August 30, 2011

August is almost at a close. I can't believe it has passed so quickly! I am the most blessed woman on earth. William is awesome. He has been sleeping well. Night before last he fell asleep about 12:15 after taking a bottle that I had pumped earlier that day. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Suddenly my car alarm went off in the garage. Francis jumped up to see what was going on. I looked at the clock. It was 5am! William had slept 5 hours, exactly how long the doctor said I could let him sleep before I had to feed him. There was nothing going on with my car. Francis and I figure God was waking me up so I could feed my baby. But the sleep was amazing! The system we have figured out has been working well so far. I will feed him around 9 or so and then watch TV while Francis sleeps. Then around 11 to midnight (when he's hungry) I change his diaper, and I give him a bottle that I have pumped. That way he can drink as much as he wants, and I know he is very full. He generally sacks out for at least 3 or more hours before I need to feed him again. I have been able to get in at least 2- three plus hour stretches of sleep each night and a short nap in the afternoon. It isn't as much sleep as I have gotten in the past, but I know it could be way worse.

William is also not a fussy baby. When he cries I know it is because he is hungry, needs to burp, or because he is about to need a diaper change (if you catch my drift). He is so curious. He looks around and studies anything in his gaze intently. He is learning to use all his muscles. He is getting good control of his head. We work on tummy time. It is not his favorite thing, but he tolerates it well. He will take a pacifier, but he doesn't have to have it.

Hmmm, what else? OH! Sunday night (after William made it through Bible Study and Service like a champ!), William was working out his legs. So, I held him up on the floor and he started walking! I held him up and he walked across the living room and back. I know newborns have that reflex built into them by God, but it is an amazing thing to see. He held up most of his body; he only really needed me for support. How cool is that?!

I guess you could say that things are going well. William's Great Aunt Camille and her two cousins came to visit him on Saturday. They concur that he is adorable. It is very satisfying to have others coo over your little one. It somehow justifies your own adoration.

Well that is it for this love fest. Thanks for tuning in!

UPDATE: After I wrote this, I went to change William's diaper and lo and behold: his umbilical cord stem has just fallen off!! My little boy is growing up so fast!!!

August 24th, 2011

Week two is nearly past, and I still feel like it is all a dream. My awesome mother leaves tomorrow, and I think that her walking out my front door will make it all more real. She has been taking the night shift. She has been bringing him in to feed and then taking him back to the nursery. I cannot tell you how much this has meant to me. My recovery has been slow but steady, and I think that without her, I would not be healing quite so well. I also have had no "baby blues", which may not have been the case without her help. Thank you mom. Thank you so much.

She is not the only one I need to thank. My in-laws came this past weekend to help while my mother was in Abilene helping my sister Danielle move into her first apartment at college. Besides getting William a new wardrobe, they were willing and eager to step in and help keep us going. Thank you both for filling the gap! Also, our Bible Study class has been bringing us meals three times a week (and will continue to do so until William is one month old). It has been wonderful not to worry about cooking. Thank you to all of you for your kindness. God has truly blessed us by putting such wonderful and Godly people in out lives. My heart is overflowing.

So how is being a mom? There are not enough positive adjectives in the English language to describe it. William is in the swing sleeping right now, and I cannot help but smile and cry just looking at him. He is worth all the 9 months of waiting and he isn't even two weeks old yet. I can't wait to see what the future holds!

William had a doctor's appointment today and good news: William is back up to his birth weight!!! He is in the 50th percentile for both length and weight but in the 95th percentile for head size. It's holding all those wonderful big brains, I suspect. The doctor agreed and she is an expert, hehe. He is just perfect. My little William. I can't believe it!

August 17, 2011

 Well, the big day was a long time coming. It was exhausting, trying and I could not have done it alone. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. This little miracle was totally worth it.

It all began last Tuesday. I went into the doctor's office and told her how I was doing. She checked out William on a sonogram and then looked at my vitals. She looked very serious. "We need to check your blood pressure again". It was very high. The second test confirmed the first. They gave me five minutes to rest and tested again. The third time my pressure was 160/95, not an acceptable level. "We are going to need to induce today. We are a little concerned about preeclampsia. Go home, get your stuff and we will notify the hospital." I went into a bit of a panic, but had the clarity of mind to call my mother and Francis. My mom and Christian headed in from Plano and Francis left work. He took a little bit of time to get home, and when he did his eyes were as big as the moon. It made me smile a bit to see him rush around. I was a bit calmer, probably because I knew I needed to keep my blood pressure down. I ate lunch (Francis for some reason had not appetite) and we left for Seton Medical Center Williamson. We checked in and after an extended process of answering every question known to man, the nurse got me started on Cervidil to “ripen the banana” as the nurse said. When they hooked me up to the machine, I was already having contractions. I had been feeling things the night before, but didn’t know that they were contractions. The Cervidil had to be in for 12 hours before starting on the pitocin. I was in for a long night.

The next few hours were manageable. My sisters and parents were there to keep me entertained and the contractions did not pain me significantly. The only snag was the hospital bed. The bend in the bed was hard when it laid flat. My hip could not get comfortable ergo I could not sleep. They tried everything, but sleep was elusive. Francis was able to sleep on the queen size pull out bed in the room. It was comforting to know he was rested. At 3 am, they took me off the Cervadil and all the machines so that I could shower and freshen up. It was nice to be clean before the big work began. My mother (who is a saint, by the way) came back up the hospital to support me so Francis could continue resting. She stayed by my side through the entire day and the day following. After my hour off, they started on me the pitocin. I made slow progress throughout the day. Francis’s parents arrived early that morning, which made the waiting room party complete. They were surprised to see my contractions didn’t hurt, but glad to see I was doing well. When Dr. Brown came to visit at lunch, she told me I was at 2 ½ cm: not the best news. She did tell me I could have lunch though, and that certainly helped my mood. 5 more hours passed and I only made one cm of progress. I was exhausted and sleep deprived. My doctor gave me two options: I could either take an hour break, get some dinner and take a walk or I could break my water right away. I chose door number one. I had food and took a restful walk. They then put me back on the pitocin and Dr. Brown broke my water. I must admit this phenomenon was a bit of a shock. Not to be too detailed, but it felt a bit like someone sticking a needle into an underinflated balloon and then yanking it out. Not pleasant, but oh my goodness did it jump start my labor. Contractions got much more intense and before long they put me on pain medication.

A few hours into the evening of day 2 (Wednesday), I requested an epidural. A natural birth was never in the plan and I was beginning to realize just how tired I was. They inserted the needle and after a while, things started to feel better. I even got a couple of hours of rest. About 4 am on Thursday, the nurse made the call that it was time to push. I started to think I was in the clear. I was going to make it. After the first hour of pushing, the nurse changed out my bag for a new bag of epidural. This is where the problems started. I began to feel a hot spot in my leg, and each time I pushed, my ribs on my left side felt like they were breaking. Deep into hour two of pushing, I could feel much of what was going on in my stomach and boy did it hurt (we found out later that the heat from the loading dock might have deactivated the chemicals in the bag). Dr. Brown came in at the beginning of hour three of pushing because she thought we were close. Boy was she wrong! Two more hours of pushing and feeling everything and Dr. Brown told me that she thought I would have to do a C section if he didn’t come in the next 20 minutes. I became frightened and relieved at the same time. I looked at Francis and my mom. They had been standing this whole time. “I can’t do this anymore,” I told them. “I am out of energy.” Francis nodded and squeezed my hand. The following ten minutes are a bit of a blur. I gave it all I had and more, praying with each push that it would be the last. Just as I thought I would pass out, I felt and heard a pop. A light blue body appeared in my line of vision. “You did it,” my mom said softly with tears in her eyes. I couldn’t believe it. I had brought my beautiful baby boy into this world! (I found out later that they were prepping the room for my C section when I delivered. Talk about a close call!)

They placed William on my chest after they cut the umbilical cord. Francis was crying with the look on his face that I have only seen once before: on our wedding day. I was too exhausted to cry, but I tenderly touched my little man and introduced myself. They took him to the side of the room to clean him up, weigh and measure him. He was 8 pounds even and 21 inches. He was born at 8:21 on Thursday August 11, 2011. Over the course of the morning, my sisters, my parents and Francis’s parents all held my beautiful baby boy in turn. It was one of the proudest times of my life.

Finally we were moved to a mother/baby room. I worked on nursing and learned how to take care of myself. Francis supported me every step of the way. We received tons of flowers from family as well as Francis’s work. Everything seemed to be going great. Even the heart murmur which they had heard originally in William had cleared up (as expected) by that afternoon. Francis’s sister and brother in law came to visit that evening from Houston. The families were complete. William had met everyone but his cousin Abby. I am sure they will meet soon.

By mid morning Friday, everyone except my mom had headed home. William received his circumcision that afternoon and with that procedure William’s difficulty eating became worse. I had met with a lactation consultant twice and many nurses, but William’s pain overrode his need for food. My Grandmother (Mom Noble) and my Aunt Camille came to visit that evening and got to see sweet William. It was a special time. After their departure, the nurse did the Bilirubin test. The results were not favorable. William might have jaundice. Throughout that night I got up and attempted to feed William regularly. I prayed over each and every part of him and dedicated it to Our Heavenly Father. Only He knew what would happen and without Him, I could do nothing. The midnight test came back with an equally negative result. In the early hours of the morning, William was put under a warmer and phototherapy began. All say Saturday, he was only allowed out of his bassinet to feed. He hated not being able to see and the sensors on his body irritated him. It was hard to hear him cry, but I knew he needed the treatment. Francis could tolerate his crying even less than me. He is already a caring and awesome dad. We spent a lot of time praying and crying that day and not just from exhaustion. The only thing that kept me from completely losing it was the fact I could sleep on the pull out couch bed in our room instead of the horrible hospital bed (which was a bit possessed as it was constantly adjusting to make you “more comfortable”). Rest was infrequent, but not completely absent. The doctor came in and “discharged” me so that my insurance would not be charged for another day, but I was allowed to stay in my room with William and receive help getting my milk to get in. The best way to help heal Jaundice is to get William to go to the restroom and flush out the Bilirubin. I ended up having to use an SNS to supplement my milk until it came in.   

 Saturday night/Sunday morning, they did another Bilirubin test and the results were more promising. He was at 13.2 (which was holding steady from the test before). They took William of the Phototherapy machine. A few hours later, the Bilirubin count was down to 12.1. William was going to be discharged!!!!! I was so happy I could bust. On top of that, I was finally getting the hang of breast feeding with the SNS. God is awesome. After the pediatrician saw William, we were good to go. The nurses all said goodbye to us. Having been there nearly a week, I think they had grown rather fond of us.

Since we have been home, my mother (the saint, remember?) has been taking the night shift to help me get at least a little rest. I only have to wake up to nurse. She handles the rest. We have been to our new pediatrician. I LOVE her and am so glad that I found her. We have also had our first portraits. William is like his daddy: he doesn’t like pictures. Francis has headed back to work and best of all, my milk has finally come in. William has maintained his weight and is now beginning to gain. I look forward to seeing what his weight is at his next appointment next week.

William is an angel. He is so curious and learning all the time. He is so strong that he has already flipped himself from back to front. I won’t be able to ever leave this guy unattended. He is laying on me right now and I can’t help but think about how blessed I am. I have so much to learn about him and yet I already love him so much. I thank God for him daily and look forward to the awesome man he will become. I can't believe he is already one week old!

Welcome to the world, William!

August 8, 2011

I had a great weekend. Francis booked a hotel up in Cedar Park. It was a brand new hotel and our room was HUGE! He did good. After dropping off the dogs on Friday, Francis picked me up after lunch and we headed up to Cedar Park. After settling into the hotel, I got dressed up and we went to dinner at Main Street Grill in Round Rock. We had our anniversary dinner there last year before Francis left for South Korea and it was a very special time. Francis really listened when I said I would really like to go back. We went back to the hotel after grabbing some dessert and then changed into our swim suits. We went swimming in the indoor hotel pool. It may not sound like much, but we have both been wanting to go swimming all summer. It was a special treat to be able to do it indoors. I haven't been swimming since I got pregnant, and it felt super weird. Not only was my center of gravity off, but when my stomach was under water, William would somehow manage to disappear (my stomach would be soft). Francis was particularly entertained but the fact that if he sent a good size wave in my direction, I was unable to stop myself from spinning. I've never been buoyant before in my life ( I usually just sink to the bottom unless I tread water) so feeling like a buoy was new for me. Very fun. Oh! We also got to exchange gifts. I got Francis the first season of the Big Bang Theory series. There's a story behind me getting it, but all I will say is, "That's the way we roll in the shire." It made him smile. Francis got me a vacuum for the upstairs in our house. I asked for it specifically. I'm so glad he listens!!! The vacuum I have works perfectly well, but I have a great amount of trouble getting it up and down the stairs. Now I won't have to! I have an awesome husband!

Saturday we got up and had breakfast in the room. Then Francis surprised me by taking me on a train ride through the hill country from Cedar Park to Burnet and back. It was about a 3 hour ride. We got upgraded for free to 1st class, and I am so glad because it meant we had a ton of room to move around. The workers and volunteers on board worked very hard to keep us entertained, and they succeeded. We were able to get off and see the depot station in Burnet. Very exciting. We got back in the afternoon and had a light lunch. Francis then took me to a place I have been curious about: the local dollar theater. We went and saw Pirates 4 (I had wanted to see it previously). It is actually a nice little theater and I think we will go there again. After the movie, the late afternoon/early evening heat finally got to me. We headed home and picked up the dogs. We decided to order pizza from a local pizzeria. Oh my goodness! It was some of the best pizza I've ever had. It was a perfect end to a wonderful trip. The best part was that Francis planned it all and I didn't have to lift a finger. That is the best gift he could have given me: showing me how much he cares by listening to what I like and planning accordingly.

Perhaps one of the most interesting developments of this weekend was that after I got off the train, I realized William had dropped. My stomach is a different shape. I went from sticking straight out to having more of a tear drop shape. I can breath again and my bladder is, well, compressed. Does that mean William will be coming in the next couple of days? Probably not, but at least it is progress. I guess I will see what else is going on more tomorrow at my next appointment. Until then, more waiting!

August 3, 2011

So yesterday was a big day. It was my third anniversary with my wonderful husband Francis. He is an amazing man and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

First thing yesterday I went for my weekly appointment. I am 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. His head hasn't moved stations. The good news is I am ahead of my momma; she never dilated with any of her pregnancies without induction. It probably still means I will have to induce after his due date, but my doctor and I will revisit the issue next week. Dr. Brown said not to worry about the joint pain; it is fluid that has built up in my joints and it will go away as soon as William comes. He's totally worth it, but pretty soon I will be less than worthless if the pain gets any worse. Oh! My Group B Strep test was negative! That is one less thing to worry about.

Anyway, back to the whole anniversary thing. I got all dressed up and Francis came home after 6 to pick me up. He rang the doorbell (which scared the living daylights out of me) and told me my chariot awaits (which was wonderfully cheesy and sweet). We went to Carino's and had a lovely quiet dinner. Then we came back to the house and I pulled out something he hadn't seen since the day before we got married: his wedding present to me. It is a compilation of all of the letters and cards I wrote him throughout our dating relationship. He put it in a bound book and gave it to me after our rehearsal dinner. It is still one of the sweetest things he has ever done. Well, we looked through the book to see how our lives had changed and see what was going on when. It was actually very fascinating and spurred some great conversation. I then presented him with a letter I wrote him in honor of our third anniversary. It told him what I think of him now. It is funny how the things you think about your spouse change over time and yet stay the same. We looked through our wedding album and recalled all sorts of things I thought we had forgotten. We attempted to watch our wedding video, but it wouldn't work on the DVD player. Luckily, we could see it on the computer, so we went ahead and saved a copy on there just in case. Overall it was a sweet night. Why didn't we exchange gifts or cards? We are doing that this weekend. Francis is taking me away for the weekend to a surprise location. He has planned out the whole weekend and even booked a hotel and boarded the dogs. He is taking off half of Friday to come get me and get things started. Don't worry, he told me we will stay as close to the hospital as we are at our house (which is actually a pretty wide radius!). I don't think it will be an issue though. William is way too comfortable to make an appearance any time soon. So we will enjoy one last weekend as just the two of us. I am really looking forward to it!

Today I went to a play-date at Haley's house, and Jami gave me a bunch of baby stuff!!! I am super excited. She saved me a ton of money and finally feel like the last piece of the puzzle is in place. Thanks Jami!!!

Ok, as the temperature outside is reaching record levels once again, I feel like this is a good time for a nap. Until next time!

August 1st, 2011

We have reached the month of William's birth. I can say that with relative certainty because even if he is 18 days late (not that the doctor would let me go that long), he would still be born in the month of August. The end and beginning are near.

I feel both productive and useless this past week and a half. I will explain. Weekend before last, Francis and I spent a number of hours doing the one year maintenance/check up on our house. We looked at things like are the gutters and weep-holes clean and did things like drain the water heater and put the cap-full of bleach in the air conditioner. Nothing by itself took too long, but together the list took a couple of days. We had Russ and Becky over for dinner that Saturday. They are fun people. During the rest of the week, I got Bella up to date on her shots by paying an extended visit to the vet (thanks to two emergencies that came in just before we did), and I got Francis's car fluids flushed at the car shop since they were about 20,000 miles overdue. It is one thing for Francis to put himself in danger by not keeping up with his car's needs, but I want William to have the safest place to ride possible.  So I waited three hours in the moderately warn waiting room, but it was worth it. Tuesday evening I took meals to two different families who needed it, one of which had just had a baby. As I will be receiving meals very soon, I want to help others the way I will be helped.

I cleaned the house on Wednesday after going out to lunch with some friends. When I lived in College Station, the small amount of space we had made it easy to clean on a whim. Now it takes some determination (and a ton of breaks) to get it done. My energy for walking is still not limited, but when it comes to stairs or bending up and down, I get winded quickly. It is like William thinks my lungs are kick balls, and when they get in range, he shoots and scores...to mommy's dismay and wheezing. But I love him anyway. Thursday, my mother and sisters came into town. We got to go get pedicures. It was nice to sit and have someone rub my feet. They aren't swollen, but my arches are so high, that they nearly always hurt. They stayed the night and on Friday, we went shopping for their birthday presents from me. Christian's birthday was last Wednesday (the 27th). Happy Birthday Christian!!! Christian got a slicer/deicer and Danielle got a beautiful and comfy bath mat for her new apartment. We got more stuff for each of them throughout the day, and I even got a couple of nursing camisoles that I will be very excited to use within the next couple of weeks. I loved having them here!

Saturday Francis washed and waxed my car while I fed Quarters into the machine. It hasn't been washed in ages, so it was certainly due. If nothing else, it will look good for our going home from the hospital pictures with William.

So that is why I feel productive. But why do I feel useless? Over the past couple of weeks, my joints have begun to hurt. It was a little at first, but it has gotten worse. The worst part is my fingers and my knees. My knees make it so that I cannot really walk up stairs, but my fingers...well, you can use your imagination. I can't open jars, or grab semi-heavy objects (like a gallon of milk), or even lift myself out of bed with out wincing and or crying out. I am going to talk to my doctor about it tomorrow, but from my research it seems pretty common among pregnant women toward the end of pregnancy. As long as I keep my fingers relatively straight, they don't hurt, so I have been avoiding bending them unless necessary. I have been getting very frustrated because of all I cannot do, but Francis had been a trooper. He is the best husband in the world. He knows how much pain I am in and has been doing everything I need. When I thank him, he just thanks me right back for enduring the pain for the sake of our son. He is such a blessing!

Tomorrow is my three year wedding anniversary. Will William be an anniversary baby? Probably not, but I will find out my progress at my appointment tomorrow. I would like to make it through this coming weekend, because Francis has planned a romantic surprise and I want to know what it is.

12 days until due date. Yay!