Monday, November 30, 2009

2 quickies

Hi Baby Eli,
I have two quickies for you. On Thanksgiving, your Aunt Laura told your cousin Andrew that he doesn't get any Christmas presents from us because his present is you. He thought about that and a few minutes later we had this conversation:

Andrew: Aunt Stacy, how long do moms and babies have to stay in the hospital when they are born?
Me: About 3 days usually.
Andrew: OK, so you can have the baby on December 22nd so he is home in time for Christmas?
Too funny! Shortly after, he asked if he could see your nursery so we went in there together. He said "I bet you are really happy to be a mom, huh?" Sometimes, the kid zings you with funny things, sometimes wise things and sometimes things that are way beyond his years.

The mass globalization marketing campaign of Elijah Lang Brigham has expanded. Not only can you be found on this Blogger/Blogspot and on both your mom's & dad's facebook pages, now you have expanded your reach to My Space. Your Uncle Zach added your photo to his My Space page. :) Not that your Uncle Zach would completely express it but I think is he about as excited for you as we are! I am trying to con him into recording some lullabies just for you.

Told ya - just two quickies. Later gator :)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

33 weeks

Hi Elijah!
Hey old man! You are 33 weeks now. This week isn't really a big milestone in my mind - not 24 weeks, not 28 weeks, etc. However, it seems to be marking some milestone in your mom's brain that is triggering anxiety. For all medical purposes, we have 7 more weeks until we meet you. However, my mental minimum of when I *could* meet you was 35 weeks. 35 weeks has minimal nicu time and you could even possibly come home immediately with us. Here is where the anxiety comes in - do you realize that 35 weeks is only 14 days away? 14 days... 14 days is the blink of an eye. 14 days is nothing. Even if you come at the optimal 37 weeks, that is still only 28 days away. It has seemed like time has been dragging by but here we are so close to seeing you.

I tried to explain this all to your dad. I tried to tell him that in 14 days you could be here. You could be screaming at us. You could be peeing, poohing and puking all over us. You could be keeping us up all night. We could be trying to feed you, change you and you could still be screaming at us. In 14 days, you could (one way or the other) be painfully making an exit out of my body. His response? He just shrugged his shoulders and said "Yep." Remember how I told you that your dad balances me out? I was all in a panic and he was all calm. He said that he will flip out when labor starts. Hopefully, I can balance him out then. I don't expect to be flipped out. I expect to be SCARED :) I expect to be so excited to hold you but so SCARED at how much it is going to hurt.

I was reading "What to expect when you are expecting" and I am starting to prepare myself for the strong possibility of a C-Section. Diabetes increases the odd of us needing a C-section. A kiddo with a big head (um, that would be you) increases the chance of a C-Section. Your mom being overweight (translate: big-fat-pig) increases the chance of a C-section. While it would not be my preferred method of delivering you, we are going to do whatever Bonehead tells us to do. I don't look forward to the extended recovery time or you being away from me so long after you are born but I just want you to be healthy and safe.

To wrap it up for today, here is the scoop from your pregnancy program. You have a 98% chance of survival and only a 12% chance of medical complications. The average weight is 4lb 7 oz - haha. You have been there done that. You are approximately 17.2 inches. You can tell the difference between night and day now. If we shined a light on my belly, you would be able to see it. Maybe when you are being ornery next time, I will shine a light on you to get you to shape up :)

Well kiddo, that is it for today. You keep in there cooking for 14 more days then we can renegotiate :)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Baby E!
It is Thanksgiving night and your mom and dad are resting. Your dad because it is hard work to feed so many people and clean up afterwards. Your mom because it is hard work supervising your dad and, more importantly, growing you. We had lots of your family over here today to celebrate Thanksgiving. Lots of people rubbing your belly and telling you "Happy Thanksgiving!" It was a nice holiday but, I have to be honest kid, we are just passing time until you are here! Next year, you will be here for Thanksgiving. Next year, our lives will be centered around you. Yep, we are just going about our daily lives to pass the time until little Elijah is here.

Every year, your Gramma Debbie would ask me what I am thankful for. While I have things I am thankful for, I am really not good at expressing those emotions verbally. But, I am totally comfortable in typing them all out for you. :)

1) I am bumping your dad this year as who I am most thankful for today. You are going to be top dog today in the things I am thankful for. Thankful for your conception, thankful for your surgery, thankful for your continued growth and health, thankful for the beautiful pictures of you, thankful for feeling you move and thankful for the fact that we are only a few weeks of away from meeting you.
2) I am thankful for your dad. He has worked so hard lately in getting your room ready, getting the house ready for company and cooking us a delicious meal. On top of all that, he puts up with my whining, moaning, weird sleep habits and endless rambling about hypothetical situations about when you are here.
3) I am thankful for having a job in this economy and for having that job provide excellent medical coverage for you & me.
4) I am thankful for insulin so I can still have an *occasional* treat without hurting you.
5) I am thankful for being able to share my pregnancy with those close to me - my friend Emily is only 3 or so days ahead of me with her twin girls, your cousin Lauren carrying baby Jake and Candi carrying baby Henry. It is comforting to be able to ask Emily questions if she is going through the same things as me and it is bonding to have Lauren & Candi experiencing those same things just a few weeks behind me. I am especially thankful for baby Jacob because not only will he be a friend to you, he truly has introduced me to a new friend in your cousin Lauren. Sure, we have been family for awhile but you & baby Jacob have bonded us as friends.
6) I am thankful for silly things like my eReaders, my laptop and internet connection, black Friday sales online, Ambien, having my Christmas shopping done, Altoids, crockpots, stretchy pants/shirts and undies that fit :)
7) Finally, I really am thankful for all of your family & friends who are so supportive of us. I know I tell you all of the time but seriously, I don't think you can understand how excited people are for you. I know that they are excited for your dad and I because we have waited so long for you but they are excited to meet you and be a part of your life. Everyone gets so excited to see your ultrasound photos, everyone enjoys rubbing up your belly, and everyone has been so excited to spend their hard earned money to buy you presents. Your Aunt Laura has told all of Walmart about you and showed them your picture. Your Gramma Debbie continues to buy you presents. Your Gramma Debi D passed a family heirloom down to you - and you are not even blood related. Last night, your Grampa Keith's face lit up when he saw us. He has been pretty reserved about you - I haven't heard much from him. When I stopped over his house, he got a big smile on his face and rubbed your belly. He said we were catching up with him! I think he finally "got it" that we are pregnant and you are almost full term! Your Auntie Val, Auntie Kim and Uncle Jeff are planning a trip *just* to meet you. But, you know what made me really, really thankful today? Your ultrasound photos made your Great Gramma Lang smile, giggle and call you a little stinker. To see her face light up at the sight of you made my heart warm. It is a rough day for the Lang side of your family - our first Thanksgiving without Grampa. She gave me a grin when I arrived with dinner but you brought out a deep, heart felt, reached her eyes smile!

I told your dad when I started typing that he could add his things when I was done. He has been thinking hard... Here you go:
1) I am thankful for you.
2) I am thankful for the opportunity to experience the joy of being a parent in a few short weeks
3) I am thankful for all of the joy you have brought to our family - even though you aren't even here yet.
4) I am thankful for your mom. (*Note how your mom is #4 on your dad's list and he is #2 on her list. hmmmm*)
5) I am thankful that we have jobs.
6) I am thankful for the support we have received from our family and friends.
7) I am thankful for our animals - even though they are a pain in the butt sometimes.

Happy Thanksgiving little one and we can't wait to be thankful for you being an ornery little guy during next years Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Dr. Appointment

Hi Elijah!
Well, you held up your end of the deal today in the pictures and receiving a clean bill of health so I won't call you turd anymore. I also won't pick on you anymore to take good photos until you pop out. And, finally, you are not banned from hanging out with Baby Jake - you did not flip us off. :)

The dr. said all looks good & you are still sewn in there nice and tight. You are measuring a bit big on all of your measurements. Your big old knocker head is about 2-3 weeks bigger than you should be. That is a bit of a cause for alarm for your dear old mom given that we have to think about that knocker head passing through during labor. :) You are 1 oz shy of 5 lbs. I think it is also a bit big for your ripe old age of 32 weeks. We will have to keep an eye on that.

Your ultrasound tech said you have a nice head of thick hair. Thank goodness for your dad's genes to give you that head of hair. If you got it from your mom's sides of the family, you would have 3 strands when you pop out. You gave us some really good photos today and I think you look really similar to your cousin Tyler. That is a good thing - your cousin Tyler is a cutie. Remember me telling you how he can wrap me around his fingers with just smiling at me? Yep, I think that is going to be you.

Your mom put on her best oscar winning performance and wore the doctor down into giving us 2 hours off work a day. Then, the rug was ripped out from under me and I found out that I would not be paid for it. So, we are back to 8 hours a day. Let me tell you kiddo - it is no fun having the rug ripped out from under you when you are so filled with glee that you will get nap time. Speaking of nap time, you are on a definite bender. It is now 5:15 and you have been constantly moving since about 9 last night. CONSTANTLY. We have had a rough night :)

Well, little one, I will leave you with your latest photos and a plea for us to get a good night's sleep. Good job at the doctor today buddy and we will see you in 2 weeks.


Is it too soon for your mom to be hopeful that there are signs of a Lang butt chin in these photos?


I found this photo after I emailed all of your family. I happened to look at it a second time and saw that you were sticking out your tongue at me. I went and watched the video and I can see you open and close your mouth then stick out your tongue. :) While that is really cute right now, don't expect me to think it is cute when you are here live and lipping off. haha.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

32 weeks


Hi little man!
Another night and I am wide awake and your dad is snoring logs. Even Luke is all stretched out and snoring. So, I figured I would take the opportunity to write to you. 32 weeks old now - you just reached that a few minutes ago. 32 weeks!! We are definitely in single digit countdown now. I say we are 4-8 weeks away from seeing you. In some ways, that is the blink of an eye and in other ways, that is FOREVER. But, it sure is a lot closer than that first day where I sat looking at a pregnancy test going "You are kidding me, right?" Those days seem so far away now. The memories of being nauseous and hurling seem distant. The memories of having a brief 2nd trimester glow and burst of energy are faded. Now, all I think about is how I will get to see you soon. I think about being terrified of labor and your dad passing out. I think about seeing your face and smooching you. I think about looking at your tiny fingers and toes. Ok, I think about how tired I am or how my uterus hurts too but mostly, I day dream about you when you are here. I do tend to gloss over practical matters like feeding, sleeping, you screaming or having colic. I mostly focus on how cute you will be, how your family and friends are going to light up at seeing you and how your dad will fall asleep watching fox news with you laying on his chest. I really, seriously would pay for a pill that would put me asleep right now and have me wake up as they are handing you to me. Patience is not a virtue I have nor one that I have learned since you were conceived.

So, after all of that rambling, I should give you some scoop off our pregnancy program. As you may have learned in the last 27 weeks, we pay more attention to that program than we do our doctor :) 56 days remain until your due date! The program tells me that your activity level is going to peak now. Since you are gaining weight, you are running out of room and all of your octopus limbs are going to be smushed together as you are becoming a little chunker! You are supposedly sleeping 90% of the time. I can kind of see that. Your active times seem to be getting a bit less frequent. They have also changed. I don't seem to be getting big, violent bursts of movement - it seems to be a bit gentler and a bit more rolling. I don't know how to explain it but it is different. The big news is your ever important percentages. You now have a 97% chance of survival and only a 15% chance of medical complications.

I don't think that one year ago your dad and I would have ever thought in a million years that we would have a 97% chance of being parents in a few weeks. Amazing how much life can change in 12 months. In the last 12 months, we have lost Grampa Lang, we lost Grampa Bill, we married off Cory & gained Lauren, we got pregnant (and have kept you cooking!), we married off Jeremy & gained Kylie, we are anticipating Baby Jake's arrival and Baby Henry Harrington's arrival, we met little Baby Levi, and we have tried to put aside our grief over your 4 brothers to focus on you.

Tomorrow, your dad will be in KC crying over the Chiefs losing (just a prediction on my part) and we will be hanging out with the girls for our early Christmas celebration. Just think how lucky you are that next year during our friend Christmas celebration, you will have 3 girls (oh wait - and their moms) fawning over you and spoiling you rotten!

We will see you again on Tuesday morning and we can't wait. I will make you a deal. You give us one good session of pictures and I won't bug you about it again. I won't call you a turd for hiding from the camera. I won't ban you from hanging out with Baby Jake if you flip us off. Maybe, I won't even call you a big fat pig anymore. Just one good ultrasound session and I will close the door on my nagging. I think this will be one of our last comprehensive and long ultrasounds so I want to make it count. As our time is running out and your space to move around is running out, I don't expect many opportunities for good photos after Tuesday - until they are LIVE PHOTOS!! Also, I need one good shot for 3 Christmas presents :)

Well, little one, I will close by thanking you for bringing us so much hope and joy and really turning things around for us. However, as your Auntie Val and I were discussing tonight, your job is not over yet. None of us can bear to think of that 3% chance that something will go wrong. You have to do your part to stay in there cooking, breathing and growing. Then, when you are born, we will expect you to be healthy and ornery for many, many years. Then, your job is done.

One final thing, I am leaving you with some snapshots from the shower. I am missing one photo that your Gramma Debbie is going to have to send me of her, me and Gramma Debi D. But, other than that, your shower scrapbook pages are COMPLETE :)


Friday, November 20, 2009

Fun few days!

Hi there little Eli!
Yes, it is almost 2 am and we are still wide awake, aren't we? Meanwhile, your dad is snoring away next to us. Well, it seems like I have a lot to tell you tonight.

Yesterday afternoon, we finally got to see baby Jake!! He had some great 3d pictures but he is a turd like you - hands up in front of his face. I swear to you Eli, in one picture, he was flipping us off. Totally funny - when it is not my kid. So, you keep your fingers in check little man. I expect some good photos on Tuesday and if you flip us off, I think your cousin Lauren and I will have to agree to keep you & Jake separated. It would mean you are already bad influences on each other.

Last night, we finished all of your shopping. We got your swing, my pump, and the little things we were missing for your room. I am sure there will be things that come up but, for the most part, we think we have everything we need now. When we got home, your dad put your car seat/stroller together and I made our little goodie bags for the people who come visit you at the hospital. Looking across the basement and seeing that stroller sit there was a surreal experience!

All day today, you were a WILD man. I don't know what it was but you were moving like CRAZY. My sugars were in good alignment today so I don't think you were hopped up :) I think you know that you are about to run out of room in there and you were thinking "These are my last few days to PARTY..."

Tonight, we went to breast feeding class. I didn't know what to expect but it was really interesting. I learned a few things and I am glad we went. You see, your mom is a little worried about the breast feeding thing. It seems like it should be pretty simple - women have been doing it for how many thousands of years? But, I have this fear that I will have a c-section and I will not see you for hours and I will not get you to latch on right. I know we will get it worked out between us but it is a bit of a stress to me right now. We did watch some babies on videos and man, it made us want you here even more!! Like I tell you every post, not for a few more weeks. But, seeing those little newborns made my hormones go crazy.

Finally, it was quite an exciting night when we got home tonight. I was playing on my laptop and your dad was coming to go to sleep. I told him to watch my arm - you were moving up a storm again and my arm was bouncing up and down as it was resting on my belly. Of course, you stopped moving! I lifted up my shirt so he could see my belly and you started rippling across it. He had that look of amazement on his face like he did when he felt you for the first time. He said "Was that him?" in this astonished tone. His eyes were glued to my belly from then on. Yes, little one, you were so captivating that he didn't even have Fox News on the TV. It was so cool to see that look on his face again. He is so busy trying to keep his guard up in case something happens to you that I don't get to see that raw excitement that I feel everyday. It was a way cool moment. You know what else was cool? Your dad experienced something before I did. I have never "seen" you move before. I always feel it. Every time I try to see you move, you stop moving. I get a lot of perks with you growing inside of me and it was nice for your dad to get a perk too! You did continue putting on a little show for us and I got to see a big ninja kick but it is still not the same as your dad seeing it first :)

We have a lot going on this weekend kiddo. Tomorrow, we are hanging out with the family at a pampered chef party. Saturday, we are going to try to get the piggy vaccination. Sunday, we are hanging out with Deb & Kim and their girls for our Christmas celebration - we are painting Christmas ornaments at the pottery place. Somewhere in there, I am hoping to get your clothes all together. Apparently, you have found a way to harness magical powers that I could only dream of. You found a way to get people to do your laundry! Leisa came over and she said she loves to clip tags and fold clothes and use baby soap. I thought she was kidding until your Uncle Zach texted me a picture of them buying the baby soap. Man, you are going to have to teach me those secrets :) We have to finish your diapers up. We have all of the whites "broken in" and now we have to "break in" all the colored shells. So, lots to do and get accomplished and you just hang in tight for the ride.

I am going to leave you with a scrapbook page of your nursery. I have another page to do - your mural isn't on here, your changing table, your valance - this is just a little sneak peek :)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Such a whiner...

Hi kiddo!
You know what? Your mom is a big whiner. Yeah, you may have guessed that but it seems like all of my energy and optimistic juice was sucked out of me after the shower. I have now moved into the phase of pregnancy where I am kind of miserable. I am thankful that it started after the shower! Here is the deal. I will tell you what I am whining about. Then, when you are old enough, you can read your blog and throw it up in my face. For example, when I yell at you "Elijah Lang Brigham, stop your whining and buck up." You can say "But, mom, all you did was whine from 31 weeks on when you were pregnant with me." That will be a one time pass as a reward for reading your blog.

Before I give you all of the whiney details, I have to tell you big news. It was posted on facebook so I figured I am safe to tell you. Your cousins Cory & Lauren went to the doctor today and found out the gender of baby Lang. Your baby cousin is going to be a little Jacob Russell. A new BFF for you. I knew you would be close to a baby girl but I think you will be even closer to Jake. I was thinking about your cousins Brian and Cory and how close they are. Even though they live far apart, they are so close in age (only 1 month apart) that they have always been each other's favorite. That will be you and little Jake. woohoo!!

OK, in no particular order, here are some things I have found myself whining about this week.
1) Still exhausted and can't get the sleep pattern thing figured out.
2) Having a hard time breathing as of yesterday. I swear that you have put on like 3 lbs in one day and shifted my entire biological structure.
3) I can't get comfortable when I am resting or trying to sleep. I am a side sleeper and it has worked out well for us. But, the last few nights have been just plain uncomfortable.
4) Although time is really flying by, in some ways it is like tick-tock. Both me and your dad want you here so bad that time seems to drag each day.
5) It seems to take a fork lift to roll over. This really is new within the last 3 days.
6) If I sit upright too long, I am in pain. It puts a huge amount of pressure on my uterus and cervix and I feel ready to collapse. This is also relatively new. See, I think you really did double over night and shift my biology because I was fine during your whole shower and sitting on those hard chairs. Now, I would be ready to fall over.
7) I think that instead of a baby, I am growing a little octopus in there. I seriously can't believe all of the different places I can feel you move and all at once. There seems to be no physical way for you to be clear down low, way up high, way to the left and way to the right all at the same time with only 2 arms and legs. This would also explain why you ALWAYS have a hand/arm/foot in front of your face during ultrasounds - because you have extras. :)

I think that is about it for tonight. Maybe I will try sleeping a bit. But, before I do, I have to tell you a secret. For the first time tonight, I saw how freaked out your dad truly is. I think that when labor comes, I will have to roll him out to the car and drive us to the hospital. I was having a lot of tummy pains tonight. I had a hard time deciding if they were cramps because of you or just because I had an upset tummy. I made the mistake of telling your dad and his face turned white. When I saw the panic on his face, I realized we are going to need a steady supply of epidural juice for your mom and steady supply of valium for your dad. One could argue that it would be panic because you would be here so early. However, I don't think that is true. I think it is because he is scared to death of us going through labor. He doesn't want anything to happen to me and he wants you to come out safe. Unfortunately, a coworker of his recently lost a baby because of issues with the cord wrapping around its neck. So, now he worries about that too. But, as for tonight and the sheer panic on his face, it was kind of funny - I may have to start teasing him more so we can get him hardened up for when the actual event comes.

Night babe!