Oh my...Mommy's in Trouble!

7 Months & 4 weeks old

I was in the kitchen making myself some soup while Andrew was playing with his new toy. I glance over to him, and I find him STANDING! He was able to get up on his feet all by himself!! Here is picture proof :) He sure didn't crawl for very long...

Drew's First Christmas

This christmas was more special than usual because we were able to experience it with our sweet son for the first time! We started off the festivities Christmas eve at my Aunt Jill's house. Andrew was exhausted so I laid him down for a nap while we ate dinner. By the time we were all done with dinner and dessert, it was time for presents and Drew happened to wake up! He was more interested in the wrapping paper of course than the actual present :) When we got home from Aunt Jill's, we did Christmas with Nanni and had our family Christmas (minus Drew's presents, he had to wait until Christmas morning). Christmas morning quickly came and Drew woke up around 7am. Grandpa Frank wanted to come see Andrew open his presents too :) After presents were opened and wrapping paper was eaten, it was off to Grandma & Grandpa D's (Ken & Diana's)! We were blessed this year because Auntie Danielle and her boyfriend Dustin were able to come home from Kentucky for Christmas. After MORE presents were opened there, it was off to Great Grandma & Grandpa Hills house for dinner and even more presents! It was very nice to see everyone and dinner was delcious as usual! I tried to get Andrew to take a nap during dinner, but there was far too much too see...so basically, fat chance that was happening. After the Hills' we actually went home for an hour to take a nap because mommy, daddy & Drew were so exhausted! after our nap, it was off to Grandpa Franks for our final Christmas! Needless to say that after our 6 Christmas' we were all very very tired!

DREW CRAWLES...and just like that, my freedom is over

7 Months and 3 weeks

Yesterday morning, Brad and I were playing with Drew on the floor of our bedroom and to our amazement, he got up on all fours and started crawling over to me!! He's been practicing for the past couple weeks on trying to crawl and yesterday he finally did it and got somewhere! I am so very excited for him and his newest accomplishment...but I can't help but be afraid for all the stuff and dogs he's going to attack :)

Drew's First Bought of the Stomach Flu :(

We gave Andrew his last bottle of the night and tucked him into bed. About 30 minutes later Andrew started to cry so I picked him up. One giant burp later, he spewed every last bit of his bottle...all 6 ounces all over me! No big deal, just a gas bubble right? WRONG! The spew kept coming and coming! I was up with Andrew literally all night as he projectiled on me (and everything within an earshot) over 7 times. In other words, I had to change my and Andrew's clothes over 7 times...oh it was AWFUL! The poor guy would fall asleep and then 20 minutes later would wake up screaming and then puke. The morning finally came but the puke shower I was experiencing never ended! I couldn't get any formula or solid food to stay in there so I started to panic...especially when he didn't have a wet diaper since the night prior. I called the Kaiser advice line and they told me to bring him in asap as they were concerned with the lack of wet diapers. The first thing they did was weigh him. To my horror, I learned that he only weighed 14 pounds 6 ounces...he dropped over a pound in one day! The doctor said that was pretty common when a child vomits for so long. She recommended that we take a trip to the treatment room and try to get him re-hydrated. They started him off with 5 ounces of flavorless Pedilite mixed with sugar free crystal light lemonade powder to taste (it's important to only use sugar free because sugar messes with the electrolytes). I was instructed to give him 5ml of the solution every 5 minutes until he went to bed (that's barely 2 ounces every hour)! I was also told to stop giving him formula until he goes a while without vomiting and then slowly re-introduce it in 2 ounce increments (formula and milk products just fester in an already sour stomach and induces vomiting). We were loaded with a bunch of syringes and sent home. We gave him the Pedilite mixture for almost 3 hours (every 5 minutes remember) until he finally fell asleep around 7:30p. I plan on doing the Pedilite treatment through the morning and then slowly introducing bland foods back into his diet. Poor little guy...always seems to be something going on with him! Hopefully we can all get some better sleep tonight!!

Can It Be? 7 Months Already?

Today marks the 7th month of Andrew's life! He is able to hold a bottle and feed himself...although he doesn't due to sheer laziness, he is able to get up on all fours and rock back and forth (he is so very close to crawling!), he can sit up on his bottom like a big boy, he thinks he's tuff stuff when he is able to ride in a shopping cart and sit in a restaurant high chair, and he laughs uncontrollably when I hold him and a dog at the same time! He's a very funny little boy and finds humor in everything! He plays this game with daddy where they both lay on the couch and pull a string from the blanket that's sitting on the back of the couch. They pull the string until it snaps from out of Drew's chubby little fingers and they both crack up...it's pretty cute!

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving and the Ciari's (my god parents) came over to my dads and with them, they brought their off road quads. It was too cold and late for Andrew to ride them on Thursday but he was able to ride them with daddy on Friday. I wasn't there because I was on the annual trip to San Francisco with my mom, my cousins and my aunts. Let me tell you...I MISSED him so very much! We left Friday morning and didn't come home until Saturday at 5:30p. It was good for Brad to spend that time with Andrew though! They had a fun time from what I gathered :)

Look Who's Sitting Up by Himself!

About a week ago I just placed him on the floor in a sitting position and he stayed up for just a second and then fell over...at this last weekends photoshoot he sat up long enough to take some pictures! Brad keeps telling me that he's no longer a baby...he's a toddler and ready for a job ;)

Look Who Can Get Up By Himself!

6 Months and 2 Weeks Old

So tonight also held a big milestone for Drew...he got up on all fours by himself! It's so much fun to see how he is growing from day to day!

A Tooth...and that's the truth!

So I was letting Andrew bite my knuckle like I always do when suddenly a sharp little spear tried to go into my skin! I looked but I couldn't see the culprit. I felt again and sure enough, it was a little tooth trying to poke through the last little bit of gum. My little man has teeth! Oh where has the time gone??

The picture above is of Andrew's first experience with a sippy cup...he liked it :)

A Couple Shots from the Doc and Off To See Santa!

Today Andrew had his 6 month checkup! He weighed in at 15 pounds and the doctor told me that I need to start fattening him up because he is moving around so much, he is burning off his baby fat too fast. She suggested that I give him more protein and bites from my own dinner plate :) I went to the store and bought him a ton of different foods with meat, pasta, rice and everything else I could think of that would pack on the belly rolls! He got another round of shots including his Flu Shot...didn't handle them really well, but that's to be expected. He had to get four different shots, poor guy! I told Drew that mommy would get a flu shot too if he got his shots...so I did :) Other than his weight, Drew is growing great! He is 2 feet 2 inches tall now...just another 3 feet and he will catch up with mommy! Doesn't that sound funny?

After the doctor appointment, Nanni, Bre and I took Drew to the Roseville Galleria and guess who happened to be there? Santa! And there was no line! We had to get a picture :) He was so cute, he kept throwing back his head too check out the strange bearded man. Santa told Drew he would bring him a Tickle Me Elmo...we shall see what Santa brings :)

I Got My Birthday Present Wish :)

Yesterday I turned 26 (I know, old right? haha) and a few days ago Brad asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told him without hesitation that I wanted something sentimental that I could treasure forever. I didn't think it was too difficult of a request, but Brad begged to differ. I reassured him that he could figure it out :) Well, I am happy to say that he did! Apparently, he had recruited my mom and his mom to help him :) He bought me an engraved BLUE frame that said "Happy Birthday! Love Brad & Andrew" with this picture in it! Of course I melted and was the happiest girl in the world! After Brad and Drew gave me their present, we all went to my dads to dine on the four (Yes, I said four) racks of ribs that he had been BBQing for hours...and my sister made me a delicious chocolate birthday cake! My cousin-in-law Anthony also made me a birthday cake decorated with fondant (how lucky am I?) My dearest friends and family were there and some were there in spirit :) I couldn't of had a better Birthday and it just shows how truly blessed I am to have the family and friends that I have!

Holy Moly! 6 Months Already!!

This week marks the 6th month of Andrew's lil life...can you believe it? He is acting like such a big boy! He's discovered the fun of rolling completely over and is reaching for every little thing you put anywhere near him! He can sit up pretty well, but he still falls forward when he tries to reach for something :) He also will balance on his hands and knees when you position him that way! He should be figuring out how to get up there on his own soon :) He also now has a favorite song...Itsy Bitsy Spider! He could be having the worst meltdown ever and you can sing that song and he will instantly stop, smile and try to hum along...it's pretty cute, but after the 700th time singing it, it can get a little old for us haha This is a picture of Drew in his all time Favorite toy! He can walk completely around the center table of toys using the chair! He runs laps around it and will come to you when you are sitting on the floor with him :) I am so excited too see what new milestones are going to show up this month!

Halloween Fun!

Drew got to experience his first Halloween dressed as a Monkey! The first stop we made was Great Grandma & Grandpa Hill. We tried to surprise them so we pulled over to the side of the court and got Drew dressed (we didn't have him dressed already because it was a very hot costume and it was 72 degrees outside). Well, they spotted us before we could ring the doorbell and surprise them...we will get them next time heehee We stayed for a little bit and played...oh yes, we were also informed of his new nickname...Cinco de Monkey! The next stop was Great Grandma & Grandpa Dents, we didn't get any candy but we did get some hugs :) From there, was on to Grandma & Grandpa Dents where Aunt Gail and Grandpa Frank waited too see Drew in his costume. We stayed and handed out candy too all the kids that came Trick or Treating :) The Schwabs came by for a visit too! Christian looked so cute as Superman! Our last stop was Auntie Darcie's house where she was having a Halloween party. Chloe was a cute lil girl pirate :) Drew was so tired from not napping ALL DAY that he fell asleep sitting up in Darcie's lap...poor lil guy! We had a lot of fun and couldn't of asked for a better first Halloween :)

The Adventure of Drew and Cement Feetprints

Today we expanded our driveway with more cement and of course we had to capture Drew's little feeties in it! So daddy had to wake him up from his nap (talk about poking the bear) to immortalize his feet. He of course woke up in a jolly mood because he didn't really want to take a nap anyway and he loves being outside :) The first place we tried was the side yard but the cement was too wet and it didn't hold the print. We moved on to the next location out front and made a shallow little imprint of his feet. It was hard to really press his feet in there to get a good print because he is so little, but we got a decent print anyway :) Hopefully it will stick around!

Firsts are a lot of Fun...Unless it's your first cold :(

Well it was bound to happen...Drew caught a little cold. The poor guy is all congested and had a slight fever of 100.8 last night, so I took him to the doctors today to try and see what I could do to give him some relief. The doctor said all I could really do is wait it out but we could try Saline drops in his nose and Tylenol for the fever. We also increased his Zantac dose from .6ml to 1ml due to him doubling his weight since he was first prescribed Zantac. Oh ya, he now weighs in at 14 pounds and 12 ounces! He's being a trooper so far, but he does get cranky at night and can only sleep about an hour at a time cause his nose is so stuffy. Ah yes, it's like having a newborn at night again for mommy! Oh well, he's lucky I love him so much to be willing to trade much needed beauty sleep for cuddles :)
PS: The picture really has nothing to do with his cold, I just thought it was the funniest face I have ever seen him do :)

Drew's First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

This past Saturday, we all went to the Rescue Fire Department's pumpkin patch and got Drew his first Pumpkin...well, his first 5 pumpkins (we all love pumpkin seeds!) Basically, he could of cared less to be there but he at least pretended he was having fun for his parents sake :) Just wait until you see his Halloween costume...

I never thought I would live to see the day when Nanni gets a tattoo!!

So this really has nothing to do with Andrew but it was such an astounding event, I just had to document it! My mom, aka Nanni, got a tattoo today! It is a tribute tattoo to her mother, father and to Andrew too :) The deer flower is in memory of Grandpa Larry, the hummingbird is in memory of Grandma and if you look closely, the stem makes a lower case "a" for Andrew (you have to look at it as if you were seeing it from my mom's perspective). She wanted it to be super colorful and that it is! I think it's a beautiful piece of artwork and my cousin-in-law, Anthony, did a great job!!

MMMMMMM RIBS!!

Tonight we gave Andrew a little taste of heaven...his Grandpa Dent's ribs :) As you can see, he enjoyed them a little too much! This picture is when daddy tried to take the bowl of ribs away from him! He was gumming them like crazy! I guess we can assume Andrew is not going to be a vegetarian :)

Our Baby Boy is Already 5 Months Old!

I can't believe how old he is getting and it's all flying by so fast! We are also celebrating another milestone...He rolled over! He first started doing it in his sleep yesterday but this morning he was awake from a nap and rolled from his tummy to his back :) My baby is almost mobile...scary!

Having Fun with Daddy! (PUSH PLAY)

I heard Andrew laughing like crazy from downstairs so I had to investigate and this is what I found...I think he was having fun!

Having Fun with Nanni (Drew has a Pretty cute laugh!)

I can definitly say that Andrew's laugh has fully come in :) I wish I could make it a ringtone :)

4 Month Checkup and More Shots

We went in today for our 4 month checkup and another round of shots. Drew weighed in at 13 pounds 4 ounces and is now 2 feet and 1.5 inches! Almost as tall as daddy...well, he might have a ways to go still :) He hasn't gained as much weight because since he has started moving around as much, he has started to burn off some of that baby fat! We were given the go-ahead to feed him 3 meals of solid food a day along with formula in between! She also checked too see if he was teething and his lower gums looked inflamed but still thick. The doctor thinks he will be cutting lower teeth soon! She was also VERY impressed with how well he was able to sit up and get into standing position. The doctor also commented on how well he was able to focus on faces and how well he interacts with people. Like I needed to be told my kid was a genius! haha I asked about his belly button being a little darker than it used to be and she said that was pretty normal with darker skinned babies. It was kind of like a collection of pigment and it should go away on its own. She also mentioned that he will probably be crawling long before 6 months because of his progress so far so we better start baby proofing the house! Here we go, the real challenge of having a kid...mobility!
Drew did better with the shots but we still both cried...a lot. I don't think I will ever be able to handle seeing my son in pain, no matter how small it is. The next round of shots come in November for his 6 month appointment! Can you believe how fast time is going by??

Drew Got His Captian's Wings!

Drew had his first experience with a plane on his way to Texas this week! We surprised our Great Aunt Bea with a visit because she is unable to get around like she used to. As you can imagine, she was very excited too see both of us! It's been almost 10 years if not more since I was able to visit her last. My mom was already in Texas attending a seminar so Drew and I flew out on Wednesday by ourselves to meet up with her. Well...let me tell you, I was terrified! Was I going to be labeled "that lady with the screaming baby"?? We were also worried about Hurricane Ike but did some research and where we were going to be staying, we wouldn't be affected. We got on the first flight to Phoenix, Arizona without any problems. We were a few minutes late landing and we only had 10 minutes to get to our next flight! Of course the gate we had to be at was at the complete other side of the airport so I had Drew on a front backpack and had all the other crap thrown over my shoulders and we RAN...a long way! I swear the gate would never come! I finally found the gate and sat down but to my astonishment, no one else was around. Did we miss the flight? No but they did switch gates on us and didn't have any signs to tell us! Thank God the janitor came by when he did and asked if we were going to San Antonio! Drew and I were the last 2 passengers to get on the flight and off in the air we went again! Drew again slept so I lucked out again! As we were landing, Drew decided he was D-O-N-E with traveling for the day. I thought he was entitled to the melt down he had in the car on the way to the hotel room! We finally made it to Aunt Bea's and we spent a lot of time reconnecting! She told us stories of when I was little and she taught Drew how to count to 10 in Spanish (well, as much as she could haha). I really wish she lived closer to us, she is an amazing woman and I miss her very much! Needless to say, the trip was too short but we missed daddy a bunch so it was time to come home! We promised her we would come back in a year and this time bring Brad :) The flight home went just as smooth except this time Drew stayed awake a bit to flirt with the hot blond lady sitting next to us...I think he just wanted the burrito she was eating :)

Ah HA! Caught ya!!

Drew finally found his thumb which is a relief because he has still yet to find a binki that he likes! At least the poor guy can try to comfort himself somehow...besides using mommy :)

Andrew Giggles!!! Push Play :)

This is a new milestone for Drew that he has been working on for almost a week or so! I think his laugh is too cute! :)

Drew got his first haircut today!!

I took Andrew into Great Clips today for his first big boy haircut and he did so good! No crying until the very end (he was tired). Julie did such a great job, Drew looks so handsome!!

Our Big Boy is 4 Months Old Today!

Drew now weighs a beefy 13 pounds and is 23" tall! He's getting too big too fast!!

Too Funny To Even Describe!

So tonight we were all having a grand old time in the living room. Brad was lovingly rocking his son on his lap when all of a sudden...



Drew really knows how to ruin a Hallmark moment with his puke! Needless to say, mommy was histerically laughing and only paused slightly to capture the moment :)

Woooooo!

3 months 3 weeks

So guess who FINALLY slept all night?? Yep, Drew did!! He fell asleep around 10:30pm and didn't wake up to eat or anything until 6am!! I'm so proud :)

Look Who's Sitting Up In His Bumbo Chair!!

A bumbo chair is a special chair made especially for woobly infants so they can sit up like big kids! As you can see Andrew really likes his :)

The Adventures of Drew, Cereal, and a Milestone!

3 months and 2 weeks old
Here is a video of Andrew enjoying his first taste of cereal...and let me tell you, he enjoyed it! He lasted an entire 4 hours between feedings! Apparantly breast milk alone isn't enough for my little...or should I say big man anymore! And tonight at dinner he hit another milestone!! He actually could grasp things with his chubby little hands and hold on to them! He also pulled a napkin off of his shirt and ripped it, which was cute :) He is growing up waaaay too fast!!

Andrew Was Famous Before He Even Got Here!

I just received this from Kathy Walker with KWalker Photography. She choose Andrew and I to be the "face" of her pregnancy photo campaign advertisements (well, mostly me but Andrew made up a lot of the baby bump, lol) I thought it was pretty cool so I had to share :)

2 Month Pictures from Kathy Walker

Bath Time With Nanni (I shouldn't think this is funny but I do)

Such A Cute Smile!! (2 Videos, Push Play!!)

Oh No...SHOTS!

2 months 2 weeks old!

Today we had our two month checkup and immunization shots. He weighed in at 11 pounds and 2 ounces and is 23.75 inches long! His is in 25.64% of growth percentile based on weight for age, 50.67% of growth percentile based on length for age, and 26.89% of growth percentile based on head circumference for age...basically all that means that he is growing great :) That was the fun part of the doctor appointment...next came the immunizations :( Andrew cried but not as much as mommy did! Well, at least we don't have to worry about more shots until his 4 month checkup!! So far Andrew has not developed a fever from the shots but he is really sore and grumpy and I don't blame him! He got 3 shots and 1 oral vaccine today. He is now protected against Hepatitis B, Polio, Pneumococcal Disease, Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (DTaP), Rotavirus, and Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae). He also has a very small case of cradle cap (excessive dryness) between his eyebrows...not a big deal, we can just treat it with a little bit of head and shoulders shampoo.

Put Up Your Dukes!! (Push Play!)

Andrew is Getting So Big!! (Push Play, It's a Video)

He Smiles!!!

So today Andrew graced me with his beautiful open mouth smile and I happened to have a camera! I swear, we could be having the roughest night and he will smile and it just melts my heart and makes everything bad go away :)

Boy, How the Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Happy 2 month “birthday”!! For such a small little guy he holds such a huge place in our hearts! He's getting cuter and cuter every day :)

Will The Worring Ever End??

Back to the doctors we go…I swear the nurses know my baby and I by name now! The past few weeks I have been concerned with Andrew’s excessive spitting up because it seriously looks like he is in pain and it breaks my heart! We tried mylicon drops hoping it was just bad gas but I didn’t see a change. We also tried Gripe Water with no change. I am going with my instinct on this one…my child is in pain and I have a feeling it’s acid reflux. I also wanted the doctor to check his belly button because I believe he has an umbilical hernia. Thankfully, Andrew had one of his throwing up episodes and crying fits when we were in front of the doctor so she could see what we have all been going through for the past few weeks. She had a suspicion it was GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Basically, he has horrible reflux and it hurts him a lot. She prescribed him Zantac and told me I should see a significant difference in him in a few days. She also checked his belly button and told me it was perfectly common for some babies to develop small hernias in their belly because the abdomen walls are not sealed yet (I actually had one when I was a baby). She said I should only be concerned if it hurts him or if we can’t push it in easily.

UPDATE: What a HUGE difference that medicine makes!! He no longer cringes in pain or cries when he spits up! Thank God for western medicine and thank God he doesn’t have colic like we initially thought!!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!

This is Brad's first father's day and Andrew gave him his present...his first smile :)

Back to the doctors...

I made a doctor appointment for Andrew again because myself and a few other people noticed that his eyes and skin were becoming quite yellow. He was tested for jaundice at birth and it was negative so I was concerned it was his liver. The doctor tested his skin pigment by shinning a little laser on different areas of his body and it would give back a number reading. The numbers came back normal for a baby with jaundice…but how can this be? The doctor told me that it is pretty common for breast-fed babies to develop it from the mother…who knew? She called it Breast Milk derived Jaundice. She said it would go away on its own in a month or so. We will keep an eye on him…maybe two eyes :) Oh yea, Andrew is now weighing in at 9 pounds 8 ounces…big boy!

Baby + Cooing = Heaven

Our little man was finally able to spit out a little coo today! Seriously, it melted me and I wanted more! I know more will be coming soon and I can't wait!!

Poor Little Guy!

I made a doctor appointment for Andrew today because the poor thing has been backed up for 7 days now! I called the nurse advice line and she said some newborn babies could go up to a month without having a bowl movement because their constipation is based on dehydration rather than their ability to go…well, I was not going to make my child wait that long! I brought him in and the doctor gave him a suppository and let me tell you…his crap SHOT across the table and it was the stinkiest thing I have ever smelt! Even the doctor mentioned something haha Poor little guy! I bet he feels much better now! The doctor said that I might have to give him a glycerin suppository every other day until he can go on his own…fun. On the brighter side, he weighed in at 8 pounds 15 ounces! The doctor actually joked and asked me if I was feeding him butter because he was gaining weight so well :)

We Made It!!

Happy 1 month “birthday” to my big boy! I can’t believe it’s already been 4 weeks since he’s entered our lives! It’s weird, but it seems like he’s always been here…he just fits right in!

2 Week Doctor Visit

Today was our two week checkup! Andrew weighed in at 7 pounds and 3 ounces…big boy! The doctor checked his heartbeat (still no murmurs, YAY!) and all of his other vitals and everything checked out perfect! The only thing I was starting to get concerned with was how much he spit up but she told me that some babies are more “spitty” than others. Maybe it’s just me being a new mom with new mom worries…

Bath Time!!

Andrew's umbilical cord fell of so you know what that means...BATH TIME!! I wish I could say that we experienced this amazing moment of bath time relaxation, but unfortunately, he hated it. He was naked and cold and wet and didn't like it...oh well, he will come to love them I'm sure :)

First Doctor Visit

Today we had our first checkup! He weighed in at 6 pounds and 3 ounces…hasn’t lost much weight since birth, which is really good! That means my milk supply is good and all is well with my little boy’s digestive system. The doctor checked his heartbeat and I am happy to report that there are no murmurs of any kind and it sounded really strong. So far so good!

Team Dent is In Full Effect!

Welcome Home Andrew!

Today is our first day at home! After the long 20mph drive home from the hospital (we have precious cargo!) we were greeted by this cute stork given to us by Brandon and Rachelle Schwab! We basically spent the whole day either sleeping or staring at our new gorgeous baby and thinking to ourselves, "Now what?" Oh the joys of being a new parent and scared out of your mind! I just hope Andrew is patient with us :)

The Big First Day

Today was a big morning of test and procedures for Andrew. His blood was drawn, he got a hearing test, vision test, and he got the dreaded circumcision procedure done. Awaiting the circumcision procedure, a nurse came in and put on some numbing medication to Andrew’s man parts and told us she would be back in an hour to take him. The nurse came back and was ready to take Andrew to get “cut”. Brad and I both wanted to go to make sure Andrew wasn’t going to be alone (and we were both terrified for him). There were two other dads with their sons nervously waiting to be taken to the procedure room. Once we got there, the nurse wrapped each baby tightly and placed them on a counter in another room and strapped their feet down for their safety. Brad and I nervously waited for the doctor to finish prepping Andrew before he would ask us if we wanted to watch the procedure. Andrew was the second baby in line and the only one crying (I don’t blame him!). The first dad went back to watch his son’s procedure and Brad and I just looked at each other debating on if he really wanted too see the procedure done. Well not to be shown up by the first dad, Brad agreed to watch but I had to stay behind because the room was too small to accommodate both of us (which I did not mind a bit!) About 2 minutes later, Brad comes out as pale as a ghost and being held up by the nurse and I could hear the doctor tell Brad to go sit down and put his head between his legs! I rush over to Brad with a cold, wet paper towel and begin to help him cool off. Poor daddy! Well, Andrew was finally finished and he actually ended up being the only baby who wasn’t crying after the procedure. He’s such a strong boy!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

May 5, 2008

38 Weeks along…exactly!

I started to get mild contractions during the day but assumed they were still braxton hicks contractions so I didn’t think much of them because I was still 2 weeks from my due date. We had dinner and then I went to the restroom where I saw what's called the "bloody show" (a blood tinged mucus that indicates labor is coming soon…could still be a while though). I went to bed and then around midnight felt a small "pop" in my belly. I just assumed he kicked me weird or something so I got up to go to the restroom. I finished peeing but a little bit more just seemed to keep coming but I chalked that up to more pee that I didn’t know was in there. It stopped so I went downstairs to call the Labor and delivery nurses to see if what I was experiencing was early labor signs. I was on hold with them and then I thought I was peeing all over myself so I started to catch it and ran to the bathroom. Well, obviously it wasn't pee, my water broke...all over me and all over the floor. This was around 1:10am. I yelled upstairs to Brad that my water broke and we needed to go. The contractions almost immediately started up frequent and hard. Brad started packing frantically and loading the car while I made the phone calls to all the people we wanted in the birthing room. We rushed out the door for the hospital soon thereafter. We live about 40 minutes away so thank god there was no rush hour traffic! Brad must of been a little nervous watching me clench the handle of the car with pain from the contractions because he was driving around 85-90mph. I kept trying to tell him to relax and that I didn’t want to get a speeding ticket but I really did want him to get me there with a quickness. Brad's cousin-in-law, Tina was on her way to the hospital and actually saw us on the freeway and sped up to catch us. We finally got there at 2:15am. Tina has been a nurse for 11 years and she actually used to work at the Kaiser we were delivering at so she ran inside and got me a wheelchair. I was wheeled inside and at this point my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart so I was in a significant amount of pain. After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally wheeled to the labor and delivery ward where the nurses took me back to change into the fashionable cotton hospital attire. She checked my cervix and we discovered I was already dilated to 4 centimeters! They strapped me up with the monitors to make sure Andrew was doing good and before I knew it, we were in the delivery room where my mom, my sister, my dad, Diana, Ken, Danielle, Darcie, and Tina were waiting for us. My contractions became super intense after only a short time and I knew I needed help with focusing so I could keep to my guns about the no medication decision. Brad made sure I continued to breathe (most of the time I wasn't because it hurt to). The only focus point that would work for me was to stare into Brad's eyes and really listen to what he was saying. He honestly was my rock and I couldn't of done it without him! The nurse checked me again and I was almost fully dilated and in an insane amount of pain. The nurse kept pushing medication on me and I caved a bit and agreed only to use a small amount to take the edge off…well, all it did was make me puke. It took no edge off anything…everything was still felt! All I could say to Brad was how I was totally over this whole labor thing and it hurt. I just wanted it all to end! A couple hours went by and then I really felt like I needed to push during contractions. A midwife came in and informed me that she would be delivering the baby, not a doctor. I was pretty happy about this because she really got me to focus and really knew what she was talking about. She had me hold my legs back and push as hard as I could as many times as I could. Let me tell you…the rumors are true. You do more than push out a baby if you know what I’m saying. I swear I was more concerned with that than anything else! I pushed for a good thirty minutes and experienced the wonderful “ring of fire”…and Holy crap! It really did feel like I was on fire as he was crowning! I closed my eyes and pushed hard. I heard Brad say “push one more time baby!” so I did and before I could say “I can’t do this” Andrew was out and using those healthy little lungs! Now it was daddy’s turn and he got to cut the cord. Andrew was then placed on my chest and lightly cleaned of by a blanket. He was finally out…now came the “afterbirth” of the placenta…let me just say wow, that was gross! It felt like I birthed my guts out and I’m sure it didn’t look much different. Andrew was born at 6:35am…I consider myself lucky for having such a sort labor and delivery because I know it could have been MUCH worse! He got to hang out on me for about an hour without any intervention from the nurses. I was able to breastfeed him right away and that was really special! He took to it right away and I was pretty happy about that! While I was bonding with my new son, I was being stitched up by the midwife. I had asked that during delivery they not give me an episiotomy because I would rather tear naturally if I was going to. I didn’t rip that much considering what had come out of me. They rated my tearing a 2 out of 4 (4 being the most severe). It’s amazing what you can go through but you don’t feel a thing because you are distracted by this little person that has been living inside you for so long.

Poor little Andrew was quickly introduced to the paparazzi-like flashes of all of the cameras almost immediately and he took it like a champ :) The whole family were making bets at this time to too see how much he weighed and how long he was…we all overbid! He was only 6 pounds and 6 ounces and 19 inches long. His apgar score was 8/9 (this is a scoring system that assesses certain things about a baby’s health. The larger the number the better and less medical attention they need) Andrew got a point off for being born a little blue in color and a point off for an initial respiratory thing. 8/9 is still a good score though!

We waiting in the delivery room for a couple hours and they served me breakfast and let me just say…the most delicious meal I have ever had! That also could be because it was so long ago that I was able to eat. We were wheeled to our post-pardum room where all of our visitors came throughout the day including all of the wonderful nurse staff. The lactation consultant came and helped with more with the whole breastfeeding thing because Andrew was so sleepy, he was not wanting too feed.

I told Brad that he should go home for the night and try to get some sleep because the “sleeping quarters” for the new dad’s just sucked. It consisted of a skinny chair that folded out enough for someone who is no longer than a midget. He said he would probably go home but then it got to be late and he didn’t really want to go so he stayed. I have to be honest in saying I was relieved he stayed. I slept a total of 1 hour during that whole night because of my own paranoia for Andrew’s safety and the nursing staff coming in to check on me every couple of hours. Just did a bunch of baby watching and TV watching. Brad got a few hours of sleep in but I’m sure it wasn’t quality sleep...welcome to the life of new parents I guess :)