Already growing…

Sam had his first appointment today and was measured at 18 ½ inches and is 6 lbs. That puts him almost back to his full birth weight. Doctor was VERY happy with his progress and said he looks perfect. YEAH!! It’s such a relief to know that our feedings have been productive. It’s pretty tough keeping up with the demands of breastfeeding, but I’m on the right track. His doctor’s office has a lactation nurse on staff and I was able to meet with her yesterday. She was AWESOME and gave some great info and advice that we’re already putting to use here at the house.

I gotta tell ya….Sam is a really good baby. We are so lucky to have him. He hasn’t been super fussy and is sleeping and eating like a champ. He absolutely loves his crib mobile. It plays classical music with sounds from nature and he just totally zones out on the movement and noise. It’s really awesome to watch. We’re having a hard time keeping our eyes off of him. I understand what all the parents in our life have been talking about all these years. I finally get it….and it was so worth the wait.

We tried out his swing that my cousin Ashley kindly passed along and he seemed to really like it, but then wanted a little cuddle time with dad. He actually hung out with us in the living room for a good chunk of time yesterday and during the day time, too. YEAH! We watched a little college baseball together. He is very alert and is always checking out his new digs and parents. So far so good....I think he likes us. ; )

That’s all for now, folks. Momma is going to chill out before little man wants an afternoon snack. Enjoy the pics and we’ll chat again soon.

He's here...

The little guy arrived, as most of you already know, and we're home and settling in. We couldn't be more happy with our Samuel and are extremely grateful to be home.

His arrival was quick! I went to the doctor Friday morning and she confirmed that I was 3 cm and told me that I could go at any time, but went ahead and set me up for induction for Friday, 6/19...just in case. She did a pretty aggressive exam and told me that I would have some cramping that day so when they started later that afternoon...no big deal, right? Well as the evening progressed the 'cramping' continued and then....ashamed to say it...while I was outside filling up the dogs' water bowl I ended up not making it to the bathroom and ended up having to take a quick shower. Oooops!!

I went to bed after that darn Stanley Cup Final game with the cramps still going. At about midnight, I woke up still 'cramping' so I decided that I would soak in the bath. To be honest folks, I really thought at this point that this was residual from my exam at the appointment and some Freebirds gas....boy, was I wrong. Just goes to prove that you can read all the darn books they have out there and still get it wrong. Everything I had read and heard about identifying true contractions was 'back to front'....my contractions were all up front. Go figure.

Once I got out of the bathroom, they were about 4 minutes apart and becoming more and more serious. It hit me at this point that I was probably in labor and I decided it was time for dad to wake up from the couch. It was 1:20 and Brandon got up and started packing his go bag....he had plans to do it the next day, so it took awhile to get everything out the door. It was a tough wait because the contractions were coming harder and faster and I was starting to get nervous...very nervous! We rolled into labor and delivery around 2:30 and it was clear that we were staying by 2:45. I was almost 5 cm and things were rolling so we called our folks to hit the highways and meet us at the hospital.

Between 2:45 and 4:15, I dilated to 8 cm and found myself losing control over the contractions. Man! I really underestimated the power in them. I had been committed to doing it without and epidural and had been pretty adamant about it...stubborn, some would say....but our delivery nurse sealed the deal for me when she said that either way you go the outcome is still a beautiful baby. So I told them to bring order it up. I was ready for some relief. It was happening so fast!

I got the epidural about 4:45, and within the next 45 minutes I was at 10 cm and it was time to push. I pushed for about an hour...the good thing was that I could still feel when to push even with the epidural which made my delivery nurse VERY happy. She and Brandon were awesome in getting me through it. I couldn't have asked for better support.

Our handsome Samuel arrived at 6:28 weighing 6.2 lbs and measuring 18 in. He was a smaller guy than any of us expected, but I'm not complaining one bit...he's absolutely perfect and we are so excited to have him here and HOME!!! Don't get me wrong...we had the best medical care at St. David's. The nursing staff there is top notch and we are so grateful for their care and concern. We feel extremely lucky in meeting them. We have plans to go back and deliver goodies and show off Sam a little. ; )

So, we're home now and I actually had a window of opportunity to sit down and make an update and start taking some pictures. We don't have tons of pics right now b/c we've been so busy, but don't you worry...more will come. In fact, here are a few I took before I sat down to post this. Enjoy!






I'll post again tomorrow or Thursday with more news and pics. Have a great Tuesday, folks.

PS. BTW...today was my official due date.

Still waiting…

We’re still here awaiting the little guy’s arrival. We’ve had two appointments since my last post…I’ll get you all caught up.

Our appointment on 5/29 went well. She confirmed that I was 1cm dilated and 40% effaced. We heard his heartbeat and he still sounds strong and happy. I was retaining quite a bit of water at this visit. We had a few late nights and busy days at the office and my feet/cankles weren’t looking so great. She told me that I needed to take it easy, stay away from carbs, and elevate…retaining too much water could mean an elevation in my blood pressure and we don’t want that. I was a good girl and the swelling went down considerably. Today’s appointment revealed a 6 lb drop in my weight since last week. Doc is pleased and so am I….Thank god!!! I decided not to even ask what I put on during last week’s appointment…I had a feeling it wasn’t good due to the condition of my feet. The office staff and Bran were thankful with the decision on that….reeeeeally thankful. It’s no secret up there that I’m extremely sensitive about my weight gain during this whole process. It was a relief for all that there was good news on that front this week. My blood pressure is still looking great making the limitations all worth it.
We’re still at 1 cm. I was hoping for 2+, but kinda suspected this might be the news. This week was super slow on Braxton Hicks. There was more sustained pressure, but no BHicks. Doc said that pressure is sometimes more ‘effective’ in getting things going than the BHicks….it means that he is wiggling down into the canal in prep for the big day. He’s doing all of the right work in there, just not on the quick schedule everyone would like…he’s pacing himself. Doc did say that we would discuss induction at my appointment next Friday if I don’t see her before then. She gave us a homework assignment that could help get things rolling, so we’ll be giving that a go this weekend.

I mentioned we had some late nights last week…Our friends, Joey and Lisa, had their little guy on 5/27. His name is Max Liam. We hung out to meet him his first night here, and I ran by the next day to get a snuggle. He’s a cutie…and he has these wonderfully long legs and fingers, and sweet, soft hair. We’re totally stoked he’s here and are very honored to be his god parents. = )

My mom made a trip up here last weekend to bring us the mini-van Bran is now driving. Yes…you read correctly, Bran is a mini-van dad. He got some not-so great news about the Blazer and we had to make a move. Luckily, my grandparents back home still had their well-kept 2000 Honda Odyssey for sale and my folks helped us make it happen. We’re still trying to find a new home for the Blazer…there have been a few bites, but no takers yet. He’s already installed the carseat base, his Sirius radio, and the Kenseth sticker is in place.



Bran’s not the only one with a new toy…the kiddo had a few deliveries this week. We spent our gift cards on some essential items that were still left and then the rest went to fun stuff. The little guy got some super cool cloth books, a music cube, a mobile, and rattler/teether gift set. Bran put together the travel system and rocker/bouncer seat, and the baby monitor is in place. We are SO ready.

My last shower went down at the office and it was AWESOME. I was blown away by the number of folks that joined the party. It was a lot of fun and once again….YUMMY!!! We want to thank everyone for their generous gifts, and for the hosts…well, you ROCK!!!!!! Here are a few pics from the party.







That's all for now. I'll check back in next weekend.