There's lots of big changes in the works. First, Connor had his two week check up on Friday and wow has he grown. He is now 21.5 inches long and weighs 9 lbs, 6 oz. He was 20.5 inches long and 7 lb, 10 oz at his appointment 11 days before. The pediatrician says that he looks for a minimum weight gain of an ounce a day and would have been happy with 11 oz, but Connor is already an over-achiever. He said that he is not at all concerned that he has gained so much as he is in the 79th percentile for length and the 69th for weight.
The other big change is that we will be moving sometime before April 9th. With Amazon moving into our neighborhood, apartment demand has gone out of control and they are hiking up our rent by $250 a month. We just can't afford that right now with the added expenses for Connor, so it's time to go. It's going to be a really hard move between having a 2 month old and I will be having my chest surgery on 3/27, which will likely be 4 days prior to our move date. I have no idea how we are going to pull that off. I'm hoping we will be able to begin moving in prior to my surgery and we can get help with cleaning the old place. I can pack before surgery so we are ready to go. We'll see I guess. I'm really upset about this whole thing and have been kind of in shut down mode about it for the last several days, but I'm starting to be able to focus on the positives. If we are able to get a house Connor will have a yard and hopefully we will end up with more space so we will have room for a Christmas tree next year, a guest room, a dining space...all the things we have been missing by living in the apartments for the last several years.
And I have to say that I am starting to realize that even the price we are currently paying is way too much for this apartment, let alone what they are now asking. Sure, the neighborhood was great, but Amazon has ruined that. We can no longer go to our favorite local haunts without being overrun with Amazon folks. The only good thing about the location is proximity to work, which hopefully will continue to not matter for me and will be negligible if we can end up somewhere near an express bus for R. So that's my new huge project...
- J
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
The first 10 days with Connor
I am taking advantage of a sleeping baby to update how our first 10 days have gone with Connor. I have to say, he is the most laid back, happy baby I have ever met. I realize we are only 10 days in and things could easily change and I am really, really hoping I haven't jinxed myself, but he has been so good. Here's a run down of our first days. I'm going to skip the days we were in the hospital and start with Monday.
3 Days Old:
We had a rough night the first night home. Connor was fussy and didn't want to sleep in his bassinet, so I spent most of the night holding him and rocking him. We had to go into the pediatrician's office that day to get his bilirubin levels checked for his jaundice, so when the office opened I called and scheduled our appointment. I then spent the next hour and a half getting him ready and packing his diaper bag, which I forgot at home, of course. We didn't realize that I had forgotten his diaper bag until we were in the exam room and realized that not only was his diaper wet, but he was also hungry. Nevermind that I had changed and fed him just before we left the house. Luckily, his new pediatrician was nice enough to supply some ready to eat formula, diapers and gave us some freebies as well. He had his first exam, got his blood draw and we were on our way. He really did great during the exam.
Afterwards, we stopped at my RE's office so she could meet Connor. I figure she was pretty instrumental in helping us conceive him, so she should meet him. She was so thrilled and excited to see him. It was really touching. I promised that I would send her a picture of him once we get them back. Then it was on to Starbucks for some much needed caffeine. While we were there, we all decided we were hungry. I had another Jimmy John's sub (needed to catch up after all...it had been 9 months), and R and Sig had piroshkis. After that, we went home, relaxed and started to get settled into our routine.
Later that evening, our good friend Dylan stopped by to visit and meet Connor. He has been working in Haiti for the last couple of years and we rarely get to see him when he comes to town, so it was really nice getting caught up. Connor spent a long time sleeping on his belly too, which was really cute. Eventually Dylan had to leave and R and Sig went to the grocery store to stock up on essentials as a storm was coming. I knew that the store would be absolute hell the next day. It's a good thing he went when he did. Everything was picked over and there was barely anything left.
4 Days Old:
We had a much better night. Connor was able to stay asleep for 3-4 hours at a stretch and was barely fussy at all. He even slept in his bassinet without complaint. I got a call that morning from Mom saying that the storm had hit Bellingham and she was going to come down to Seattle before we got hit. She had been planning on coming down the next day, but she didn't want to get stranded. They had gotten almost a foot of snow the night before. She arrived in the early afternoon and Sig took off shortly after. She also didn't want to get stranded and opted to head home before the weather got too bad up there. We had a nice, quiet day chatting and taking care of Connor. In the evening, Mom helped me give Connor his first bath at home. I will admit that it could have gone smoother, and he certainly didn't enjoy it, but I think he will like bathes once he can actually be submerged in the water. The promised storm started late Tuesday night, much later than anticipated.
5 Days Old:
Again, Connor had a good night. We went to bed around 11:00 or 12:00, and he got up once at 3:30 and then again at 6:30-ish, at which point I just went ahead and got up as well. By this time it was snowing and really quite pretty out. I was very glad that we didn't have anywhere to be and could stay snuggled in at home. The big highlight of the day was bundling Connor up and taking him to the roof to feel snow for the first time. We had him so bundled that he couldn't put his little arms down. It didn't seem to phase him and it did make for some really cute pictures.
We spent the rest of the day snuggled in, watching TV and cuddling Connor. Mom and R took over baby duty for a while and insisted that I take a nap. It was so refreshing. I didn't realize how exhausted I was. Later that evening, James and Gwen came by to meet Connor. They hadn't been able to make it to the hospital when the rest of the band came by, so it was really nice to see them. Gwen brought Connor some adorable Animal (from the Muppets) onesies. They are too big for him now, but I can't wait to see them on him when he grows into them. It was really cute seeing them with Connor. James is already making plans to train him in Martial Arts and I know Gwen is going to help me instill him with a love of old movies. We visited with them for several hours and then headed for bed.
6 Days Old:
And another great night. He stuck to almost the same exact schedule as the night before, which was so nice. I was expecting to be up all night, but so far (knock on wood) that hasn't been the case. Thursday was day two of being snowed in. Sometime during the night, the snow changed to freezing rain and everything was coated with a layer of ice. We spent the morning watching the news coverage of the storm. The broadcast kept being extended, and I really do not envy the newscasters. To have to spend hours saying essentially the same thing over and over again and to try to make it interesting....ugh! Not something I would want to do. Raven's practice was canceled as people were stuck at home and couldn't make it to the practice space, but he had to go in to get his drums for the photo shoot the next day. I was really concerned with him driving, but he said that the main roads were fine and the back roads were a lot of fun. He made it home safely with the drums in tow and we spent another day snuggled down. We were a little concerned that we would have to reschedule the photo shoot the next day, but the weather forecast promised that we would have some thawing overnight. I made some contingency plans with the photographer just in case, and we went to bed.
7 Days Old:
And three nights in a row of our new routine! I woke up early and got a head start on all of the prep for the photo shoot. Got my shower, hair and make up taken care of, got the diaper bag packed, got breakfast for Mom, and fed, changed and dressed Connor. It may have taken almost 3 hours, but it went far more smoothly than I imagined and we were out the door a little after 9:00 am. We actually arrived in Kirkland early, so we drove around for a while trying to track down a Starbucks. It proved impossible, strangely enough, so we made our way to the photographer's place and got everything unloaded and set up.
I have to say, I can not speak more highly of this photographer. Her name is Tushna and her business is called T-Elle Photography in Kirkland. She does amazing work and I swear she is a baby whisperer. She has such a knack with calming down babies, making them comfortable and getting them to pose for her. I really was amazed just watching her. And aside from being extremely warm in the studio (for the comfort of the babies), it was a very pleasant experience. We got some incredible shots judging from the sneak peeks she sent us later in the day. I can't wait to see what the rest are going to look like. Here are the sneak peek shots:
After the shoot, we headed back to Seattle, stopping by the practice space on our way to drop the drums off again. We grabbed some sandwiches on the way home and then came back and relaxed for a bit until we realized that we were almost out of provisions. R and I ran to the store while Mom watched Connor for us. I have to admit, it was so hard leaving him at home even with Mom. I was so anxious to get back to him. I was also in a lot of pain by this point in the day. It was the most active I had been since surgery one week before. We hurried through our shopping and then went home. Mom went to bed early and R, Connor and I tried to watch Idiocracy. I say tried because Connor and I promptly fell asleep. R was able to get through the movie though. I need to give it another try sometime soon.
8 Days Old:
We had another good night. Tushna told us that Connor would be exhausted after the photo shoot and sure enough, he was. Mom went home in the late morning after Skyping with Dad. A little while later, Corey and Tamara arrived to meet Connor. Tamara was totally thrilled with him. We sat around chatting and then took a walk over to our favorite coffee place. They stayed for a little while longer and then had to leave to get to a birthday party. R and I spent the evening napping on the couch, and cuddling with Connor. We also gave him a bath in preparation for meeting his great-grandma the next day.
9 Days Old:
Another big day! Connor went on his first road trip. It was Great-grandma Kate's 95th birthday party and it was time to make the introductions. We drove out to Great-aunt Ruth's house in Snohomish for the party. Everyone swarmed him as soon as we walked in the door. Apparently everyone was awaiting his arrival. Raven took Connor over to meet Great-grandma Kate and the rest of the family.
After meeting everyone and taking a very, very large group photo we decided that was enough and it was time to go home. There were an awful lot of people there and I was getting nervous about everyone handing Connor around. Plus, I was getting really uncomfortable and sore. We went home, had dinner with Alex and Sig and then went to bed.
10 Days Old:
A very, very busy day for our little guy. I had been having problems with my incision feeling raw and smelling funny, so the Dr wanted me to come in for a check up. I called first thing in the morning and made my appointment for 2:50 that afternoon. We desperately had to go grocery shopping, so we got little man ready to go and went to the store. We did all of our shopping and were just finishing paying when I got a call from the Dr's office asking if we could be there in 45 minutes instead. We rushed home, put away the essentials, changed Connor and ran back out again. My appointment went fine, but I was having a reaction to the steri strips they had put on when they took the staples out. She removed them for me and prescribed me some meds to soothe the irritation.
After the Dr's appointment, we went to Southcenter to pick up some diapers at Target, stop at Barnes & Noble and GameStop (R had a gift card he wanted to redeem) and find some food. Poor little Connor had quite the day of being out an about. He was pretty fussy and worn out when we got home. We spent the evening cuddling him and getting him calmed and ready for bed.
Here are some final cute pictures:
- J
3 Days Old:
We had a rough night the first night home. Connor was fussy and didn't want to sleep in his bassinet, so I spent most of the night holding him and rocking him. We had to go into the pediatrician's office that day to get his bilirubin levels checked for his jaundice, so when the office opened I called and scheduled our appointment. I then spent the next hour and a half getting him ready and packing his diaper bag, which I forgot at home, of course. We didn't realize that I had forgotten his diaper bag until we were in the exam room and realized that not only was his diaper wet, but he was also hungry. Nevermind that I had changed and fed him just before we left the house. Luckily, his new pediatrician was nice enough to supply some ready to eat formula, diapers and gave us some freebies as well. He had his first exam, got his blood draw and we were on our way. He really did great during the exam.
Afterwards, we stopped at my RE's office so she could meet Connor. I figure she was pretty instrumental in helping us conceive him, so she should meet him. She was so thrilled and excited to see him. It was really touching. I promised that I would send her a picture of him once we get them back. Then it was on to Starbucks for some much needed caffeine. While we were there, we all decided we were hungry. I had another Jimmy John's sub (needed to catch up after all...it had been 9 months), and R and Sig had piroshkis. After that, we went home, relaxed and started to get settled into our routine.
Later that evening, our good friend Dylan stopped by to visit and meet Connor. He has been working in Haiti for the last couple of years and we rarely get to see him when he comes to town, so it was really nice getting caught up. Connor spent a long time sleeping on his belly too, which was really cute. Eventually Dylan had to leave and R and Sig went to the grocery store to stock up on essentials as a storm was coming. I knew that the store would be absolute hell the next day. It's a good thing he went when he did. Everything was picked over and there was barely anything left.
4 Days Old:
We had a much better night. Connor was able to stay asleep for 3-4 hours at a stretch and was barely fussy at all. He even slept in his bassinet without complaint. I got a call that morning from Mom saying that the storm had hit Bellingham and she was going to come down to Seattle before we got hit. She had been planning on coming down the next day, but she didn't want to get stranded. They had gotten almost a foot of snow the night before. She arrived in the early afternoon and Sig took off shortly after. She also didn't want to get stranded and opted to head home before the weather got too bad up there. We had a nice, quiet day chatting and taking care of Connor. In the evening, Mom helped me give Connor his first bath at home. I will admit that it could have gone smoother, and he certainly didn't enjoy it, but I think he will like bathes once he can actually be submerged in the water. The promised storm started late Tuesday night, much later than anticipated.
5 Days Old:
Again, Connor had a good night. We went to bed around 11:00 or 12:00, and he got up once at 3:30 and then again at 6:30-ish, at which point I just went ahead and got up as well. By this time it was snowing and really quite pretty out. I was very glad that we didn't have anywhere to be and could stay snuggled in at home. The big highlight of the day was bundling Connor up and taking him to the roof to feel snow for the first time. We had him so bundled that he couldn't put his little arms down. It didn't seem to phase him and it did make for some really cute pictures.
We spent the rest of the day snuggled in, watching TV and cuddling Connor. Mom and R took over baby duty for a while and insisted that I take a nap. It was so refreshing. I didn't realize how exhausted I was. Later that evening, James and Gwen came by to meet Connor. They hadn't been able to make it to the hospital when the rest of the band came by, so it was really nice to see them. Gwen brought Connor some adorable Animal (from the Muppets) onesies. They are too big for him now, but I can't wait to see them on him when he grows into them. It was really cute seeing them with Connor. James is already making plans to train him in Martial Arts and I know Gwen is going to help me instill him with a love of old movies. We visited with them for several hours and then headed for bed.
6 Days Old:
And another great night. He stuck to almost the same exact schedule as the night before, which was so nice. I was expecting to be up all night, but so far (knock on wood) that hasn't been the case. Thursday was day two of being snowed in. Sometime during the night, the snow changed to freezing rain and everything was coated with a layer of ice. We spent the morning watching the news coverage of the storm. The broadcast kept being extended, and I really do not envy the newscasters. To have to spend hours saying essentially the same thing over and over again and to try to make it interesting....ugh! Not something I would want to do. Raven's practice was canceled as people were stuck at home and couldn't make it to the practice space, but he had to go in to get his drums for the photo shoot the next day. I was really concerned with him driving, but he said that the main roads were fine and the back roads were a lot of fun. He made it home safely with the drums in tow and we spent another day snuggled down. We were a little concerned that we would have to reschedule the photo shoot the next day, but the weather forecast promised that we would have some thawing overnight. I made some contingency plans with the photographer just in case, and we went to bed.
7 Days Old:
And three nights in a row of our new routine! I woke up early and got a head start on all of the prep for the photo shoot. Got my shower, hair and make up taken care of, got the diaper bag packed, got breakfast for Mom, and fed, changed and dressed Connor. It may have taken almost 3 hours, but it went far more smoothly than I imagined and we were out the door a little after 9:00 am. We actually arrived in Kirkland early, so we drove around for a while trying to track down a Starbucks. It proved impossible, strangely enough, so we made our way to the photographer's place and got everything unloaded and set up.
I have to say, I can not speak more highly of this photographer. Her name is Tushna and her business is called T-Elle Photography in Kirkland. She does amazing work and I swear she is a baby whisperer. She has such a knack with calming down babies, making them comfortable and getting them to pose for her. I really was amazed just watching her. And aside from being extremely warm in the studio (for the comfort of the babies), it was a very pleasant experience. We got some incredible shots judging from the sneak peeks she sent us later in the day. I can't wait to see what the rest are going to look like. Here are the sneak peek shots:
After the shoot, we headed back to Seattle, stopping by the practice space on our way to drop the drums off again. We grabbed some sandwiches on the way home and then came back and relaxed for a bit until we realized that we were almost out of provisions. R and I ran to the store while Mom watched Connor for us. I have to admit, it was so hard leaving him at home even with Mom. I was so anxious to get back to him. I was also in a lot of pain by this point in the day. It was the most active I had been since surgery one week before. We hurried through our shopping and then went home. Mom went to bed early and R, Connor and I tried to watch Idiocracy. I say tried because Connor and I promptly fell asleep. R was able to get through the movie though. I need to give it another try sometime soon.
8 Days Old:
We had another good night. Tushna told us that Connor would be exhausted after the photo shoot and sure enough, he was. Mom went home in the late morning after Skyping with Dad. A little while later, Corey and Tamara arrived to meet Connor. Tamara was totally thrilled with him. We sat around chatting and then took a walk over to our favorite coffee place. They stayed for a little while longer and then had to leave to get to a birthday party. R and I spent the evening napping on the couch, and cuddling with Connor. We also gave him a bath in preparation for meeting his great-grandma the next day.
9 Days Old:
Another big day! Connor went on his first road trip. It was Great-grandma Kate's 95th birthday party and it was time to make the introductions. We drove out to Great-aunt Ruth's house in Snohomish for the party. Everyone swarmed him as soon as we walked in the door. Apparently everyone was awaiting his arrival. Raven took Connor over to meet Great-grandma Kate and the rest of the family.
After meeting everyone and taking a very, very large group photo we decided that was enough and it was time to go home. There were an awful lot of people there and I was getting nervous about everyone handing Connor around. Plus, I was getting really uncomfortable and sore. We went home, had dinner with Alex and Sig and then went to bed.
10 Days Old:
A very, very busy day for our little guy. I had been having problems with my incision feeling raw and smelling funny, so the Dr wanted me to come in for a check up. I called first thing in the morning and made my appointment for 2:50 that afternoon. We desperately had to go grocery shopping, so we got little man ready to go and went to the store. We did all of our shopping and were just finishing paying when I got a call from the Dr's office asking if we could be there in 45 minutes instead. We rushed home, put away the essentials, changed Connor and ran back out again. My appointment went fine, but I was having a reaction to the steri strips they had put on when they took the staples out. She removed them for me and prescribed me some meds to soothe the irritation.
After the Dr's appointment, we went to Southcenter to pick up some diapers at Target, stop at Barnes & Noble and GameStop (R had a gift card he wanted to redeem) and find some food. Poor little Connor had quite the day of being out an about. He was pretty fussy and worn out when we got home. We spent the evening cuddling him and getting him calmed and ready for bed.
Here are some final cute pictures:
- J
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Connor is here!
I know it has been way too long since my last post. When I last left you, I was about to get off of bed rest and was very, very much looking forward to it. On December 22, I was off bed rest and spent most of the day having regular, although not super painful, contractions. We went and got checked out, but it was a false alarm. We had a very nice Christmas with Sig and Alex that weekend and I very much enjoyed being able to move around and get back to my normal activities. The next week at my OB appointment, my blood pressure was high enough that they wanted me to go back on bed rest. I had one week of freedom before being trapped on the couch yet again.
At this point, I started going in for appointments twice a week so that they could monitor my progress, my blood pressure and Connor. I don't think anyone expected me to stay pregnant for very long. Connor had a different opinion though. He was all snuggled in and not ready to go anywhere. That didn't prevent me from having frequent and regular contractions though. After a couple of weeks of this, my OB decided that it was time to go ahead and have a C section. We scheduled the surgery for 1/13/12, six days before my due date and one day before our anniversary.
Surgery day arrived and I spent the morning trying to get everything ready. Mom and Sig came down so that they could be there for Connor's birth. At 2:00 we checked in at the hospital and only had to wait a few minutes before they took me back to prep for surgery. I got hooked up to all of the IVs, got my blood draw, took my pre-surgery meds and answered all of the healthy history questions. R got dressed in his funny surgery get up and at 4:05 pm they brought me to the OR. They gave me my spinal and started the surgery. At 4:38 pm, Connor Grey arrived, weighing 8 lbs, 1.7 ounces and 20.5 inches long. He actually tried to cry before he was even born. I heard the OB say "You can't cry yet. You're not even born yet." It was the most beautiful sound in the world when he did finally cry. R went with him to the warmer while they got him dried and checked him out. He also gave him his first bottle right there in the OR. I spent the whole time watching them while my OB finished my surgery. Finally, R was able to bring him over to me and I was able to see my son for the very first time. I couldn't hold him but I was able to stroke his cheek.
When the surgery was over, they finally placed Connor in my arms for the ride back to recovery. I won't ever be able to explain how incredible that felt. Our baby boy has got a set of lungs on him. He screamed all the way from the OR to recovery and his grandmas were able to hear him coming. I got to hold him skin to skin for the first little bit. After an hour the grandmas were allowed to come in and he was given his first shots (vitamin K and Hep B), and got his footprints taken. Then we were moved to our postpartum room and settled in. I didn't sleep at all that first night. I was too enthralled just watching his sweet little face and listening to his cute little noises. I'm so incredibly in love with him.
We ended up spending 2 days in the hospital. On Saturday, my aunt Lily, our friends Matt and Jessica, and his big sister Alex and his Farmor came to visit us. Of course everyone absolutely adored him. He barely fussed at all and was happy just being cuddled. I got up out of bed and walked the floor several times. I was attempting to get my insides moving again so that I could have a Jimmy John's sub, which I had been craving for my entire pregnancy. I was hoping to have it as a celebratory anniversary dinner with R. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get things going in time and we had to have our subs the next day. Either way, having Connor the day before was absolutely the best anniversary gift I ever could have asked for. We also had some screenings done for Connor. He passed his hearing screening with one of his ears, but not the other. They said that is pretty normal, particularly for C section babies as they often still have some fluid in theirs ears. We also found out that he was mildly jaundiced. Both tests would be repeated the next day.
On Sunday, the OB came and checked on me. She said that I was doing so well (having pass gas the night before) that I could be discharged. She said that if Connor's jaundice was bad enough to require photo therapy, we would be admitted to the peds ward. They came and redid Connor's hearing test, which he passed and then checked his bilirubin levels (for the jaundice) again. The pediatrician came by and said that while his levels were increased they were still not high enough to need photo therapy. We called Sig and let her know that we would be headed home that afternoon. While we were waiting, it started snowing heavily. It was so beautiful to watch from the hospital. Later that afternoon most of the band came by to meet Connor. It was interesting to see all of their different reactions. Eventually it was time to go. We bundled Connor up, packed up all of our stuff and headed out into the cold. While it was gorgeous out, the ice made for bumpy roads, which was not comfortable for me. Connor passed out as soon as we got in the car. I think he is going to like car rides.
I think that is all I am going to write for now. I will try to get back on and write about his first week in the next couple of days. I will add some photos at that point as well.
- J
At this point, I started going in for appointments twice a week so that they could monitor my progress, my blood pressure and Connor. I don't think anyone expected me to stay pregnant for very long. Connor had a different opinion though. He was all snuggled in and not ready to go anywhere. That didn't prevent me from having frequent and regular contractions though. After a couple of weeks of this, my OB decided that it was time to go ahead and have a C section. We scheduled the surgery for 1/13/12, six days before my due date and one day before our anniversary.
Surgery day arrived and I spent the morning trying to get everything ready. Mom and Sig came down so that they could be there for Connor's birth. At 2:00 we checked in at the hospital and only had to wait a few minutes before they took me back to prep for surgery. I got hooked up to all of the IVs, got my blood draw, took my pre-surgery meds and answered all of the healthy history questions. R got dressed in his funny surgery get up and at 4:05 pm they brought me to the OR. They gave me my spinal and started the surgery. At 4:38 pm, Connor Grey arrived, weighing 8 lbs, 1.7 ounces and 20.5 inches long. He actually tried to cry before he was even born. I heard the OB say "You can't cry yet. You're not even born yet." It was the most beautiful sound in the world when he did finally cry. R went with him to the warmer while they got him dried and checked him out. He also gave him his first bottle right there in the OR. I spent the whole time watching them while my OB finished my surgery. Finally, R was able to bring him over to me and I was able to see my son for the very first time. I couldn't hold him but I was able to stroke his cheek.
When the surgery was over, they finally placed Connor in my arms for the ride back to recovery. I won't ever be able to explain how incredible that felt. Our baby boy has got a set of lungs on him. He screamed all the way from the OR to recovery and his grandmas were able to hear him coming. I got to hold him skin to skin for the first little bit. After an hour the grandmas were allowed to come in and he was given his first shots (vitamin K and Hep B), and got his footprints taken. Then we were moved to our postpartum room and settled in. I didn't sleep at all that first night. I was too enthralled just watching his sweet little face and listening to his cute little noises. I'm so incredibly in love with him.
We ended up spending 2 days in the hospital. On Saturday, my aunt Lily, our friends Matt and Jessica, and his big sister Alex and his Farmor came to visit us. Of course everyone absolutely adored him. He barely fussed at all and was happy just being cuddled. I got up out of bed and walked the floor several times. I was attempting to get my insides moving again so that I could have a Jimmy John's sub, which I had been craving for my entire pregnancy. I was hoping to have it as a celebratory anniversary dinner with R. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get things going in time and we had to have our subs the next day. Either way, having Connor the day before was absolutely the best anniversary gift I ever could have asked for. We also had some screenings done for Connor. He passed his hearing screening with one of his ears, but not the other. They said that is pretty normal, particularly for C section babies as they often still have some fluid in theirs ears. We also found out that he was mildly jaundiced. Both tests would be repeated the next day.
On Sunday, the OB came and checked on me. She said that I was doing so well (having pass gas the night before) that I could be discharged. She said that if Connor's jaundice was bad enough to require photo therapy, we would be admitted to the peds ward. They came and redid Connor's hearing test, which he passed and then checked his bilirubin levels (for the jaundice) again. The pediatrician came by and said that while his levels were increased they were still not high enough to need photo therapy. We called Sig and let her know that we would be headed home that afternoon. While we were waiting, it started snowing heavily. It was so beautiful to watch from the hospital. Later that afternoon most of the band came by to meet Connor. It was interesting to see all of their different reactions. Eventually it was time to go. We bundled Connor up, packed up all of our stuff and headed out into the cold. While it was gorgeous out, the ice made for bumpy roads, which was not comfortable for me. Connor passed out as soon as we got in the car. I think he is going to like car rides.
I think that is all I am going to write for now. I will try to get back on and write about his first week in the next couple of days. I will add some photos at that point as well.
- J
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Wow, it's been a long time!
I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated. There has been a lot going on, and yet not much all at the same time.
On December 3rd, at a little over 33 weeks, I started getting regular contractions every 10-15 minutes. Of course, this had to happen on the night that R had a show. Luckily, our friend M was hanging out with me and took me into labor and delivery and hung out with me. Sure enough, I was having contractions and at one point they got to every 3-4 minutes. The Dr examined me and while I was 1 cm dilated, my cervix was still long and Connor was still really high, which is exactly what it had been the day before at my last appointment. They put me on a drug called Procardia, which is a blood pressure med that works really well at stopping contractions. Between that, laying down and fluids we got the contractions slowed enough that they felt comfortable letting me go home. I was under strict instructions to stay on bed rest until 36 weeks and was told that I am only allowed to get up to use the rest room and to take a quick shower each day. Through all of this, Connor looked fantastic on the monitors. M took me back home and hung out with me for a few hours before heading home.
About 2:00 am, I was laying in bed and started having a really difficult time getting a full breath. I also had a splitting headache, but I had been warned that this could be a side-effect of the meds that they put me on. I called the on call Dr and was told to come in and go to the ER. So as soon as R got home, we went back to the hospital. When we got there, my blood pressure was high and my pulse was racing (125 bpm and up). While they were monitoring me and deciding which tests to run, the contractions started back up again, so two of the nurses from labor and delivery came down to monitor me as well. While they were monitoring me, Connor did have some variable hear rate decelerations, which seemed to clear up as soon as they got me on fluids. They were talking about doing a chest CT to look for blood clots, but I was really not excited about the idea of that much radiation so close to Connor, so they ran a blood test instead and since it came back normal I was able to avoid the CT scan. They also ran an EKG, which came back totally fine. They never really figured out what was going on with my racing pulse, but it started to get better with fluids. We did discover that the longer acting version of the meds they put me on had dairy in them, so one theory is that it was partially an allergic reaction to the meds.
Once they were done with me in the ER, they moved me up to labor and delivery for more monitoring. At this point it was 7:00 am and we were both totally exhausted. I was still having contractions, so they kept giving me the shorter acting meds and kept me hydrated. Connor was still doing great aside from that small incident with his heart rate while we were in the ER. Eventually we got them slowed enough that they felt comfortable sending me home. R picked up my meds and we stopped to get some burgers to go on our way home as it was 3:00 or 4:00 pm and we hadn't eaten all day.
So, I have been on bed rest ever since. I only have until this Thursday and then I am allowed to move around again. I am so looking forward to it. I am not good at bed rest. I am still having contractions, and the meds don't seem to be working all that well anymore, but there is nothing else the Drs will do at this point. I have been getting really uncomfortable and I think that he has dropped, because my hips, back and pelvis are killing me. I'm hoping that there is some progress at my next appointment on Friday.
I can't believe we could be meeting our son any day now!!
On December 3rd, at a little over 33 weeks, I started getting regular contractions every 10-15 minutes. Of course, this had to happen on the night that R had a show. Luckily, our friend M was hanging out with me and took me into labor and delivery and hung out with me. Sure enough, I was having contractions and at one point they got to every 3-4 minutes. The Dr examined me and while I was 1 cm dilated, my cervix was still long and Connor was still really high, which is exactly what it had been the day before at my last appointment. They put me on a drug called Procardia, which is a blood pressure med that works really well at stopping contractions. Between that, laying down and fluids we got the contractions slowed enough that they felt comfortable letting me go home. I was under strict instructions to stay on bed rest until 36 weeks and was told that I am only allowed to get up to use the rest room and to take a quick shower each day. Through all of this, Connor looked fantastic on the monitors. M took me back home and hung out with me for a few hours before heading home.
About 2:00 am, I was laying in bed and started having a really difficult time getting a full breath. I also had a splitting headache, but I had been warned that this could be a side-effect of the meds that they put me on. I called the on call Dr and was told to come in and go to the ER. So as soon as R got home, we went back to the hospital. When we got there, my blood pressure was high and my pulse was racing (125 bpm and up). While they were monitoring me and deciding which tests to run, the contractions started back up again, so two of the nurses from labor and delivery came down to monitor me as well. While they were monitoring me, Connor did have some variable hear rate decelerations, which seemed to clear up as soon as they got me on fluids. They were talking about doing a chest CT to look for blood clots, but I was really not excited about the idea of that much radiation so close to Connor, so they ran a blood test instead and since it came back normal I was able to avoid the CT scan. They also ran an EKG, which came back totally fine. They never really figured out what was going on with my racing pulse, but it started to get better with fluids. We did discover that the longer acting version of the meds they put me on had dairy in them, so one theory is that it was partially an allergic reaction to the meds.
Once they were done with me in the ER, they moved me up to labor and delivery for more monitoring. At this point it was 7:00 am and we were both totally exhausted. I was still having contractions, so they kept giving me the shorter acting meds and kept me hydrated. Connor was still doing great aside from that small incident with his heart rate while we were in the ER. Eventually we got them slowed enough that they felt comfortable sending me home. R picked up my meds and we stopped to get some burgers to go on our way home as it was 3:00 or 4:00 pm and we hadn't eaten all day.
So, I have been on bed rest ever since. I only have until this Thursday and then I am allowed to move around again. I am so looking forward to it. I am not good at bed rest. I am still having contractions, and the meds don't seem to be working all that well anymore, but there is nothing else the Drs will do at this point. I have been getting really uncomfortable and I think that he has dropped, because my hips, back and pelvis are killing me. I'm hoping that there is some progress at my next appointment on Friday.
I can't believe we could be meeting our son any day now!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Catch up...
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. I've been really busy lately between Dr's appointments, trying to wrap up projects at work, and our baby classes. I will try to do an actual weekly post on Thursday, but for now I will just hit the highlights of the last few weeks.
Two weeks ago, the day after our second shower, we were headed home from running some errands and were almost in a potentially serious accident. An older guy, who had no business having a license, tried to merge into us without signaling or checking to see if there were any other cars around. Had he succeeded, we would have been sandwiched between him and a concrete barrier, and probably rear-ended by the car behind us. Luckily R was able to slam on the brakes to avoid the accident. However, the seat belt tightened on my belly and my OB decided we should come in for a check, just in case. It's a good thing we did, because I was apparently having contractions, although I couldn't feel them. At one point they were coming every 4 minutes. They weren't productive contractions, but the OB wanted me observed over night, so we spent the night in labor and delivery. It was actually one of the more comfortable hospital stays I have had. They were able to get my contractions slowed/stopped. In the morning, I had an ultrasound to confirm that everything looked good with my cervix and there was no bleeding or anything. I passed with flying colors, and so did Connor. They measured him while doing the scan. At that point, they were estimating his weight at 5 lbs 5 oz and put him in the 100th percentile for size. His head and abdomen were measuring 5 weeks ahead. He is going to be a big boy! He was very active and did not like being on the monitor all night.
At my follow up with the OB, we discussed Connor's size and agreed that we would schedule a primary C section for his due date, but if I went into labor before that (which she implied was likely) we will play it by ear. We will see what happens. I'm 32 weeks 4 days today, which means a little over 4 weeks until he is full term, and a little over 7 weeks until his due date. My goal is to make it to full term (12/29).
Connor has been very active lately and has had the hiccups almost every day. I think that is one of my favorite feelings. We were up visiting Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving this last weekend and Mom finally got to feel him move and got to feel him with the hiccups. Since we were also celebrating Christmas (I won't be able to make the drive for actual Christmas), it was like Connor's gift to his Oma. It was so great spending time with Mom, Dad, Alex and Sig. I can't believe the next time I see Mom and Dad, I will be a Mom myself! Now we just need to finish our classes (Newborn Care, Infant CPR, and Childbirth are done - Carseat Safety and Postpartum Prep still to go), and finish getting the apartment ready.
- J
Two weeks ago, the day after our second shower, we were headed home from running some errands and were almost in a potentially serious accident. An older guy, who had no business having a license, tried to merge into us without signaling or checking to see if there were any other cars around. Had he succeeded, we would have been sandwiched between him and a concrete barrier, and probably rear-ended by the car behind us. Luckily R was able to slam on the brakes to avoid the accident. However, the seat belt tightened on my belly and my OB decided we should come in for a check, just in case. It's a good thing we did, because I was apparently having contractions, although I couldn't feel them. At one point they were coming every 4 minutes. They weren't productive contractions, but the OB wanted me observed over night, so we spent the night in labor and delivery. It was actually one of the more comfortable hospital stays I have had. They were able to get my contractions slowed/stopped. In the morning, I had an ultrasound to confirm that everything looked good with my cervix and there was no bleeding or anything. I passed with flying colors, and so did Connor. They measured him while doing the scan. At that point, they were estimating his weight at 5 lbs 5 oz and put him in the 100th percentile for size. His head and abdomen were measuring 5 weeks ahead. He is going to be a big boy! He was very active and did not like being on the monitor all night.
At my follow up with the OB, we discussed Connor's size and agreed that we would schedule a primary C section for his due date, but if I went into labor before that (which she implied was likely) we will play it by ear. We will see what happens. I'm 32 weeks 4 days today, which means a little over 4 weeks until he is full term, and a little over 7 weeks until his due date. My goal is to make it to full term (12/29).
Connor has been very active lately and has had the hiccups almost every day. I think that is one of my favorite feelings. We were up visiting Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving this last weekend and Mom finally got to feel him move and got to feel him with the hiccups. Since we were also celebrating Christmas (I won't be able to make the drive for actual Christmas), it was like Connor's gift to his Oma. It was so great spending time with Mom, Dad, Alex and Sig. I can't believe the next time I see Mom and Dad, I will be a Mom myself! Now we just need to finish our classes (Newborn Care, Infant CPR, and Childbirth are done - Carseat Safety and Postpartum Prep still to go), and finish getting the apartment ready.
- J
Thursday, November 3, 2011
29 Week Check In
Well, it looks like it's back to my old ways. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. We've been very busy the last few weeks. We've been working on the nursery and have it almost finished. We still need to clean out Connor's closet and hang some art on the walls, but aside from that, it's done. I'm still a little worried about getting it finished in time because we are booked up through the end of the year, but we will figure it out.
We also got to spend some time with Kate and Jeff before they left for their big trip. We had a very relaxing overnight trip to Whidbey Island for Jeff's birthday. We spent the evening chatting and hanging out on the beach, looking at the bio-luminescence. A few days later, we had a lovely dinner with Kate, Jeff, Sig, Penny, Callie, Ron and Linda. It was a celebration for Linda completing her cancer treatment and being able to go home, as well as a Bon Voyage dinner for Kate and Jeff. While we didn't get to see nearly enough of them, the time we spent was great.
R's been busy getting ready to go into the studio with Shedu to record their EP. The guy mastering the recording for them has worked with some big Seattle bands in the past and is working on getting them signed with one of two record companies. We'll see what happens. We are definitely not holding our breath, but it would be pretty fantastic.
We had a growth scan and an OB appointment on Halloween. Both went really well. Connor is definitely going to be a big boy. He's now in the 93rd percentile and they are estimating his current weight at 3 lbs 8 ozs. His head is measuring 4 weeks ahead and they are guessing that he will easily be over 9 lbs by birth. We discussed delivery with my OB and discussed the pro's and con's of an elective C section. I think the plan at this point is to schedule a C section for as close to my due date as possible, but if I go into labor before that we will play it by ear and see how it goes. We got some great pictures of Connor's face. He has adorable chubby cheeks already. He was playing with his feet and was "talking" to us. Here are the most recent photos:
Weekly Check In:
We also got to spend some time with Kate and Jeff before they left for their big trip. We had a very relaxing overnight trip to Whidbey Island for Jeff's birthday. We spent the evening chatting and hanging out on the beach, looking at the bio-luminescence. A few days later, we had a lovely dinner with Kate, Jeff, Sig, Penny, Callie, Ron and Linda. It was a celebration for Linda completing her cancer treatment and being able to go home, as well as a Bon Voyage dinner for Kate and Jeff. While we didn't get to see nearly enough of them, the time we spent was great.
R's been busy getting ready to go into the studio with Shedu to record their EP. The guy mastering the recording for them has worked with some big Seattle bands in the past and is working on getting them signed with one of two record companies. We'll see what happens. We are definitely not holding our breath, but it would be pretty fantastic.
We had a growth scan and an OB appointment on Halloween. Both went really well. Connor is definitely going to be a big boy. He's now in the 93rd percentile and they are estimating his current weight at 3 lbs 8 ozs. His head is measuring 4 weeks ahead and they are guessing that he will easily be over 9 lbs by birth. We discussed delivery with my OB and discussed the pro's and con's of an elective C section. I think the plan at this point is to schedule a C section for as close to my due date as possible, but if I go into labor before that we will play it by ear and see how it goes. We got some great pictures of Connor's face. He has adorable chubby cheeks already. He was playing with his feet and was "talking" to us. Here are the most recent photos:
Weekly Check In:
- How far along?: 29 weeks
- Total weight gain: I am up 15 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.
- How big is baby?: Baby is the size of an squash this month.
- Maternity clothes?: Fully in maternity clothes at this point. They are so comfortable.
- Movement: Lots of strong kicks and movement! He's quite the prankster and stops moving as soon as anyone puts their hand on my belly to feel him.
- Stretch marks?: No new ones, but the ones around my belly button are getting worse.
- Sleep?: Still having a really hard time sleeping, which seems to be leading to migraines. I'm getting pretty worried about how I am going to sleep for the next 11 weeks.
- Symptoms?: Heightened sense of smell, really vivid dreams, heartburn and movement. Also having some rib and hip pain now.
- Food cravings: Bagels and sweet foods are the foods of the week.
- Belly button in or out?: Still an innie, but my belly button is getting pretty flat.
- What I miss: Not a whole lot at this point.
- What I'm looking forward to: My second shower is coming up soon (11/12), which I am looking forward to. We are also going to start our classes soon.
- Best Moment this week: Spending time with Kate and Jeff was great, and seeing Connor was fantastic! I love getting to see my (not so) little guy.
- Milestone: Connor is starting to get fat deposits under his skin, making him look less translucent and wrinkly and giving him more energy. He's also running out of room in there!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
26 Week Update
I know that trend was too good to continue! Sorry I missed last week's update. This is going to be a long post; we had a lot happen in the last two weeks!
25 weeks:
We started the week by spending the weekend with Mom, Dad, Bruce, Christine, Tom and Joe. We had a great visit and I am so glad that R got to meet everyone. It was so nice to see them after all of that time. Connor was pretty active, but any time his Oma (Mom) tried to feel him kick he would stop. He's already playing games with her!
Tuesday I had an appointment with Dr J. Connor is doing great, but I was measuring ahead so she sent me for a growth scan. Turns out little man is not so little. He was measuring 2 weeks ahead and is already 2 lbs. That puts him in the 87th percentile! I was able to get a great profile shot of him as well. He's such a handsome little guy!
26 weeks:
Friday, we got to have dinner with Bruce, Christine, Tom and Joe. They were staying in town because their flight home was the next day. We took them to our favorite Thai restaurant and showed them our apartment. We had a great evening and it was a really nice way to end the week.
Saturday was my shower. We drove up early to help Mom out with the prep and then R dropped me off at the park and went and hung out with Corey and Jeff. We had a great turn out, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Sig, Mom, Alex, Kate and Kaimi went way above and beyond and really made it a special day. We got all kinds of great goodies for Connor. So many cute outfits! I can't wait until he can fit into them. He is going to be one well dressed kid! We also got some beautiful blankets (a couple were handmade) and some practical stuff as well. We are very blessed and Connor is one lucky little boy to have such caring friends and family.
The rest of this week has been pretty quiet. I have been working, writing thank you cards and trying to organize the nursery. This weekend we are going to do some massive work in there, so hopefully there will be a lot of progress.
Weekly Check In:
25 weeks:
We started the week by spending the weekend with Mom, Dad, Bruce, Christine, Tom and Joe. We had a great visit and I am so glad that R got to meet everyone. It was so nice to see them after all of that time. Connor was pretty active, but any time his Oma (Mom) tried to feel him kick he would stop. He's already playing games with her!
Tuesday I had an appointment with Dr J. Connor is doing great, but I was measuring ahead so she sent me for a growth scan. Turns out little man is not so little. He was measuring 2 weeks ahead and is already 2 lbs. That puts him in the 87th percentile! I was able to get a great profile shot of him as well. He's such a handsome little guy!
26 weeks:
Friday, we got to have dinner with Bruce, Christine, Tom and Joe. They were staying in town because their flight home was the next day. We took them to our favorite Thai restaurant and showed them our apartment. We had a great evening and it was a really nice way to end the week.
Saturday was my shower. We drove up early to help Mom out with the prep and then R dropped me off at the park and went and hung out with Corey and Jeff. We had a great turn out, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Sig, Mom, Alex, Kate and Kaimi went way above and beyond and really made it a special day. We got all kinds of great goodies for Connor. So many cute outfits! I can't wait until he can fit into them. He is going to be one well dressed kid! We also got some beautiful blankets (a couple were handmade) and some practical stuff as well. We are very blessed and Connor is one lucky little boy to have such caring friends and family.
The rest of this week has been pretty quiet. I have been working, writing thank you cards and trying to organize the nursery. This weekend we are going to do some massive work in there, so hopefully there will be a lot of progress.
Weekly Check In:
- How far along?: 26 weeks
- Total weight gain: I am up 9.5 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.
- How big is baby?: Baby is the size of an eggplant this month.
- Maternity clothes?: Fully in maternity clothes at this point. They are so comfortable.
- Movement: Lots of strong kicks and movement! He's been especially active the last couple of days!
- Stretch marks?: No new ones, but the ones around my belly button are getting worse.
- Sleep?: Sleep, what's that? I only seem to be able to sleep when I take a Tylenol PM, and even that's not working so well anymore.
- Symptoms?: Heightened sense of smell, really vivid dreams, heartburn and movement. Also having some rib and hip pain now.
- Food cravings: Cereal is still hitting the spot.
- Belly button in or out?: Still an innie.
- What I miss: Not a whole lot at this point.
- What I'm looking forward to: I have an OB appointment on Wednesday which I am looking forward to, and we will be working on the nursery this weekend.
- Best Moment this week: Since this is really a two week update, I am going to pick two; spending time with old friends and my shower. Both were fantastic!
- Milestone: Connor's eyelids are opening and he is taking practice breaths. He is viable now, so if he were to be born early there is a good chance he would be okay with medical intervention!
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