Two Weeks

Today is Sean's two week birthday; he is growing like a weed!
I can't believe how much he has changed in just this short amount of time! It's crazy! I can already tell he's longer and chubbier and half of his cloths don't fit him anymore!
He's starting to recognize day and night now. He gets up early (like his daddy) and is up most of the morning. He'll have a feeding around 9:00 then take a nap till the noon-ish hour and eat again. After that he'll be awake for a tiny bit, then nap right about till Nate comes home (between 3:30-4:30), eat, play with Dad some and then crash till evening. We'll eat and all watch CSI, Law & Order or Criminal Minds or something of that like, eat when the news comes on and head to bed. He get's up about twice a night now to eat; I take one shift, Nate takes one, so it's all good. (This account does not include all of the diaper changes that happen through out the day)
His 'schedule' may be a little off today. Yesterday, he was really fussy. I had some of my mom’s lasagna the night before last and she used Italian sausage instead of hamburger like she normally does. The seasoning must have gotten into my milk and upset his tummy. The only times he was comfortable yesterday afternoon was if he was held somewhat upright. He slept really well last night, though from all of the fussing.
His stub fell off this morning! It was right after a diaper change and I picked him up to pull his rubber pants over his bottom and when I put him down, his stub was gone! I was all excited (I don’t know why) and put it in a baggy to save with his other baby mementos. And, of course, I had to tell Nate right when I got back to bed. (Should I have mentioned it was a 5am diaper change?)

Right now, he's playing very nice and quiet on his blanky at my folk’s house. We're going to a 'Mommy and Me Breastfeeding' support group today and my dad is taking us. Sean and Granddad had some nice play time a little earlier while Sean was awake and all alert (he still is and is looking at the dogs toys and cooing up a storm). I’m so proud of my baby.

He and Nate and I are also going to his two week check-up this afternoon. I’m sure that he’ll pass with flying colours!

Happy Birthday, Sean! Mommy and Daddy love you!

The Joys of Motherhood

Today, Sean is five days old and we're getting use to being a mommy and daddy.
Friday, I was able to go home from hospital, but not right away. Nate had to work Friday, so my dad picked us up and we went to their place for a little bit till Nate got off. I was dead tired: I had opted to keep Sean in my room after his feeding at 1:00am (we finally got this latch thing down!) so if he was hungry or anything else I could take care of it. I though that I could sleep okay-ish, that he may cry sometime; no, I was up with every little sniffle and hick-up. So, no sleep at all.
(The funny thing was Nate brought my going home clothes and chose a black sweatshirt. Me being as tired as I was, two nights poor sleep and recovering from an operation, I was pail; that black made me look like death warmed over!)

That night, we ate, we feed Sean, changed him and all of the other good things that parents do and headed to bed. Sean has his times mixed up; he thinks that day is night and vice versa, so he was up a lot. I was also paranoid because he was having some problems with spitting up earlier and I was checking with every noise to make sure he wouldn't choke. That was the hardest night
so far.
Last night wasn't much better, he was just fussy and wanting to 'play' and be alert and act like it was day time. I think tonight may be similar, he's slept a lot today. And, it's a little hard for me; i decided that I would take the 'night shift' so Nate could sleep because he goes to work at 7:00 in the morning. He starts to take over around 5-ish (normally he gets up at six, with no alarm clock, so it's not that big of a deal for him) and will keep Sean happy and fed and clean. Tomorrow he'll goes to work again, but my mom took this week off work to help out around the house and get Sean into some kind of grove. We're very lucky, we have a lot of help and we are grateful because not every young family does.

Today was Sean's first doctors visit. He's putting weight back on (he lost 14oz before we came home) and is pretty much healthy over all. He is a little jaundice-y but is still in the normal range, the high end; normal enough to not do anything yet, high enough to have him come back tomorrow for another heel sticking.
But I have to go for now, he's asleep and I should be, too.

HE'S HERE!!!

Sean is finally here!
Tuesday they induced labor for me, thing number one that change our plans. When we got there, the doctor broke my water to get the process started (It felt like I was peeing myself for a long time). So with the induction, I was required to stay in bed the whole time hooked up to a monitor to make sure that Sean was okay, thing two that changed, not being able to move around.
After a while of smaller contractions, they introduced some pitosin in my system to get the the labor stronger. Oh, my God, did that hurt! I was able to handle them for the most part of nine hours, but after nine hours and not a lot of progress, I desided to get the epidural, seeing that I was already stuck in bed. Change number three.
Then the biggest change was when the doctor came in after 12-ish hours and no change had happed whatsoever, I was still at 5cm and having contractions that would normally dialate me to 7-8cm. He was still able to get his fingers between the cervix and baby's head during a contraction, so Sean was sitting really high and semi-sunny-side up. That meaning instead of being face down like he was suppose to be, he was facing up, and not just facing up, facing up at an angle. So, we talked it over and Nate, Doc and I desided that a cesarian was the best option.
The Operation was cool to watch; I could see it in the reflection. The birth took about fife minutes tops, and when they lifted him over the drap to show me his lil' face... I still couldn't believe it; something so 'tiny' and innocent came out of me, that Nate and I made... Wow.
Sean came into the world at 9lbs 15oz and 21 1/4 in with dark brown hair and steel gray eyes screaming like a banchee. He's a big baby, with cute little chubber cheeks, but not chuncky really. He's also really storng and loves to snuggle.

Right now, Sean is doing fine. I'm still having a lot of discomfort and some pain from the operation, but otherwise okay; maybe a bit of baby blues, but okay. Sean is having some issues with latching on for nursing, but we're meeting with a lactision today to try and work that out.
Nate is so good with him while I'm recovering (it's hard to get around). He's been helping changing and swadling him and walking with him. He's also been helping me out to; reaching and fetching things that are painful for me to do now, helping me up out of bed and chairs and being a wonderful rock of emotional support. I couldn't have gone through this without him.
But brakefast is here, so I better go, I'll be home tomorrow.

YEA!!!!

Just got back form the doctor (today is my due date) and they are going to induce me Tuesday if he hasn't decided to come before then.
Yea!! I get to hold my my baby soon!

A glimp of the past

I know that right now I should be ranting and raving about the election results, but I just can't. My mom gave me the most wonderful gift last night: the diary my birth-mother kept while she was pregnant with me.
It was the most amazing thing to read. It started on February 17th, 1985, the day she found out she was pregnant, and she was so excited. As I kept reading, the love for me and the struggle of the decision she made were clearly made; she did not casually decide that she was going to place me for adoption. On the first page she said that she always wanted a child.
In my reading, some of the similarity were kind of shocking: her and my favorite season is fall, We both love to swim, we both sing and play guitar, both love to read, and both feel the fulfillment of helping those in need (she was a nurse, and I have had some training to be one). I think the eeriest thing I read was, she played Sarah McLaughlin to me when she was pregnant and Sarah McLaughlin is my favorite singer.
I felt so bad for the woman when I read that I was two weeks late! Now that I'm at the end of my pregnancy, I know just how miserable she must have been! Sorry Mother!
It was the most beautiful, wonderful gift that I could ever receive or that she could ever give to my family and myself. She really did love me, and to love someone that much to let them go... that has to be the hardest thing in the world.
My mother is my hero.

Close, but not close enough

Well, I'm technically in early labor. At the birthing class, we were taught to go to the hospital when the contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for at least one hour. I'm having 1 minute contraction about 3;3.5 minutes apart... for the last three days.
There the right time apart, but they aren't strong enough to do much cervical change. We went to the hospital Sunday morning and they said that they could have kept me, but I would be more comfortable at home.
My grammy (a retired doctor) has been checking me out pretty much once a day and I'm at a good 3cm, but it's just progressing really slow.
I'm pretty tired of this at this moment. It's hard to get around and do the things I need or would like to do. walking is good to get things rolling, but it hasn't work for me yet. Nate and I will power waddle the mall once or twice and they start to hurt, gut then I'm too tired to keep walking (it's hard caring 20-30 pounds in just your belly!). After we get home, I try to take a warm shower to increase oxytocin, but that hasn't worked too well yet.
Apparently, when I am in "true labor", I won't be able to handle the contractions, they say. The problem, I'm pretty good with pain. I survived dislocating my knee six times before having the corrective surgery and a year with an inflamed gallbladder and stones before having it out, both without post-op pain medication (stupid pharmacist tried to give me vicodin, which can kill me). So if I do go into "true labor", I'm not sure that I'll be able to tell because of the high pain tolerents.
I was barely able to walk the dogs today with all of the pelvic pressure, I can't stay at home by myself because of a doting husband and overprotective mother to finish the
"nesting process", there's nothing anyone can do to make me comfortable, and it's still technically too early for the doctors to move this along! I mean, I'm due tomorrow and they won't do anything still! And to top it off, today's 7th Heaven was the one when Lucy went into labor! Just rub it in my face, why don't you universe?
I just want to be done!