Nine months and going strong!

It's so hard to believe Nick is now 9 months. We went to his 9 month check up today and he has gained three pounds and grew 1 inch since his 6 month appt. I guess it's just not in his genes to be extremely tall -- with a mom that's 5'3" on a good day, and a dad that's 6', the odds are slim.

Nick has been crawling like crazy and getting into everything! This leads us to the word of the month: "No". I'm so hesitant to use this word, and I always try to say it nicely, as I dread the day I have a two year old who turns around and nastily screams "No!" at me. I know all of you mothers are probably laughing at me right now because you know it's going to happen no matter how "nice" I try to be about telling him no. I really thought I would be able to be pretty stern with him...but uh, no...I'm a big softie and so is Daddy. Houston, this could be a problem.....

Otherwise, we are just so entertained by our bubbly baby boy. He is the funniest human being I know!! He can now clap, wave, and babble endlessly. He also tries to comb his hair -- of course, he just pats the comb against his head, but he gets it....and he always looks so handsome afterwards. :)

I think I may finally be to the point where I can imagine having another one....not right now, of course....but one day. He just brings so much joy and purpose to my life...I'm just amazed. I was looking back at my blog, and saw pictures from the months of pregnant, and I am in disbelief of how quickly time has passed....and every day just gets better!

Hugs!

Courtney

My house is a zoo...

Wow -- it's been a long time since I've posted. Of course, it seems like every post starts out with that same sentence. I really need to catch up with this -- as one of my friends posted, "it's amazing how quickly you forget the details" -- and it's true. Two months have passed, and Nicholas has changed so much. What's even worse is that I had his six month pictures taken, and still haven't sent them out...he's eight months now!! Bad mommy!!! Don't worry -- if you haven't gotten your pictures yet, they are on their way....I promise!!!

Nicholas is now officially mobile. He has been rolling everywhere for about a month and a half or so, but in the past couple days he's relied on a cute little wiggly army crawl to get to his destinations. He's quite the little daredevil, too. He lunges, grabs, twists...I actually get pretty nervous holding him now -- you never know when he'll try to jump right out of your arms. He's had a couple head bumps here and there -- but he takes it pretty well. I'm trying not to be the overprotective mom who puts a helmet and full body padding on her child, but it's definitely crossed my mind. We're in the process of baby-proofing too, which in reality should have taken place months ago, but it was just one of those things on the list. Helpful hint for all the moms-to-be, get your baby-proofing done before baby arrives!

On a more serious note, I'm curious to hear if people are going to get H1N1 vaccines? I had originally planned on not getting the vaccine. I had heard about nerve-damaging side effects and just hate the idea of a "new" vaccine. It scares me. We've seen a lot of cases of H1N1 in the ER, but mostly very mild cases. I had a direct exposure to a patient with H1N1 about a month ago. I ended up wearing a mask for 4 days at home to avoid exposing Nick just in case I was infectious. I had one day where I was extremely tired, and had a slight sore throat, but otherwise was fine. So, I was hoping I could rely on some possible antibodies from exposure here in the ER to protect me. However, now my thought process may be changing.....

This past week, a girl with whom I went to high school, Jamie (Blackwell) Loveless, became ill with H1N1. She was on vacation in Florida with her husband, Chris and nine month old son, Gavin when she became critically ill and was placed on a ventilator. Unfortunately, she lost her fight yesterday afternoon. My heart is absolutely broken for her and her family. Her husband whom she dated throughout high school, is now a widower. Her son, nine months, will never really know his mom. I guess this situation hits just a little too close to home. I can't imagine the pain their family is enduring at this time...as I'm sure acceptance will be the most difficult struggle. Please pray for her family in this difficult time. A website has been created to give thoughts and prayers to the family, as well as donations http://thelovelessfamily.weebly.com/

With all my love,

Court

Baby Raspberries!

Pictures -- I've got tons of 'em!

Ahhh...I'm back!!!

Wow - what a bad blogger I've been! I haven't posted for 3 months. I'm not sure how this has happened because I have 4 days off each week. I find myself having so much fun playing with Nicholas, that the last thing I usually want to do is get on the computer.

Nick is two days from turning 6 months. I can't believe it! It seems so impossible!!!
At his 4 month appointment, he weighed in at 16.5 lbs, and 26 inches, placing him in the 95th and 90th percentile respectively. He has his 6 month check-up next week, and I'm betting he weighs well over 20lbs. Sometimes, Tim and I refer to him as "haus." I'm hoping he doesn't develop a complex,...we think being a big healthy baby is a good thing! :)

Nicholas can now usually be found rolling around the living room or jumping in his jumper. He absolutely LOVES his jumper. It entertains him for at least 30-45 minutes. He, of course, loves to be played with, but is so content with entertaining himself. He is teething now, chewing on anything he can grab with his chubby little baby hands. No teeth yet, though! His feet are pretty chubby too! They are too thick to fit into any shoes, so he's usually barefoot or wearing socks. This is hard because I want to buy all the cute shoes I see, but can't!

Life is much easier now with full nights of sleep...ahhh, finally! :) For the past month or so he's been sleeping around 10 hours a night. He usually goes to bed around 830 or 9, and gets up around 630 or 7....sometimes 8. It's been pretty easy...we just have to lay him down, turn on his lullaby toy and within a few minutes he's asleep. We've slowly eased cereal into his diet over the past month. We started with rice cereal every 2-3 days, then slowly worked into every day, and now for the past week he's been eating oatmeal twice a day. He seems to love the oatmeal...he makes a "yum" noise after every bite...super cute!

Nick continues to be the love of my life...and I can't say I'd want to change a single thing. I wish I could stay home with him every day, but I shouldn't complain because I am able to make my own work schedule, and still only have to work 3 days/week. Life is good...

I promise I'll do better about keeping up with the posts....here's some pics of the boy!

Love always,

Court

His future's so BRIGHT!

Yep, we're alive!

Although, you wouldn't be able to tell from the looks of this blog!!!

Life has seemed so busy, and the tasks endless....but I have FINALLY found some time to get on here!

Nick is now 12 weeks old -- and we're pretty sure he's well over 15 pounds. At his 8 week appointment he was 13lbs 10oz and 24 inches long. Whew -- big boy! 90th percentile! He's now smiling and giggling...I find that these smiles and giggles can really turn a crappy day around!
He's now eating about 8oz every 5 hours or so during the day, and most importantly --- he's sleeping through the night!! Woohoo! Tim and I are really enjoying our sleep!

I was blessed to have my first mother's day on the same day I graduated from nursing school -- what a day!!! It was truly awesome -- and one of the happiest days in my life....everything I could ask for! Of course, Nick slept through the entire ceremony -- he obviously gets that trait from Tim....

I'm now going to be working in the ER, 3 - 12 hour days, two of which will be during the week and one during the weekend. This will allow me to be home with him more during the week and then he'll have one weekend day with him and daddy only, so we ensure they get their boy's time in! My friend's Mom will be watching him during the two weekdays. I'm so greatful we were able to find someone we know to watch him -- it relieves so much anxiety for me!! She'll be great -- and besides -- who wouldn't love to spend the day with Nick?? He's so awesome! :)

Nick also attended his first wedding this past weekend -- again, he slept through that, too. Congrats to Jen & Jamie!

I leave you with some pictures of our beautiful baby boy!

Love,

Courtney

Motherhood

So, I'm feeling a little mushy today....

I'm still so astonished with the love I have for Nicholas. Every song I hear, I somehow relate to him or our new life. I find myself searching for books and poems trying to find all the right words to explain this experience called motherhood. I get teary-eyed at all the shows about parents and kids. By the way, did anyone catch Oprah today?

One story on there was about a father who wrote a journal to his son while over in Iraq. The father was killed by a roadside bomb, but had left a journal full of fatherly advice to his son. The mother (Dana Canedy), then wrote a book to her son (A Journal for Jordan) and included excerpts from the journal. One excerpt read: Be humble about your accomplishments, work harder than the man next to you, it is all right for boys to cry. Sometimes crying can release a lot of pain and stress. Never be ashamed to cry. It has nothing to do with your manhood.

This got me thinking about everything Tim and I really have to teach Nick. It's not just about the ABCs and 123s. It's all the life lessons, too. And I can only hope that we've experienced enough of them ourselves to pass them on to him.

Over the past 7 weeks, I've been peed on, pooped on, laughed & cried, been so sleep deprived I thought I would die, learned that I'm so much stronger than I ever thought, am able to finally comprehend my Mom's love for me, realized brushing my teeth and showering has now fallen on the list of daily priorities, have never done so much laundry in my life, but most of all -- I've learned that I love my new purpose as a Mom, and wouldn't change one minute of it...

And a few more...

Newborn Photographs

Well, unfortunately, I'm not completely satisfied with the pictures from his newborn photography session. Some of the pictures I received are good, and I'll post some of those. I'm not going to go too in detail about all of it...I'll be in tears if I talk about it too much :) So, here are a few of the "better" ones....

One Month Appt -- a few days late...

Nicholas had his one month appointment on Friday. I can't believe he's a month already -- well, now 5 weeks. It has went so fast -- it seems like last week I was in the delivery room thinking "is this kid ever going to get here?"

We knew he was a big boy -- he weighed in at 11lbs 11oz, and measured 23 inches long. This puts him in the 90th - 95th percentile. Amazing how fast he has grown in such a short time!

He's just so cute...and mellow! We had a couple days this past week where he was more fussy than usual...but I think we're back to normal now. He's just an awesome kid.

Also, the past couple of days he's been sleeping for 5 hours at night....ahh, yes! Finally, a little more sleep! Extra sleep, along with a happy baby made for a really great week, especially when I got the call that I have been hired as a RN in the ER at Methodist (the same place I currently work as a student nurse). So, all in all, it's been a good week for the Beam Family....things are just falling into place....

Love,

Court

Nick - 3 1/2 weeks

Nicholas had his newborn photo session yesterday with Jodi Willan from My Little Bean Photography. She is somewhat new to newborn photography, but she came with some great ideas, and I know we got some really great photos! I will be posting the photos as soon as we get them, and also be using the photos for his birth announcements....I know- a little late for birth announcements, but better late than never, right?? :)

In the meantime, here's the latest amateur/mommy photos of him....

How did we end up with such a cute baby? Seriously!

Be back to post soon!

~Love, Court

But boy was it worth it!

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 3 weeks since I've posted. I'm a terrible blogger!!!

I last left you with a blog on how miserably pregnant I was -- and now, I return with an almost three week old baby to introduce! Oh, and the misery I was complaining of, was worth every minute!

Nicholas Tyler Beam was born February 22 (on his actual due date!) at 3:08pm. He was 8lbs 8oz and 21 1/2 inches long.

How it all went down: Since Valentine's Day I had been having contractions, but at 5am on February 22nd, my water finally broke and shortly after we were on our way to the hospital. Thank goodness it was early in the morning, because it made the 40 minute drive to Carmel much easier, as my contractions were much more intense after my water broke. We arrived at Clarian North around 630am, and I was already dilated to 6cm. I received my epidural, and I thought to myself "Oh, this is going to be cake!" After the epidural, I was feeling better than I had felt in two weeks. At 11am, the nurse came in, checked me, and said it was time to push. Suddenly, this fear came over me, as I realized this was it -- our lives were going to be completely different after this. Sure, these thoughts had already crossed my mind throughout the nine months of being pregnant, but it was so much more real at that moment. Then, what I thought was going to be an easy delivery turned into four long hours of pushing, multiple episodes of vomiting, a small episiotomy, and a short stent with the vaccuum...

While the whole event still seems so fresh in my mind, it's true when they say your brain has a way of forgetting about the pain...I would do it all over 100 times for him.

Then, 10 days after his birth, I had to write a research paper and return to clinicals. Thank goodness my hormones weren't too outta whack, as I thought they would've been -- because the school stuff on top of having a newborn at home, and recovering from labor is really enough to get anyone admitted to the psych ward! But, after a few good cries and lots of help from my Mom, I got it all done! Tim & I were so thankful for my Mom, as she took full care of Nick the week Tim had to go back to work and I had to go back to school. She truly was a lifesaver!

And, now here we are....going into week three. I am completely head-over-heels in love with Nick, and I couldn't be happier that he's here. It's so funny how life works out -- we had no plans for a baby, but now that he's here I couldn't imagine it being any different.

My days now are filled with feedings, diaper changes, and naps...and once you're a Mom, I've discovered that you actually get excited about baby poop -- who would've guessed?!

Here are some pictures of the little man that I get to spend my days with....what a lucky, lucky girl I am.

And the misery continues.....

I had been looking forward to today's appointment, as I was supposed to be getting my membranes stripped. I had visions of going into labor within the next couple days thanks to the membrane stripping....but now those visions are gone! Errr!

Since Dr. Hurry only works Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and coincidentally my clinicals are on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, I had to schedule my appointment today with Jen, the Nurse Practitioner. Last week, Dr. Hurry recommended membrane stripping, but since Dr. Hurry isn't at the hospital until tomorrow, Jen didn't feel comfortable doing the procedure today. And, then she proceeded to tell me that membrane stripping didn't work for her, and it only caused terrible pain. In my head I laughed and thought "yeah well being this pregnant and going to clinicals for the next 3 days is just as painful." I could've taken the pain of the membrane stripping at this point, believe me.....

Now, I may sound a little bitter....and I'll admit, I am. I had gotten my hopes up this past week thinking that even if it may not have worked, at least we were trying to get things going. If I were getting to stay home and relax on the couch for the next week, I'd be able to swallow this a lot easier....but, I'm not....I have to suck it up, put a smile on my face, and waddle myself to management clinicals.

Dr. Hurry has scheduled an induction date for February 25 at 6:30am, which I'm really hoping isn't necessary since I really don't want to HAVE to be induced (and also because it's another 8 days away). So, for now, I'm praying, walking, eating spicy foods, and driving over every bumpy road I can find to ensure I'll go into labor on my own...so wish me luck (and sanity) over the next week :)

Oh, and tonight, I'm trying Japanese food (recommended by my good friend, Mandy)....who would've thought?? Hopefully it works!

Be back to post soon!

Lots of love ~ Courtney

38 week appointment

Well, I thought I would be getting checked for dilation today, but my dr. apparently only checks at 36 weeks and 39 weeks. So, looks like I'll be waiting another week to see if there's any progress. I know dilation doesn't really predict a date for labor, but I was looking forward to seeing if there was progress -- it would've given me the encouragement I need to keep going for the next couple of weeks!

Anyway, at 39 weeks she will also be stripping my membranes. It's a process where the doctor separates the amniotic membranes from the uterine wall. It's thought to release hormones that can help stimulate labor. It's not a sure fire way to get things going, but it's possible. She is also going to go ahead and schedule an induction date for after February 22nd, just in case I haven't went into labor by then. She joked that as soon as she schedules a date for induction, I'll end up going into labor on my own -- so get on the phone lady and put me on the schedule!!! :)

Overall,....pretty uneventful this week....now we just wait, and walk...lots of walking....

Hopefully my next post will say "He's here!"....so check back soon!

Love ya,
Court

Pooped out...and over it

12 more days, and I don't think I can do it anymore!

I'm 38 weeks, 2 days and I'm pooping out on this pregnancy stuff already. I don't know how my Mom did this for 42 weeks when she was pregnant with me! I'm thinking she must have been crazy!!! I'm absolutely exhausted, my body is aching in places that just shouldn't ache, and that whole post I wrote a few weeks ago about him not being a 10lb baby...well, I'm starting not to believe it anymore. I'm actually thinking he may be closer to 15lbs instead :) Or, at least that's what it feels like.

It seems so close, and I know that 12 days really isn't that far at all.....but my back and pelvis do not agree! And, if he's anything like me, I'm sure he'll wait until the last minute to do anything. So, I'm not going to get my hopes up that he'll be here any earlier, but I suppose I could dream :)

I'm going to my 38 week appointment tomorrow....hopefully we'll have progress. Wish me luck!

Love,
Court

37 week appt....not quite

It seems every time I have to drive up to Clarian North, we end up having terrible weather. My appointment was scheduled for 9:15 this morning, and by 9:15 I was only half way there. At that point, I had already been driving an hour. Of course the weather wasn't bad until right before I left....go figure. I think I may have reached a maximum of 10mph on the interstate. So, I decided to call and cancel. I turned around and came home, only to eat a quick meal and get back out in this crappy weather to go to work. It took me about 45 minutes to get to work (which is usually only about a 15 minute drive), and then my car got stuck in the parking lot....again, go figure. The good news? Now, I'm home from work and the day is over! Hopefully, the 38 week appointment next Wednesday turns out to be better!!! Hope everyone made it safely through the snow today....be safe!

Courtney

36 Week Appointment

I actually made it to my 36 week appointment even with 10 inches of snow on the ground! Thanks to my Step-dad and his big truck, I was able to make it all the way up to Clarian North! I had my Group B Strep test today - no big deal. If it comes back positive, then you just receive antibiotics once you go into labor. If it's negative, then no worries. But, more importantly I was checked for effacement, dilation, and station! I am 50% effaced, 2 cm (on the edge of 3 cm) dilated, and his head is at -1 station.

Most of you reading this probably know that you have to be 100% effaced and 10cm dilated to give birth. The station of the head ranges from -3 to +3. Once you reach a zero station, the head is officially "engaged." So, we're almost to 0!

Unfortunately, in the big picture, these measurements mean absolutely nothing (besides of course that my body is doing it's job). So, when will Baby Beam make his appearance?? Could be tomorrow or it could be February 22nd! We won't know until he gets here (I'm sure you can imagine how not knowing is driving the "planner" in me absolutely nuts!)

She also took a look at the ultrasound that I had last week and said that the amniotic fluid was in the "high" range of normal. Since it's still in the normal range, she said there's not much reason for concern. Other than that, everything else looked good!

So....here we are....at the last few weeks. I can't believe it! I'm so excited, nervous, scared, and so very unprepared! We have all the baby necessities, but I still have lots of clinical hours to put in, and lots of papers to write. It's going to be rough, but I'm sure it will be absolutely worth it!

Here's a 36 week belly picture....I don't think it can get any bigger....

Baby Shower #2

My good friend, Lyndal, threw a wonderful baby shower at Scholars Inn downtown on January 11th.....it included my favorite cake - RED VELVET!!! YUM! Here are a few pics -- but my camera batteries died about 20 minutes into the shower....still waiting on my friends to send me some pictures *hint* :) Thanks to everyone who came, and thanks for all the wonderful gifts!

Love, Court

Whew...No 10lb baby here!

I went for my ultrasound today since my belly was measuring so many weeks ahead. Nicholas looked great! His head measured 36 weeks (I'm now 35 weeks, 2 days), and the rest of him measured 35 weeks and 5 days...so he's right on target! 56th percentile actually....looks like he's not going to be a huge baby after all! He weighed in at 6lbs 3oz. Of course, this is just an estimate from the ultrasound. Whew...my body is so thankful!!! The ultrasound tech said I'm probably just measuring larger because of the way I'm carrying.

I have my 36 week appointment next Wednesday. I'll find out if I've started to dilate yet! This is exciting....I'm on the home stretch......come on February 22nd!

XOXO
Court

Why do I feel like a zoo animal?

Being pregnant has been such a surreal experience. Some days I have a hard time believing it, and other days I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER. People always warn you about the aches and pains, the mood swings, the fatigue, the cravings....but they never warn you about the reactions you receive from complete strangers.

I'm not one who minds my belly being touched -- as long as I know you! I love when my mom, grandmas, aunts, friends, etc want to feel it! But, it kills me -- the complete strangers that walk up to you and put their hands all over your pregnant belly. It makes me feel like an animal at a petting zoo! And then, after this random being comes up to "pet" your belly, they feel the need to give their opinion about your size!

This is what I've come to notice -- the "pet" is usually followed by a comment like "Wow, you must be ready to go any day now!"...in which I sadly respond "No, I still have five more weeks." Then they look at me like I'm crazy or ask me if I'm sure there's only one in there (gee, thanks). Or, I get the comment, "Oh, you're so small!"...in which I then respond with a kind "Oh, thank you," but I'm really wanting to say "Stop trying to be nice! I have to ROLL out of the recliner, I no longer fit in the regular desks at school, and I can barely reach my legs to shave! I sure as hell don't feel small!" (I don't think it matters what you say, you can't win with a pregnant woman:) )

But, the other day, something really weird happened....

I was walking down the hall at work, when this giant man stopped me. He was probably about 6'5" and 250 pounds. Of course, I'm 5'3", so it doesn't take much to be considered giant in my book :) Nonetheless, the dude was huge. With this very deep voice, he asked "How's the baby doing?" I said "He's good so far!" He then proceeded to ask me his name, and I said "We're going with Nicholas." At this point, this 6'5" man bends over, puts his face right up to my belly and says "Hellooo Nicholas! I know you can hear me in there!!! Yes, I know you can!" Poor Nicholas, he had to be startled, as I was startled myself. I just stood there, looked at him, looked around -- realized the other nurses in the busy ER hallway were looking at us, patients in the hallway beds were looking at us...and I thought to myself --- Yes, this is it...this is the weirdest moment yet of my pregnancy.

That's when I made the connection. Pregnant women are like zoo animals....put on display, no matter where you go, for everyone to ooh, ahh, pet, and talk to :) It's just another part of being pregnant....

Until next blog ~ Court

34 Week Appointment

Today I had my 34 week appointment. Besides having to fight this horrible snow to get there, it went well! I measured 38 weeks this time -- so it's ultrasound time! I have an ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday, January 20th at 3:30. So, I guess we'll have a better estimate of how big he is next week. No wonder I'm so incredibly umcomfortable....there's just not enough room for both of us! I know it will all be worth it in the end!!! I just can't wait to finally meet him! I'll be posting pictures of last weekend's baby shower soon!! And as for the nursery...I'm still working on it!

Love,
Court

Beam Family Baby Shower

Below are a few of the pictures from my first baby shower this past weekend. It was in Rising Sun, Indiana...you know, where the river boats are -- for my friends that aren't familiar with southern Indiana. Anyway, we had a pretty good turn out and it was really great to see Tim's family since we hadn't seen some of them since our wedding in 2007. Tim was even in attendance, and I think he actually enjoyed himself :) Thank you to everyone who came...and thank you especially for all the wonderful gifts!