!)

Words: "no, no" he even scrunches up his nose when he says it... hilarious! (there have been others "words" but I think this is the most clear, and he actually knows what it means!)

Eats: new foods are white potato, butternut squash, mac-n-cheese (sad, but it was the healthiest option at a restaurant we went to), and strawberries. His normal day of food includes 3-4 bottles, two veggies, two fruits, yogurt/ cheese, cereal (a homemade combo of oatmeal/rice and lentils), and some snacks.

Size: Ethan is wearing 18-24 months clothes!

Teeth: Finally! Five teeth!

Funny Stuff: I was cleaning the other day and set (2) three pound hand weights on the floor. He reaches down, grabs one with each hand, and then continues to lift them both off the floor. That's more than 23% of his body weight that he lifted! Oh, my little BamBam!

Not So Funny: He is so busy, that it is impossible to get him to take more than a five minute bath. After about two minutes, he is standing up and trying to climb out. (yeah, yeah, I'm sure this is funny to everyone but me!)

And of course...

Pics:

Ethan's Showing His Best Blue Steel

2009-11-02T16:07:00.005-06:00

Our little boy is so cute, we just couldn't resist the opportunity to make him the next Baby Gap model... so we entered him in the Gap Casting Call.

Please place your votes and help support Ethan. You can vote for each one of his pics at this link:

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/tdougz/

We appreciate the support!!

OH, and while you're there, please vote for his adorable baby cousin, Maggie:

http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/rikkir77/

Walkin' the Walk!

2009-10-03T18:02:00.003-05:00

Ethan is officially walking!

He took his first step on September 18th, but today he's been walking all over the place. He's still a little shaky, but it's so cute!

Here's a video - sorry it's sideways:

Good Morning!

2009-10-02T09:57:00.005-05:00

I just bought Ethan these adorable Monkey Football Player pajamas. Aren't they the cutest? Well, maybe it's just because the model is sooooo cute!

His First Step!

2009-09-23T10:02:00.005-05:00

Friday night Jason and I were getting everything together for our trip to Central Illinois for Emily's wedding. A little before we left, Jason was holding Ethan's hand so he could stand. I squatted down, and...

HE TOOK A FEW STEPS!!!

On Monday, we went to a church event and I went down to check on Ethan (they told me he was crying, but I found out when I got down there that they got the wrong mom!). When he saw me, he speed crawled over to me.

When he got to me he pulled himself up on my jeans, and he squeezed my knees harder than he ever had. He didn't want to let go! So I grabbed his arms and unwrapped him, then took a step back. He stood for a second, took two steps to me, and wrapped his arms back around my knees.

I felt so bad leaving him, but I was so excited that he walked...again!!

Happy 9 Month B-Day Ethan!!

2009-09-08T12:51:00.005-05:00

In celebration of Ethan's 9 months, I wanted to post some videos of his first days.

12/08/08

12/09/08

12/09/08

Enjoy!!

Fun Phone Pics

2009-09-02T16:38:00.004-05:00

Ethan just loves my phone. He gets so excited when he sees the pictures, so we have lots of fun taking pics!

Here are some of the recent phone pics:

Pics

2009-08-19T12:48:00.006-05:00

Some fun shots of Ethan from a month ago.

We're Back!

2009-08-10T07:33:00.002-05:00

I've been horrible about blogging lately. It has been extremely busy lately with our new home, my new schedule, and Ethan's new daycare. By the time we get home, we play, then it's off to bed. On the weekends, we just try to get things done around the house.

Plus, I keep forgetting my memory card to upload new pics and videos. I promise, this week, I will have more info.

Just to keep you up-to-date, with what's going on in Ethan's world. Here's some info:

Ethan is 8 months old!!!
He has his bottom two teeth, but we think the top two are trying to breakthrough for their big debut.
Ethan has been crawling for a while, but he is really starting to move out.
He is pulling up on everything, so he can stand and walk around.
He dances to music (so cute!)
Ethan really wants to talk, he's trying really hard!
I believe he can say "baba" for bottle and if I ask him if he wants a baba he will start whining and say "bababababababa!"
He's a giant baby (like always, but he's like 22lbs+ already)
Ethan is eating more and more finger foods - he loves eating.
He does not have a sweet tooth! (Lucky guy!!)
His "strawberry" is still there, but it seems to have stopped growing.
Ethan loves music! He was dancing away to Frank Sinatra!!

Okay, that's it for now!

Father's Day Fun

2009-06-22T17:46:00.004-05:00

On Father's Day, Jason, Ethan and I went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens. It was really beautiful!

Our Trip to the Beach

2009-06-22T17:29:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, we decided to take a trip downtown to the beach. We got there a little late, so we just hung out for a bit.

Ethan was hungry (like usual), so he decided to eat a handful of sand. Totally gross, but at least he tried chewing before swallowing!

A Very Busy Weekend, Part 3

2009-06-22T11:50:00.003-05:00

Once we got home from the "after party," Ethan was ready for a nap. When he woke up, he was really warm, so I took his tempurature. It was 102 degrees!!

We called the pediatrician, and talked to the on-call doctor, Dr. Wiseburg. She recommended that we take him to the ER for some testing.

Luckily, he just had that nasty virus that's going around and not anything worse. He was sick for about a week... it was so sad!

A Very Busy Weekend, Part 2

2009-06-22T11:34:00.003-05:00

Then we participated in the Ronald McDonald Run/ Walk for Hope...

After, everyone went over to Chris and Rikki's house. Ethan and his cousin, Maggie, were worn out!

A Very Busy Weekend

2009-06-22T11:19:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had to move out of our apartment and into a storage unit since our condo wasn't ready yet. Danielle, Justin, Natalie, and Blake came over to help us out. They were a BIG help!

Oh So Cute!

2009-06-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

Wow! We already got the proofs from Ethan's First Photo Shoot! I'm so, so happy with them. The pictures really display Ethan's personality and just how cute he is.

The photographer, April Kitchin, did a wonderful job. The colors are so vibrant, and Ethan looks precious. I'm excited to order some prints!

She even wrote about the day on her blog. You can get some peeks of the pictures here: April's Blog.

Cheers!

He's a Model... A Baby Model!

2009-06-15T17:49:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, Jason and I took Ethan to his very first photo shoot! It was so much fun and I'm excited to see the photos!

We had the pleasure of working with April Kitchin Photography. We took some really fun shots, and April's ideas were adorable. It's hard to tell she has only been doing this for over a year.

I did come up with one of the ideas, though, which I think will turn out amazing! Jason has a million ties, so I thought it would be adorable to get Ethan in a tie and just a diaper. I'm so excited to see how they turn out!

Ethan really liked April!

He even gave her a big hug!

Thanks April!!

Swimming Fun!

2009-05-28T08:13:00.004-05:00

Ethan and I are enrolled in a Parent/ Child Swimming Class, which mostly consists of playing games. It's just a way to get him used to the water. Unfortunately, I think he would enjoy it more if the water wasn't so chilly.

We did the back float, front float, and just played in the water. Here are some of the pics...

Time To Eat - Take Three!

2009-05-28T08:01:00.002-05:00

ETHAN EATS OATMEAL!

My First Picnic!

Hmm, This is New...

Just Let Me Do It, Mom!

Mmm, Pretty Good!

Time to Eat - Take Two

2009-05-28T07:55:00.003-05:00

Starting to Enjoy Cereal!

Still a Little Confused on What Not to Eat...

And, Apparently Over the Photo Shoot!

Time To Eat - Take One

2009-05-28T07:37:00.004-05:00

ETHAN EATS RICE CEREAL

Buckled Up and Ready To Eat!

A Little Confused on Just What to Eat...

Getting Frustrated!

Time For the Guilt Trip... Cue the Tears!

Time to Eat

2009-04-27T10:18:00.006-05:00

*Wow, this post was created at least a month ago...sorry for the delay!

At Ethan's four month check-up, Dr. Zarate told us we can start giving him rice cereal. Once a day, just so he can start practicing this new eating technique.

Well, my little monster has once again proven to me that he is just that, a monster. I usually only get about one good spoonful in his mouth. The majority of other bites consist of him grabbing the spoon and shoving it into his mouth, and then chewing on the spoon.

But we were able to take some good videos!

**Update, Ethan just had his first serving of Oatmeal last Sunday. He loved it! I have a feeling this boy is not going to turn down ANY food. Or at least I hope not!

All's Well That Ends Well

2009-04-23T08:16:00.007-05:00

This has been a stressful week. Not only was Ethan's Auntie Rikki in the hospital, but Ethan was having some moments of hysteria at daycare. Sigh...

On Monday, Kristi from Acorn Oaks (daycare) called me because Ethan was crying (woke up that way) and had been for 45 minutes. And this isn't his normal "I'm going to complain and fight sleep" crying, this was blood curdling, I'm in misery crying. So not like him.

I, of course, sprinted out the door at work and was at the daycare in less than five minutes. He seemed to calm down a little once I got there, but he wouldn't look at me and seemed like he was uncomfortable. It definitely sounded like pain on the phone.

So I rushed him to the doctor, after an argument with the receptionist who told me I'd have to wait until after their lunch break (over an hour away). No way! If I have to wait I'll just take him to the hospital. I refuse to take a chance like that. It's like my coworker, Sandy, said "You have to be their advocate." The receptionist told me to go ahead and bring him in.

Once I got there, one of the nurses was making some snippy comments, "They couldn't wait until after our lunch break." I replied, "Hello! I can hear you." And had to bite my tongue.

We were told to go into Room 4, where a nurse was already waiting to help us. Then the (choice word) nurse came in and took his temp. She looked at me and said "It's 98 degrees. He doesn't have a fever." I was like, "I never said he had a fever." Then she tried to act like she was just relaying the information to the other nurse.

Ugh! What a jerk!?! He's only four months old, and you are going to act like that. Well, the doctor came in shortly after and said he scolded the nurse for her behavior. Good!

After examining Ethan, the doctor said it was nothing, maybe a night terror. Hmmm... I wasn't sold. And unfortunately, the next day the same thing happened, only he was awake and playing for a bit before it started. I went over there and he seemed to start feeling a little better.

I think it was a tummy ache or gas. Poor baby. Luckily, it didn't happen yesterday. Oh, and Rikki had her baby girl on Tuesday!

All's Well That Ends Well!

Here's Rikki and Maggie!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T11:49:00.001-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We definitely did...

The 4 Month Check-Up

2009-04-10T09:30:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I took Ethan to his four month check-up. Dr. Shapiro was gone for Easter vacation, so we saw Dr. Zarate (pronounced like karate). She's actually the first pediatrician to have examined Ethan in the hospital.

We did the routine visit, first getting weighed and measured. His weight was a whopping 16 1/2 lbs, length was 26 1/2 inches, and head circumference was 17 1/2 inches. Ethan is still right around the 90th percentile! Yowza!

After that we met with Dr. Zarate who checked him over and said he's doing great. She suggested we start Ethan with rice cereal soon. I can't wait to see his face when he tries it - he just loves eating!

Ethan also had to get four vaccinations - three shots and one oral. Poor little guy, but he seemed to perk up pretty well for the rest of the day. I'm so glad that he's a happy baby!

Happy 4 Month Birthday, Ethan!

2009-04-08T12:05:00.003-05:00

Ethan is 4 months old today! I can't barely believe it! He's really learned so much - he just amazes us everyday with something new.

This morning I woke up to the music from Ethan's Ocean Wonders Aquarium playing (by the way, it's the best thing ever). I grabbed the remote and turned it off. Next thing I know, it's back on again. So I turn it off again. It went on again, and I looked up to see Ethan's little foot on top of the button. That little smarty figured out how to turn it on and off!

Oh, and great news, Ethan decided to roll over again yesterday! Now he's trying to roll from his back to his belly. He gets about half way there...but that darn arm gets into the way. Keep trying baby boy!

My little busy body is spending most the day at daycare. Here's a video of him jumping around:

Cheers!

Biker Baby

2009-04-07T07:34:00.000-05:00

Playing dress up is just way to much fun with a cutie patootie like Ethan...

Ethan has a Girlfriend!

2009-04-01T09:35:00.003-05:00

Just a few days ago I was talking to Ethan about all of his friends at daycare. And I just happened to mention that there are some cute little girls in his class too; especially Madison, the pretty little blonde, who's closest to his age.

Well, when I went to pick him up today he was in the middle of a bottle, and laying right across from Madison. As I looked down to say hi to him, I noticed that he and Madison were playing footsie! They were rubbing their feet together and grabbing with their toes.

Some things were just made for video...

The Happy Baby

2009-03-19T10:27:00.003-05:00

Are you a morning person? No, maybe a night owl? Jason and I have been blessed with a baby whose smiling ear to ear at six o'clock in the morning, and just as happy at one a.m.

After sleeping for a few hours at night, Ethan starts to stir sometime after midnight. When we go to check on him, he flashes you his biggest, brightest smile of the day! The only problem is that he wants to play, bobbing his wobbly head around with that gummy smile. It takes everything inside of you not to laugh and play with him.

Don't get me wrong, we still get Mr. Crabby in the evenings between eight and 11 PM. Oh, and of course when he is hungry. But overall, we have a very happy baby bear.

Site Changes

2009-03-16T10:36:00.000-05:00

Hi All,

Please be patient while I "upgrade" this site... I just can't figure out what I want it to look like!

Daycare Blues

2009-03-16T08:34:00.002-05:00

It's 8:34 AM. I dropped Ethan off at Daycare a little over an hour and a half ago. It's his first day. Our first day being apart for more than a few hours, and I really, really miss him.

Luckily, I found a daycare that is about two blocks away from work. You better believe I will be there daily over my lunch break. I just hope I can catch him while he is awake, and not during nap time!

I wonder what he's doing. Is he sleeping? Are they getting ready to feed him? Does he miss me? Is he scared? Okay, so maybe I'm a little neurotic about the whole thing, but these are the thoughts that are running through my head. I just hope that he doesn't forget about me.

Oh Ethan. How I miss you...

The Three Month Check-Up

2009-03-11T09:17:00.002-05:00

On Monday we went to see Ethan's pediatrician, Dr. Shapiro, for his three month check-up. The usual routine, we got Ethan down to his diaper so they could weigh and measure him. He's not a big fan of being undressed in the doctor's office.

This big boy ended up weighing 15 lbs, 4 3/4 oz and measured 25 1/4 inches long. When the doctor came in to see us, we found out that both Ethan's height and weight are in the 90th percentile! Wow!

He also got his second HepB shot and the IPV. He only cried a little bit, but seemed to get over it pretty quickly.

Happy Three Month Birthday, Ethan!

2009-03-08T14:04:00.009-05:00

WooHoo! He's three months old today, and what are Ethan's big plans? Well, right now he's sleeping (which is why I'm finally writing this post!).

So here's the birthday boy!

Tomorrow we have his three month check-up with Dr. Shapiro, so we'll see how big he's gotten. I'm guess somewhere in between 15 1/2 and 16 lbs! He's just a big dude.

Watch out, cousin Blake! You two are gonna be the same size in no time!

Ethan Proves Them Wrong!

2009-01-14T18:35:00.007-06:00

Hey! Watch Ethan roll over!!

And again... just barely caught it on video!

Mr. Ethan Douglas

2009-01-14T18:31:00.003-06:00

Ethan is 5 weeks and 2 days old... yep! I'm finally getting around to posting on this site again, since I wrote a few time, but didn't keep it updated.

Here's the birth info:

Ethan Matthew Douglas

Born at 8:29 AM via cesarean
8 lbs, 19 1/2 inches

When Dr. Jelcz pulled Ethan out he was sleeping... go figure! I'll write the birth story soon!

Changing Doctors, Part 1

2008-08-14T14:05:00.003-05:00

Just recently I've decided that I need to change doctors. Not because my current doctor, Dr. Levy, is a jerk or anything - I actually think he's a pretty cool doctor. No, I'm changing because my doctor has a strict policy on inducing.

Dr. Levy told me up front that he induces if you haven't gone into labor on your own within three days after the due date. Well, when I first went to see Dr. Levy I was still in a little bit of shock. I mean, I had only found out two weeks before that I was pregnant and going to be a mother by the end of the year. I hadn't even done any research on pregnancy, which is completely against everything my neurotic personality generally dictates!

He explained that he induces so he can schedule the deliveries when he will be available. He also told me that it can be dangerous to let a baby go past the due date. So, in my inexperienced mind I figured doctor knows best.

After a couple of months, I decided to ask my friend, Meghann, who's studying to become a nurse about this policy. She immediately told me not to let him induce me. Meg then resorted to pulling out a book called Birth (warning - this book is not for the squeamish). She was reading some horrible stories about the way doctors have handled deliveries for the last so many years. She also gave me some of the statistics, and explained that doctors are using drugs to induce labor and cesareans at a very high percentage, once that many patient advocates states isn't necessary.

That in itself scared me to enough to find every document I could on being induced and find out if it's good, as my doctor says, or bad, as my friend explained. I can to the conclusion that there are both pros and cons of inducing labor. However, the statement that I kept reading over and over said that you should only induce labor for medical reasoning (i.e. the baby is over a week to two weeks late or you have gestational diabetes), not for scheduling reasons.

I had an appointment coming up with my doctor, so I thought I would reexamine the issue with him. Maybe he would be more lenient since I had already been going to him for a few months. That being said, I wasn't surprised when he wouldn't budge on his policy. So here I am 20+ weeks pregnant and no doctor...

He's Gonna Be a Soccer Player

2008-08-07T07:52:00.002-05:00

For anyone who has a love for Billy Madison, I bet the title of this post caught your eye. And for those who have no idea who Billy Madison is... ah, well, err, never mind.

The baby has been kicking like a lot lately. Last night while laying on the couch, the baby's favorite kicking position, he was really moving around in there. Jason even had a chance to feel some nice hard kicks.

We are 21+ weeks along, and progressing wonderfully! At my last OB appointment, I was told that our little guys might end up being a big one. So we are looking at a 7 1/2 or 8 lb. baby come December! I'm hoping for the 7 1/2.

No wonder he's kicking so hard, I've only gained five pounds or so and he's above average. Our poor baby is probably running out of space!