Videos

Here are a couple of videos we've taken - enjoy!

2 months old

Ok so I know I haven't really updated this blog since Caleb was born, as you have all probably figured out I've just been posting pics and updates on Facebook. Pictures are kind of a PITA to post on this site, so that's why I've just been doing it on Facebook. Plus I've been really busy for some reason... :) But I would still like to use this as a place to periodically (hopefully more often than every 2 months) give updates on how Caleb and the rest of our family are doing.

So I'll start off with his stats. He just had his 2 month well-check appt today and he is 12.3 lbs and 23 inches tall. That puts him in the 50/75% percentile for both. His head circumference is measuring at 15 3/4 inches, which puts him right at average, 50% percentile. Which is kinda funny b/c at my 30 week ultrasound his head was measuring in the 80th percentile, so I guess the rest of his body has finally caught up! He also got 3 shots and took it like a champ for the most part. Mommy not so much, I have never heard him cry like that... it was the worst thing to watch :( You should've seen the look he gave me afterwards, it was pure betrayal!

Everything else is going really good, we've had a lot of visitors in the last two months and have been doing lots of fun stuff. My parents were here almost all of March, which was a HUGE help - I don't know what I would've done without their help those first few weeks. My grandma (Caleb's great-grandma) and Unlce Jim came out for few days to visit before my parents left. Then Wally's parents finally got to meet their grandson in early April, followed by a visit from his Aunt Maureen and big cousins Tara & Teresa. The weekend after that we made a trip out to the bay to have Caleb baptized and meet the rest of the family. The following week was Jenn's visit and then last weekend Denaya and Jesse were here. Whew - no wonder I haven't had time to blog! It was really nice having everyone come out though, we are so lucky to have so have such wonderful family and friends that love us and the new little guy :) I just can't believe how fast the last 8 weeks have flown by!

This weekend we'll be celebrating my first Mother's Day with a Mother's Day brunch with my first time moms group on Sat, then hopefully a relaxing Sunday - there's a fridge full of breastmilk, I'm taking the day off, hahaha! I'm kidding, sort of... :) No, I'm looking forward to a day with just the four of us (can't forget Murphy!) I have to go back to work full-time in a little over a week so I'm trying to enjoy my last few days at home. Which I'm really not looking forward too, especially now that Caleb is getting so fun to be around. Of course he was fun from day one, but now he is really starting to develop a personality and interacting with big smiles and sweet little coos. I hate that I'm not going to be around everytime he does something new.

Anyway, I could keep writing for pages and pages about everything we've experiened in the last two months, but I'll just end this post with promise to make more frequent ones as new and exciting things happen with our new little family and a few pictures from the past 8 weeks - (not in chronological order, like I said working with images is a PITA on this site.) For more pictures, check facebook :)


The night my parents bought us a swing. It was desperatlely needed (as you can probably tell from they way everyone looks in this picture)....

Auntie Maureen with 3 day old Caleb...


Caleb's 2nd spring training game (we took him to his first one at 1 week old!)....

Great Uncle Jim and Great Grandma (I still don't get why it isn't "Grand Uncle" 3 generations up but whatever)....

Caleb makes four generations living in our family. The christening gown he's wearing here has been in our family for over 100 years.


More "great" uncles and aunts (Tim and Linda)....

First cousin once removed (did I get that right???) Tara helping out with bathtime...

Cousin Jamie giving him a bottle...


Easter...

Hangin' with Grandma...

The new Dad and Grandpa sharing a celebratory cigar...

Murph the nanny...

My happy little glow-worm...

Introducing Caleb James Eckalbar!

Our little man has arrived and we are over-joyed with happiness!!!

The Stats:

Birthdate - March 4, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Weight - 7 lbs, 14 oz
Height - 20 inches
Apgar Score -8/9




The proud Daddy

I was induced a week before my due date because of preeclampsia. Wasn't too serious, but my doctor didn't want to take any chances. Once the pitocin started, it took 14 hours to delivery. Which isn't too bad, b/c my doctor estimated it to take at least 12 hours. My parents drove out here as soon as I told them I was being induced, my mom wasn't going to miss her 1st grandchild's birth! It was a truly amazing experience, words cannot explain the emotion in the room when Caleb emerged into this world... Wally was a fantastic coach and so was my mom, I couldn't have gotten through labor without them. I might try to post a more detailed birth story when I have more free time, which is very scarce these days!

Maternity Photos

Our favorite pics from our maternity photo shoot this past Sat. I'm really happy with the way they turned out, our photographer was awesome! We got the maternity/newborn package, so stay tuned for the newborn photos!

The countdown is on.... only 16 more days to go!

36 weeks

Okay, so most of my blog entries have been pretty positive up until this point, but now its time to do some complaining. This is no longer fun, I don't want to pregnant anymore. Up until about 2 weeks ago, time had been flying by. Now the closer I get, the more time slows down...like Einsten's theory of relativity or something.

Here are just a few of my gripes:

1) Pregnancy Carpal Tunnel - As if being comfortable sleeping wasn't challenging enough, I am now woken up in the middle of the night with crippled hands and fingers. I have to move them for about 5 min to make the pain go away.

2) Swelling of hands (reason for #1) and feet. I got my rings re-sized a few months ago and now I'm considering doing it again or just taking them off. My toes are now vienna sausages. All my shoes are really snug, which I hope is just from the swelling and not my feet actually growing, which I've heard can be a permanent side effect. I will be crushed if I can't wear my shoes anymore :(

3) Braxton hicks contractions. Contrary to what the pregnancy books say, these really hurt!

4) Overall crankiness and exhaustion. As referred to in #1, I am not sleeping well these days. Its pretty hard to find a comfortable position when you're the size and shape of a baby hippo. Poor Murph has gotten the message that he's no longer welcome on the bed. Wally's starting to feel that way too.

5) Having a bladder the size of a peanut. Another reason why I'm not sleeping well. And the bathroom is so far away at work...

There are more, which Wally can certainly attest to, but you get the idea.

Needless to say, I am SO READY to have this baby now. I know the longer the baby stays in me (up until 40 weeks), the better off he'll be. But after 37 weeks I'll be considered to be "full-term" and anytime he wants to come out after that is more than fine by me.

My hugeness in all its glory...

4 more weeks and hopefully not a mintue longer!!!!


This pic has nothing to do with anything, I just snapped this of Murph and thought it was cute :)

Baby wearing practice

So since I've been researching baby stuff, I've heard over and over how awesome the Moby Wrap is so I had to register for one. Its a long piece of fabric that you can wrap around yourself in all kinds of differnt ways so you can "wear" your baby. When I told my mom about it she looked at the instructions on how to use it and thought it looked pretty complicated so she bought it for me so that'd I'd have time to practice before the baby comes - Thanks Mom!

It took a little effort to figure out, but it actually wasn't too hard. Although I only practiced one hold... there are 8 total!

Practicing with a teddy bear...

I'm not sure Wally's on board with this thing yet...




....but I think he'll come around to it, especially once he realizes all the things you can get done while "wearing" your baby - like hands free eating!!

29 Weeks

Here are some pictures of our little guy from the ultrasound I had today. The first ones show his face and the second are profile shots. The face ones look a little weird because the umbilical cord was floating in front of his face, especially in front of his eyes. I think he's pretty cute, but of course I'm biased :) I could see him making faces and moving around in there, so cool!

They estimated him weighing about 3.7 lbs right now, which puts him in the 67th percentile. So he's just a tad bigger than the average. He has a pretty large head though.... I blame Wally...

I've been feeling pretty good. Finding a comfortable sleeping position at night has been a little difficult and my sciatica has come back, but not nearly as bad as it was early on. I'm trying to stay active and keep up my exercise routine, but finding that I get tired more easily now. Other than that, I don't have much to complain about, I'm actually really enjoying being pregnant! I love feeling the baby kick and punch, even if it keeps me up at night sometimes :)

Below are a few pics from my shower at Maureen's house this past Saturday, including a belly pic! (I know, I'm way overdue for one.)