Look at this adorableness - a gift from my friend - Thanks A they are so fun! I have a feeling they are an Auntie Beth creation!?
My favorite matching goofs!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
grand
We were so lucky to have my folks here as we welcomed KC to the family. They spoiled all of us and we can't express how grateful we truly are! KC and I are heading out to pick up Aiden. Aiden will be so excited for another fun game waiting for him at home - so the special treats will continue!
Here Gran Gran (aka. Cat) is showing KC (aka. Puppy) the kitty cat that Aiden (aka. Dog) painted for her. Sadly, kitty cat was ceramic and didn't survive all the big brother excitement. Gran's thank you present may have shattered, but we're still very grateful - She even helped track down a new wooden kitty cat to replace the original ;)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
easter tree
There has been tons of fun with the grandparents for Aiden (and Keaton too!). Aiden loved decorating a huge easter tree in our front yard:
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
one week
Aiden was very excited to celebrate KC's one week birthday!
Keaton slept through his party ;)
Yay! I'm a happy guy!
timeline
4.2.2011 - one short week ago
5:00am I wake up to my active guy giving me what feels like a kick in the back and realize I'm sweaty. I roll to my knees to get off the bed and head to the bathroom.
5:15am I am finally awake enough to realize how wet I am, and I call out to J that my water broke. He calmly gets going while I call the on-call midwife. She is incredibly reassuring since I am feeling excited, yet anxious that it was technically still too early to know for sure whether the baby is ready to greet the world. But there is no choice now... the baby should arrive in the next 24 hours somehow for safety, but the midwife suggests that I hang tight and wait for labor (she cites that 65% of women will go into labor within 12 hours of water breaking). I'm still hopeful that it will work out the way I envision, and feel surprisingly relaxed given the immense uncertainty. J heads back to bed so he can keep resting.
5:45am Paying attention - looking for contractions - nothing really. I call my folks to let them know we are having this baby soon and they hop on the road for the ten hour trip from Ohio. I goof around on the computer looking up birthdate history for the 2nd and 3rd. I burn two more cds for the birth room figuring I'm going to in it for the long haul. I start researching labor induction and dealing with the fact that I may not be able to stick with the Alternative Birth Center plan if they have to use pitocin. I start feeling a few contractions that I attempt to time on J's iphone... but they are so weak I can barely tell when they begin and end.
7:00am Aiden wakes up and I hear him talking to his dad. I stand up to get him breakfast and my water breaks again, and according to Aiden, I "wet my pants and shouldn't wait so long next time." He is so excited when we tell him that he gets to go play with Tess while we go have the baby. He asks when he gets to see Gran and Pop and I tell him they are on their way. We pack up his bag with all the random things he's interested in taking - his baby and doctor stuff, egg craft kit, and a book that I'd recorded with my voice. We read the book together as he eats his breakfast.
7:30am I get a call from the midwife saying that she just read my chart and that since I haven't had the Strep B test that I should come in to get the antibiotic treatment in my system - since they have to assume that I'm positive. I was still waiting for contractions to pick up, but there were a few cramps as I gathered all my things. I call our friend to let her know what is going on and she was pretty surprised! I tell her that we will be by with Aiden probably around 8:15am. I take a shower and get everything ready to go.
8:00am We head out the door to drop Aiden off and I'm starting to feel a strange sense of urgency to get going. My contractions are still nothing really, but I could feel the baby pushing against my back pretty hard. Aiden is so bouncy and excited and I'm so relieved that we have a plan that he is excited about, and I don't have to worry about him having a good day. We drop Aiden off and he gives us some big hugs and trots right in to play.
8:45am As I'm on the phone with my sister, we are pulling off the freeway to the hospital. I'm feeling squirmy on the bumpy roads because the baby is pushing on my back, but still weak contractions. We calmly park and walk into the hospital. There is no one at the triage window waiting, and it is strangely quiet in the waiting area. They take me back for check in, and as they are taking my blood pressure I get a crazy contraction. They have to take my blood pressure over and over again because it's slightly high. They ask about my contraction pain and I think I tell them it's about a 6 out of 10.
9:05am They finally take me back to a triage room and put the monitor on to track the baby. They check me and I'm at 4 centimeters, zero station, and 90% effaced. I feel pretty good about that overall because it seems like everything is primed to pick up and be effective without induction. They don't seem to be in any rush to get me upstairs and my midwife hasn't checked in yet. Turns out the midwife on call is the one I'd never met before and I don't even know her last name.
9:15am There is a commotion outside our room as a women arrives ready to deliver at 10cm - She's moaning and it's not really what you want to hear when you're getting ready for the same show. The nurses start bickering about something outside our room as I start feeling some pretty heavy duty pain. I walk down the hall to the bathroom as the nurses are apologizing to each other. J is so wonderful helping me focus on being calm and relax everything just like jello as the pain washes over me. He is feeding me pumpkin muffin and water. I'm really wanting to get upstairs.
9:30am The nurse comes in to put an IV in to get the antibiotic going for the strepB (which I probably didn't actually have). The needle does not go in well, and pinches like crazy. I get upset and she must really notice that I'm not quite as calm as before. J is being the best advocate for me and asking if there is a way to make it more comfortable so that I can relax. She leaves and I am crying and feeling incredible nonstop pain. Thanks to J's help I'm able to refocus.
9:45am The nurse luckily asked to get me rechecked and I'm at 8cm! I am nearly begging to be taken upstairs. They don't seem to respond since my midwife isn't even there yet. I then change my attitude, and J says I wasn't even upset anymore and just said, "Ok fine, I'll just have the baby right here!" My midwife comes in the room and quickly introduces herself. They immediately have all hands on deck and I'm being wheeled straight to the elevator. I have to admit that this was all a big blur really. I remember telling my midwife that the most important thing to me was to hold the baby immediately after he is born. Then I start getting the shakes and I can't really control them.
9:59am We arrive at the Alternative Birth Center doorway, and I'm so relieved. (We know it was 9:59am because it was recorded on my chart) They wheel me to the side of the bed and I'm not sure that I can make it off the gurney since my legs are so shaky. I crawl into the bed on my hands and knees and feel this incredible urge to push. I tell them I need to go to the bathroom before she checks me again - and the nurse looks me right in the eye and says that is the baby! The midwife asks me if I like my socks and I'm so confused - I don't think I respond but J swipes my socks for me. He was so wonderful at just jumping in to help me (seriously, he got so many compliments from the nurses)
10:09am I start feeling an incredible burning sensation. I'm amazed that the "burning ring of fire" and everything you read about in the natural birth books is true. I flip over onto my back and J is supporting my back. She checks me and the baby is crowning. They ask J to hold my shaky leg back, and then she tells me to push. I honestly couldn't have held back at that point. One push and we welcome Keaton to our family!
5:00am I wake up to my active guy giving me what feels like a kick in the back and realize I'm sweaty. I roll to my knees to get off the bed and head to the bathroom.
5:15am I am finally awake enough to realize how wet I am, and I call out to J that my water broke. He calmly gets going while I call the on-call midwife. She is incredibly reassuring since I am feeling excited, yet anxious that it was technically still too early to know for sure whether the baby is ready to greet the world. But there is no choice now... the baby should arrive in the next 24 hours somehow for safety, but the midwife suggests that I hang tight and wait for labor (she cites that 65% of women will go into labor within 12 hours of water breaking). I'm still hopeful that it will work out the way I envision, and feel surprisingly relaxed given the immense uncertainty. J heads back to bed so he can keep resting.
5:45am Paying attention - looking for contractions - nothing really. I call my folks to let them know we are having this baby soon and they hop on the road for the ten hour trip from Ohio. I goof around on the computer looking up birthdate history for the 2nd and 3rd. I burn two more cds for the birth room figuring I'm going to in it for the long haul. I start researching labor induction and dealing with the fact that I may not be able to stick with the Alternative Birth Center plan if they have to use pitocin. I start feeling a few contractions that I attempt to time on J's iphone... but they are so weak I can barely tell when they begin and end.
7:00am Aiden wakes up and I hear him talking to his dad. I stand up to get him breakfast and my water breaks again, and according to Aiden, I "wet my pants and shouldn't wait so long next time." He is so excited when we tell him that he gets to go play with Tess while we go have the baby. He asks when he gets to see Gran and Pop and I tell him they are on their way. We pack up his bag with all the random things he's interested in taking - his baby and doctor stuff, egg craft kit, and a book that I'd recorded with my voice. We read the book together as he eats his breakfast.
7:30am I get a call from the midwife saying that she just read my chart and that since I haven't had the Strep B test that I should come in to get the antibiotic treatment in my system - since they have to assume that I'm positive. I was still waiting for contractions to pick up, but there were a few cramps as I gathered all my things. I call our friend to let her know what is going on and she was pretty surprised! I tell her that we will be by with Aiden probably around 8:15am. I take a shower and get everything ready to go.
8:00am We head out the door to drop Aiden off and I'm starting to feel a strange sense of urgency to get going. My contractions are still nothing really, but I could feel the baby pushing against my back pretty hard. Aiden is so bouncy and excited and I'm so relieved that we have a plan that he is excited about, and I don't have to worry about him having a good day. We drop Aiden off and he gives us some big hugs and trots right in to play.
8:45am As I'm on the phone with my sister, we are pulling off the freeway to the hospital. I'm feeling squirmy on the bumpy roads because the baby is pushing on my back, but still weak contractions. We calmly park and walk into the hospital. There is no one at the triage window waiting, and it is strangely quiet in the waiting area. They take me back for check in, and as they are taking my blood pressure I get a crazy contraction. They have to take my blood pressure over and over again because it's slightly high. They ask about my contraction pain and I think I tell them it's about a 6 out of 10.
9:05am They finally take me back to a triage room and put the monitor on to track the baby. They check me and I'm at 4 centimeters, zero station, and 90% effaced. I feel pretty good about that overall because it seems like everything is primed to pick up and be effective without induction. They don't seem to be in any rush to get me upstairs and my midwife hasn't checked in yet. Turns out the midwife on call is the one I'd never met before and I don't even know her last name.
9:15am There is a commotion outside our room as a women arrives ready to deliver at 10cm - She's moaning and it's not really what you want to hear when you're getting ready for the same show. The nurses start bickering about something outside our room as I start feeling some pretty heavy duty pain. I walk down the hall to the bathroom as the nurses are apologizing to each other. J is so wonderful helping me focus on being calm and relax everything just like jello as the pain washes over me. He is feeding me pumpkin muffin and water. I'm really wanting to get upstairs.
9:30am The nurse comes in to put an IV in to get the antibiotic going for the strepB (which I probably didn't actually have). The needle does not go in well, and pinches like crazy. I get upset and she must really notice that I'm not quite as calm as before. J is being the best advocate for me and asking if there is a way to make it more comfortable so that I can relax. She leaves and I am crying and feeling incredible nonstop pain. Thanks to J's help I'm able to refocus.
9:45am The nurse luckily asked to get me rechecked and I'm at 8cm! I am nearly begging to be taken upstairs. They don't seem to respond since my midwife isn't even there yet. I then change my attitude, and J says I wasn't even upset anymore and just said, "Ok fine, I'll just have the baby right here!" My midwife comes in the room and quickly introduces herself. They immediately have all hands on deck and I'm being wheeled straight to the elevator. I have to admit that this was all a big blur really. I remember telling my midwife that the most important thing to me was to hold the baby immediately after he is born. Then I start getting the shakes and I can't really control them.
9:59am We arrive at the Alternative Birth Center doorway, and I'm so relieved. (We know it was 9:59am because it was recorded on my chart) They wheel me to the side of the bed and I'm not sure that I can make it off the gurney since my legs are so shaky. I crawl into the bed on my hands and knees and feel this incredible urge to push. I tell them I need to go to the bathroom before she checks me again - and the nurse looks me right in the eye and says that is the baby! The midwife asks me if I like my socks and I'm so confused - I don't think I respond but J swipes my socks for me. He was so wonderful at just jumping in to help me (seriously, he got so many compliments from the nurses)
10:09am I start feeling an incredible burning sensation. I'm amazed that the "burning ring of fire" and everything you read about in the natural birth books is true. I flip over onto my back and J is supporting my back. She checks me and the baby is crowning. They ask J to hold my shaky leg back, and then she tells me to push. I honestly couldn't have held back at that point. One push and we welcome Keaton to our family!
Friday, April 8, 2011
home
We've been home longer than we were in the hospital, and it all seems like such a whirlwind. We got home on Monday morning after a nice easy stay. KC exceeded all expectations for an early arrival and I will never feel more relieved and thankful for his good health. Aiden came to visit twice with my folks. During the first visit, Aiden came running in when I was up and out of bed and J was holding Keaton. We shared a nice family four way hug for the first time. We asked Aiden if he wanted to hold his brother and he said not yet. He wanted to show off all his new toys first. He helped KC open his baby brother present - the bib with his family drawing. Then he was ready to hop up next to me to hold the baby. His expressions were priceless and I will never forget those sweet moments.
Brothers from LB on Vimeo.
We left the hospital after our quick two night stay. It felt good to shed our wrist bands and get off the "robot bed" (which Aiden thought was pretty cool!) Keaton got his superstar sticker (identical to Aiden's from 3+ yeas ago) during checkout and we headed out in the rain. The quick trip home I couldn't help but think of how comfy I felt this time versus last time. The whole experience still feels like it was a dream. It was fun to see the "surprises" that Aiden was excited to share with us. Aiden was all smiles, bounced on Gran and Pop's pullout bed, read us the signs he helped make, and thanked baby Keaton for giving him his superstar sticker. Huge thanks to my folks for taking such good care of Aiden, making our coming home cheery, and especially helping us with the baby cuddles.
Here's the video montage of our sleepy baby coming home for the first time:
KC Coming Home from LB on Vimeo.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
doc
KC had a great first visit to the doctor at four days old. I think I literally clapped my hands together when I saw that he's already back up to his birth weight of 5 lbs 10 ozs (which usually takes two to three weeks, but they said it was thanks to my "mature milk" coming in early - I think that mature milk makes it sound like a cow ready to go out to pasture, so it makes me laugh). He also grew a 1/4 inch and was measured at 19 inches. A sign of second time parenting is that neither J or I can remember his head circumference. I'll have to get it recorded next time. If everything continues to go well, we will see her again at one month.
He was very alert for the doc and hardly protested the cold stethoscope. He did pee on the doc, and she nicely declared that he's definitely well hydrated. When he was in the hospital he pooed for the doc, and he was even nice enough to change it for us. He's a champion of filling his tiny little diapers and the gentlest nursing rockstar (I've been so comfy versus last time). We are feeling so lucky that our dreams of an easy baby seem to be coming true!
The doctor asked how Aiden was adjusting. I think he's honestly done so well. He's mostly distracted by his grandparents and basking in all the attention. His favorite attention getter is putting on rockstar shows for us. He occasionally shows an interest in the baby, but he's been coughing so I'm glad to keep them as separate as possible. On our second night home he actually woke up coughing and threw up, so he missed school the next day (they have a strict rule) even though it was clear he felt fine. Lucky duck just got some extra time with his grandparents. We are so grateful to have them here!
Here's our rockstar brother:
He was very alert for the doc and hardly protested the cold stethoscope. He did pee on the doc, and she nicely declared that he's definitely well hydrated. When he was in the hospital he pooed for the doc, and he was even nice enough to change it for us. He's a champion of filling his tiny little diapers and the gentlest nursing rockstar (I've been so comfy versus last time). We are feeling so lucky that our dreams of an easy baby seem to be coming true!
The doctor asked how Aiden was adjusting. I think he's honestly done so well. He's mostly distracted by his grandparents and basking in all the attention. His favorite attention getter is putting on rockstar shows for us. He occasionally shows an interest in the baby, but he's been coughing so I'm glad to keep them as separate as possible. On our second night home he actually woke up coughing and threw up, so he missed school the next day (they have a strict rule) even though it was clear he felt fine. Lucky duck just got some extra time with his grandparents. We are so grateful to have them here!
Here's our rockstar brother:
hiccy-puppy
Aiden likes to call himself dog, while Gran is cat and Pop is robot.
He extended his imaginary pretend friends and declared that Keaton is puppy!
Here he is with the hiccy-puppies:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
little brother's first day
So squirmy on the scale - ready to eat some more:
Before bath - check out the arm chub:
big brother's first day
Aiden's first day as a big brother was filled with fun! A visit with the easter bunny, a treat hunt around the mall, playground fun at Slater Park, and even a birthday party with his buddy Tess. The Egge's are amazing friends and we are so grateful! Here is a photo diary of his day that made my day:
Monday, April 4, 2011
photos
Aiden met Keaton! Huge thanks to our friends and to my folks for keeping Aiden so happy! We are so grateful... My dad took some photos:
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Snug as a bug
the room. He is so relaxed and such a good gentle nursing baby! He's
just stirring now - love you all!
Update: he was finally measured and he is 18 3/4 inches, 12 1/2 head circumference, and 5lbs 10 ounces at birth (maintaining his weight well so far)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Baby at 10:10am
triage at 9:59am, into the abc and barely in the bed to deliver at
10:10am! Mom is walking around and had lunch delivered right on
schedule as the baby fed like a champ. Ecstatic!
big news
Big news: Yep, I might as well just blog about this now... My water broke around 5am. It's National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Need I say more ;)
The midwife is confident that this will be a happy and healthy baby. I even get to use the ABC still if the contractions pick up on their own. Technically, if you had calculated my due date like any other woman with a typical cycle I would've been 37 weeks (full term) yesterday, but we were pushing my due date as late as possible to avoid induction. The ultrasounds have all measured a baby much bigger than that due date, so we are most likely in the very healthy zone. The ticker even said "ready to launch" and I guess this baby is taking it seriously!
I've had a few good contractions, but so far I'm just goofing around while J and Aiden continue to get some rest. I'm packed and ready to go. Now I just need to stay calm, eat, and store up some energy. This baby will most likely be here within the next 24 hours.... and I'm excited! Aiden is just waking up... goodbye for now. Next up: Squishy baby pictures!
The midwife is confident that this will be a happy and healthy baby. I even get to use the ABC still if the contractions pick up on their own. Technically, if you had calculated my due date like any other woman with a typical cycle I would've been 37 weeks (full term) yesterday, but we were pushing my due date as late as possible to avoid induction. The ultrasounds have all measured a baby much bigger than that due date, so we are most likely in the very healthy zone. The ticker even said "ready to launch" and I guess this baby is taking it seriously!
I've had a few good contractions, but so far I'm just goofing around while J and Aiden continue to get some rest. I'm packed and ready to go. Now I just need to stay calm, eat, and store up some energy. This baby will most likely be here within the next 24 hours.... and I'm excited! Aiden is just waking up... goodbye for now. Next up: Squishy baby pictures!
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