Category Archives: Mcnugget

Lydia turned 2 weeks on Wednesday, October 17th! CRAZY…. feels like time is flying by.

Warning: There will be lots of random information in these weekly posts, mostly because I don’t want to forget all these little stages, but also for the grandmas and such, so don’t feel like you have to read all the little details… 

Clothes: Lydia is still in newborn clothes and size 1 diaper folded over. She is just so tiny! I put newborn pants on her this morning and they fit in the length, but around the waist were a little big! It is amazing how many clothes we go though for such a tiny thing. I know understand why my mom always had laundry going- its a never ending job. But praise the Lord my in-laws gave us some cash to buy a used dryer!! Yes, thats right my baby girl will now have soft fresh smelling clothes and my husband will not have wrinkly shirts. What a blessing. 

Food: Little miss is such a good eater! I am in awe of the way God created women to be able to not only grow and nourish their babies in the whom, but continue to outside! What a great God we serve. What a blessing it is to be able to provide food for my little girl. I know that this is not something to take for granted as it is not always possible to do. We are still nursing about every 2 hours during the day. She has about 1-2 feedings a day where she just cries instead of latching on… I give her a few minutes to calm down and then she will eventually latch on. It breaks my heart, but I think I am realizing it is when she is over-hungry… generally happens when we are “on the road” or “out and about” which seems to be quite often these days. But overall she has done so well with all the travel eating. I have pumped twice now and have 4 oz frozen! Once we are home more I hope to continue pumping to have a nice storage built up.

Sleep: She is continues to be a champ at this. Now that we don’t have to set an alarm in the middle of the night, she has been sleeping for about 5- 6 hours stretches! She usually eats around 10- 10:30 or 11- 11:30 depending and sleeps till either 3:30 or 5:30am! And then is back down till 9 am! We feel so spoiled. I am trying to at least nap with her once a day, I think once we are home for a more consistent period I will be able to do this.

Other: 

* She gets the hiccups all the time and hates them. Poor girl. She is fine for a little while and when they keep lasting she gets upset.

* She is a pacci using baby… we were holding off on giving it to her because I read somewhere that it is important to make sure they get a good latch while nursing before introducing the pacci and honestly we haven’t really needed it. However, on her 2 week birthday we were in the car and her hiccups were bugging her and we couldn’t do anything to console her so we busted out the pacci and she loved it! So we have officially entered the pacci world… she doesn’t need it all the time and spits it out when she is done, but I am thankful for it esp for how much driving we have been doing.

* She loves to sleep during the day with her arms out of the swaddle and her neck and back arched. My mom said this is how I slept as a baby and continue to now, often I wake up with headaches because of the way I sleep on on neck… hope she doesn’t develop these same sleeping habits.

*She can be wide awake looking around, smiling and as soon as her daddy picks her up she falls asleep- she just feels so comfy and warm in his arms- which I love except for at 4 in the morning when she stays wide awake with me… I don’t have “the magic sleep hold”. 

*Her demeanor is so sweet and chill – Chase’s parents say we have it lucky this time and better watch out for the second! Ha We are truly blessed with her.

*Some nicknames we have been calling her: liddy, “liddy bug”, pumpkin, peanut, Sugar, “liddy lady”, “liddy bear”… I am sure there will be more and maybe one day we will pick just one, but for now she gets all of them!

Travels: This week she got to spend most of it in Buramai in her house! We got to bring her home the day after she turned one week- what a blessing. It has been so fun to have her at home with all her stuff and my awesome rocking chair. On her 2 week birthday she got to travel to Dubai for the first time where she rode slept through her first dhow boat cruise, hung out at her second hotel, went to IKEA for the first of many trips and now we are in Muscat working on Visa and passport stuff. Whoa! that makes me tired just typing it out…

Up next… the conclusion to my labor story! Sorry it has taken so long to complete… a lot harder now to sit down and finish a blog post- I took it for granted before!

I am already behind on posting about her weekly developments! I know that I am not going to be able to keep up with her weekly stats, but at least for the first month I want to and then maybe do a monthly update (plus lots of in between posts of cuteness of course)… we shall see!

I cannot believe that our baby girl is over a week old! (almost 2!) She turned one week on Wednesday, October 10. We were still stuck on the “other side” and in fact we celebrated her one week in Abu Dhabi at a fancy tea room in the Emirates Palace (pics to come). She is already a world traveler.

There are so many sweet things I could write about our baby girl at one week. She is truly a joy and I am blessed beyond belief to be her momma. It feels like she had always been apart of us… I know people always say they can’t remember a time without their kids, and now I understand.

Clothes: She is in size one diapers- folded over cuz they are still big on her. She is wearing newborn clothes and looks quite adorable in them if I do say so myself. They fit her pretty good- some are big, but I am loving that she can wear them. My favorite thing to dress her in is short sleeve oneies with her ruffle pants from Auntie Aubs with socks over them- looks like little boots! I am loving dressing her up- yes I am one of those moms… but when you have such a great model- who could resist?

Food: She is doing well a breastfeeding. I am so proud of her. We had a stressful night our first night away from the hospital which ended in tears for me because I was worried we were never going to get it, but I think we are getting the hang of it. We have already had to nurse in the US embassy, in the car like 4 times, at two restaurants, and in the line at the border! I would say she is pretty adaptable… what a blessing with our life style. We had a nurse come visit us when she was a few days over a week and she had gained 75 grams since we left the hospital, they want to weigh her again on Wednesday to make sure she is gaining enough weight. I feel like she is. We are nursing every 2 hours (sometimes 2 1/2) during the day and I was waking her up in the night to eat every 3 hours, but I got the ok to just let her sleep till she wakes up! Which has been great.

Sleep: She is a champ at this! She can sleep swaddled or un-swaddled during the day- in her bed or in someones arms or chest (my favorite) or even on the couch. At night we swaddle her up and there has already been a few times that she pops one of her little arms out… she loves to put her hands against her cheeks. She has a few hours of awake time in the mornings and again in the evenings.

Other: 

*She was a little Jaundice so we have been doing some sunbathing.

* She is really happy and smiles (I know they say babies don’t smile this early, but I am pretty sure ours does..).

*I feel super spoiled by Lydia- I know she is still little, but so far she has been such a sweet, easy baby.

*She is easy to calm down when she is upset- either change her diaper, feed her, or swaddle her and hold her close while patting her bottom and she is a happier camper.

*She loves her daddy and her daddy loves her.

*She is really enjoying having her Gramzi here to hold her and kiss her and change her diapers and do her laundry. We sure are going to miss her.

Travels: The first week of Lydia’s life she lived in Al Ain, UAE for a week, traveled up to Abu Dhabi and hung out in a hotel room for two nights and did some sightseeing- the mosque, Emirates Palace Tea Room, Marina Mall… She does really well in her carseat unless she is hungry or has a dirty diaper. So far she has been a champ at traveling.

“i love getting to see the world” ~ L

at Oasis Hospital

Happy one week “liddy bug”! We couldn’t love you more. Thanks for bringing such joy into our lives. ~ mom & dad 

today I was sitting at the doctor’s office with tears in my eyes because at 40 weeks 5 days I was sill only barely 1 cm dilated, my cervix was still back and barely soft… not what you want to hear when you are 5 days overdue… We had the great task of deciding if we wanted to induce or just wait it out. I was so torn, because I was so done being pregnant, didn’t want to mess with crossing the border again, unpacking the car again, and wanted as much time with Gramzi and Lydia as possible, but I also didn’t want to induce when my body didn’t seem ready at.all. and not to mention the induction could take up to 3 days to take effect… sigh.

last pic with Gramzi and the bump…

Our doctor sent us to do an NST (non-stress test) to check how Lydia’s heartbeat was and to make the decision. So we headed to the monitor and discussed what we should do. Within about 15 minutes they started to see some decelerations in Lydia’s heartbeat with contractions, so the doctor looked at her charts and decided to go ahead and order the induction- he said better safe than sorry and that he would like to keep an eye on her heartbeat as contractions got more intense- I was so relieved that we didn’t have to make the decision, overwhelmed because we were going to get to meet our baby girl within the next 3 days, and worried because of the declarations… but was ready to get the process started- resting in the fact that she was in good hands.

yes I had my “guns up”- just felt appropriate! 

So next thing I knew they got me a wheelchair (a little much, since I wasn’t in labor and was perfectly capable of walking) and took me to the labor and delivery ward! We were set up in the “pre-labor” cubical- think triage in the ER with 3 other women behind curtains waiting to go into active labor right next to me. This is where we hung out for the next 10 hours!

hanging out in the cubicle 

They gave me a suppository of pitocin at 1:45pm to help ripen my cervix- which they said could be done 3 times within 24 hours of each other before they would start the drip pitocin! Meaning I could have still been sitting in that tiny cubical of a room for 3 days before my body was ready to go into labor- holy moly I did not want to do that… but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it… so after being hooked up to the monitor for 2 hours- her heart showed no signs of decelerations this time- praise the Lord- we went for a walk for an hour or so to try and move her down. In the meantime my dear nurse midwife friend Vic showed up to be my doula and help communicate between the nurses for me- what a blessing she was! I am so thankful she was able to be part of my labor process, it really gave me a peace of mind to know that she was an extra set of knowledgeable eyes making sure Lydia’s heart was good and things were progressing the way they should.

I requested a birthing (exercise) ball to sit on while we waited because I was starting to feel more uncomfortable- funny thing was the nurses were super concerned that I would fall off the ball- so they kept telling me to hold on to Chase or a chair…they would have preferred that I stay in the room with the ball, but I assured them I would be fine and had been taught how to use it… they were like “oh yeah she is American- they know how to use them!” ha so funny what reputations different cultures have- I am pretty sure a local would never request to sit on a ball. But let me tell you I highly recommend the birthing ball for labor- it was my favorite position to labor in.

my new best friend… the birthing ball

Around 9:30pm we decided to have Chili’s delivered to the hospital for dinner (yes they have Chili’s here!) I wanted to eat something spicy to see if it would help move things along… so for the first time I think ever, I order hot wings from Chili’s! They tasted super good and low and behold after we got done eating I starting having 3-4 contractions within 10 minutes! Those wings had to have done something 🙂

When we returned to our cubicle to be monitored again they had taken away my monitor for someone else, so they decided to go ahead and move me to the L&D room! Yey, we had been upgraded!! This was around 11 pm. This room was much better. I was still not concerned to be in “active labor” as I was still only 1-2 cm! Ahhh… so we decided to just relax and wait for my body to do its thing…

finally in L&D with two of my nurses 

Labor story to be continued…

(it was a 30 hour process, therefore it needs more than one post!)

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7

As I am writing this post I am 40 weeks + 3 days… not too bad, just ready and excited to meet our mcnugget. We have been enjoying these last few days of just us… almost finished with Parenthood season 3, Lydia’s room is ready to go (I have a post started to share pictures of her adorable nursery soon), laundry is caught up and dishes are clean (thanks to Gramzi), so we are just waiting and praising the Lord for His goodness. I hope the next post with chalk boards is us holding our baby girl!

How far along? 40 weeks- due date was Thursday, September 27…

Total weight gain: 20 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes… I have only a few that really fit me anymore! Too late to buy anymore!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: sleeping pretty good.. have been going to bed with some contractions and cramping and thinking they might keep me up, but then I wake up in the morning still preggo… one of these nights they will keep going 🙂 Thankful for good sleep though!

Best moment this week: Having my mom here… it is so fun that she has gotten to see me pregnant and feel Lydia kick from my belly! Thankful Liddy waited for her.

Miss Anything? my pre-pregnancy clothes… looking forward to wearing them again soon (ish- maybe?)

Movement: yes, super thankful for that… ready to see her move on the outside

Food cravings: nothing particular lately… Chase has made two batches of chocolate chip cookies this week though and those have tasted pretty darn good.. he is getting to be quite the baker! (love him… the first batch he put baking powder in instead of baking soda… they were a little flat and sticky but still tasted awesome!)

Anything making you queasy or sick: not really…

Gender: girl!

Labor Signs: last time I was checked (Sunday night) I was 1 cm dilated (maybe 2 if it was stretched), cervix was back and long… but I have been having more consistent contractions today/this evening… so we will see! Its probably nothing, but you never know?

Symptoms: achy lower back, cramping/contractions, sore hips, sharp pains…

Belly Button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! But ready to meet our little girl!

Looking forward to: Holding and kissing and seeing our baby girl on the outside! I can’t wait to see Chase as a dad… it warms my heart just thinking about it! He is going to be great!

It’s super fun that Lydia is going to be an October baby just like her daddy, Aunt Brooke and Uncle Knate! Chase always thought she was going to be an October girl… looks like he was right!

For those of you who know me well, know that I am what you would call a planner. I generally work better on a schedule and like to plan out my days, weeks, months, vacations, etc… Since marrying Chase I have become more free and ok used to not always having a plan (he is still helping me in this area! ha) and he actually enjoys having a plan & talking about what we have going on in our week together now- marriage is a give and take right? Anyway, this whole not knowing when labor will start and when I will get to hold my sweet baby girl is well, starting to be hard for my planning heart. I truly believe that God has her birthday already picked out and its the perfect day for both her and me… its just a matter of reminding myself of this! I wanted Lydia to wait for my mom to get, for Jord to get back from an unexpected trip to America and now that both of these things have happened… according to my plan she is supposed to come now…

We had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and everything looks great! Praise Jesus- heart beat, measurements, she is head down… however, I was not dilated, was 0% effaced, cervix was still back, but she was at a station -2 (Aubs sent me a pic of this… basically means she is head down & in position to hopefully start doing stuff… ) I thought that a little something more would have been going on since I was 39 weeks and 5 days that day… and have been seemingly having contractions on and off for a few weeks now (who knows?), but alas nothing. I have heard this is totally normal especially for your first baby and that ALL you moms out there have played this waiting game. Which I am ok with, but I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t even 1 cm dilated! Who knows what I am today- my due date- the doctor said things can change over night, but we still made an appointment for October 2nd, to discuss having an induction or not. I am hoping/praying that she will come on her own before that, but again trusting the Lord in His timing.

I think there are a few things (and I am sure more… just don’t know them yet) the Lord is teaching me through this… to wait on HIm… “be still before the Lord & wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7… to trust in HIm… “but I have trusted in your steadfast love, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Psalm 13:5… to enjoy this time as a gift with my mom and hubby before many sleepless nights and someone to care for 24/7… “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…”

I am thankful for these things He is teaching me… thankful to feel little wiggles and rolls in my tummy, thankful for a healthy pregnancy, thankful my mom gets to be here to see our life out here, thankful for a healthy baby girl growing inside of me, thankful for a sweet husband who takes such good care of us, thankful for a wonderful community who is excited for us, praying for us and involved in our lives, thankful the Lord chose us to be Lydia’s parents… So in the midst of waiting I am going to remind myself of these things and just be thankful.

While waiting we have…

done several border runs to make sure mom is on the correct Visa… she is now getting to experience and understand the joys of living in a border town…

had a mini impromptu baby shower with all sorts of gifts and love sent from America! Thank you to all that sent stuff- we feel super loved…

given mom a tour of Oasis Hospital where Lydia will be born & taken as many belly pics as possible since it’s probably hopefully the last week with it…

sat at Starbucks after finding some great deals on some last minute baby essentials…

packed and re-packed our hospital bags, organized Lydia’s nursery, watched several episodes of Parenthood, talked, eaten lots of food, and relaxed.

Some things on the list to do until Lydia is ready:

• bake onesie cookies to share with friends that visit after Lydia’s arrival
• Finish up some crafty things in the nursery
• Maybe start Lydia’s scrapbook
• Print pictures
• Explore our town
• Visit some local friends
• Watch more Parenthood 🙂

Its crazy to think that if I went into labor anytime now they wouldn’t stop it! She is ready and just finishing up in there! We can’t wait to meet her whenever she decides to come… however, we are hoping for a 24-25th arrival :)… that way my mom will have a few days to get over jet lag and Jord will be back! I know that I have NO control over her date of arrival and that Jesus already has that day picked out, so I am praying that I can believe that and rest in that truth and no matter who is present when she comes we will rejoice!

How far along? 37 weeks (September 5)- Full Term!!

Total weight gain: guessing 19 lbs.. go to doctor on Tuesday

Maternity clothes? Yes… and they are getting a bit small… I just hate to buy anything new at this point

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: good about every other day… I have had more sleepless nights or at least a few awake hours in the early mornings (4 am-ish)

Best moment this week: Lydia’s baby shower! It was so fun and she/we got so spoiled… we are truly blessed. Missed all my American friends & family though!

Miss Anything? Cookie dough! (can’t eat it because of the raw eggs… ha)

Movement: yes! She seems more crowded in there… but love feeling her wiggle around.

Food cravings: nothing particular lately… just feel like I have to eat every two hours and not a lot at a time- its getting pretty tight in there!

Anything making you queasy or sick: not really… I actually had some Arab food that I had been avoiding this week & it tasted good! Hoping my love for Arab food is coming back!

Gender: girl!

Labor Signs: Have Braxton Hicks more often & they are more painful…and at night I have been having cramping pains (not sure if it is contractions or not- but they feel different & from what I read I think they are)- it is not consistent right now, but stuff is happening! We will go to doctor tomorrow- so we will see if anything is really happening…

Symptoms: achy lower back, cramping/contractions, sore hips… I feel pretty blessed though- not much to complain about

Belly Button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? On most days… a few days this week though I couldn’t get it on!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy about meeting our sweet baby girl soon! I asked Chase if I have been moody… mind you this is a very tricky question, I know, but I was in a good mood & told him to tell me the truth and he said “you have had your moments, but for the most part you have been good”- I thought this was a good answer J

Looking forward to: Finishing up the last minute things I want organized and done before the BIG day, seeing my mom, aka Gramzi (this is her new grandma name- I love it) in 10 days!!!, seeing Chase hold Lydia for the first time whenever that might be… so much to look forward to!

To Do (wish list) before D-day: (thought I would share this with you.. mostly for my record, but also to see what we get done.. and honestly most of it is just icing on the cake, I feel mostly ready for her to come any day!)

• Make a few freezer meals to have on hand – any meal ideas you have would be great! (so far I am making Lasagna, Chicken Spaghetti, Vegetable Beef Soup & a few crock pot freezer meals)
• Wash Lydia’s coming home outfits- yes I said outfits – she has 3 to choose from! My wonderful Mother-in-law sent us a package yesterday with the most adorable coming home outfits… I will share them with you soon!
• Pack Chase’s hospital bag & finish mine – hard to know what all we will need since we can’t just “run” home if we forgot something since we live on the other side of an international border from our hospital!
• Clean out & organize craft stuff
• Clean out & help organize Chase’s tools
• Catch up on blog posts
• Make some hair bows & crafty stuff for Lydia (this is to get me to rest & sit on the couch!)

That’s about it! We have been super busy getting things cleaned out & organized. I have to brag for a minute- Chase has been so wonderful & working so hard to keep up with me and my crazy nesting feelings! I am so blessed to have him and so thankful for how he serves his family.

A few weeks ago Jord took my maternity photos during a trip to Dubai! I am so happy with how they turned out… I am so lucky to have a bff that is so talented in photography! I had such a hard time deciding which ones to share… sorry if it is an overload of pics, but there were so many!

We took the photos at a big fancy mall in Dubai… it had great natural lighting, which was great and kept us out of the heat/humidity. The first few were taken in our hotel room before we headed out to the mall.

Me and the photographer 🙂 Thanks again Jord- you’re the best!

How far along? 34 weeks (August 15th)

Total weight gain: 16.5 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: great still… just have been going to bed way too late, but thankfully have been able to sleep in because of the Ramadan schedule we have had

Best moment this week: hearing Chase talk about how excited he is about becoming a daddy… I think he is ready! And so am I J

Miss Anything? Being able to bend down with ease and not something in the way…

Movement: yes, we have been trying to get her movement on video cuz we can see it quite a bit from the outside, which has been super fun!

Food cravings: chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick: same story… nothing really, but still just avoiding most Arab food

Gender: girl!

Labor Signs: Nope… .not yet, hoping to hold out for a few more weeks

Symptoms: tired again, achy lower back, emotional

Belly Button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but have become more emotional again and possibly moody- ask Chase J

Looking forward to: seeing our baby girl at our next appointment- it will be our last ultrasound and my baby shower next week- the theme is Cute as a Button! Can’t wait to share pics!

Chase went on a surfing trip this weekend with some guys- he figured it was his last chance to leave his girls for a while… starting next week I will want him close to my side in case there is any action! I will try and get him to post some pics from his adventure when he gets back.

How far along? 32 weeks (August 1^st)

Total weight gain: 14-15 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: great still… just get up once for the potty

Best moment this week: taking maternity pictures… can’t wait to see how they turned out- Jord is super talented so I know they are going to be great!

Miss Anything? Laying on my tummy

Movement: yup! Lots… I have been able to tell where her little bottom is and her feet! Love love love it!

Food cravings: Orange Juice

Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing really, but still just avoiding most Arab food

Gender: girl!

Labor Signs: Nope- had bad back pain a few days ago and was a little worried, but I think it was caused from too much laying around last weekend

Symptoms: shortness of breath, achy lower back, heartburn, and Nesting… I think it has started… so far I have cleaned out my kitchen drawers and cabinets- feels so good!

Belly Button in or out? OUT!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, because I am excited to meet our sweet little girl in 7 plus or minus weeks and because I got to get out and wear cute clothes, eat delicious food, and hang out with good friends for a few days… (I know the cute clothes sounds funny, but in our town I have to wear long pants or skirts and jackets… hot and not so cute always at 8 months pregnant)

Looking forward to: seeing my maternity photos, continuing to get the house organized…

We found out at our last doctor’s appointment that our doctor (who we have loved) is moving back to America at the end of this month, therefore, missing our due date & end of pregnancy… sad day, but we are thankful for the time we had with him and felt like he was who we needed at the time. We will have our first appointment with the new doctor at 36 weeks. I am excited to meet him and have heard great things about him. I am thankful for a hospital that has many great doctors that I feel like I can trust- for sure a blessing!