I know that my parents at least have seen a few of the baby pictures taken at the hospital, but just in case the rest of you haven't, you can go to barnesjewish.org, click on "hospital guide," and there should pop a list of things, including baby photos. Enter in his date of birth, June 23, and there should be 2 pictures of Max.
A word of warning: THEY ARE TERRIBLE. Even Brandon agrees. If you ever thought Max was cute, these pictures will make you think otherwise. When the photographer came in to the hospital room to take shots, I was just getting ready to feed Max. The lady was in a hurry, and so I did not get to feed him until afterwards. Needless to say, Max is NOT a happy camper in the pictures. We have ordered a set of a pose (not sure if it is one on the web nursery--in fact, I don't think it is), and we ordered the really terrible one of him crying with his hands in the air (this one is on the web nursery) to put on a framed birth announcement. We should get the order in 7-10 business days and will send those out when they arrive.
But again, I must remind you: THE PICTURES ARE TERRIBLE. I purposely ordered the really terrible one because I think it's hysterical, and plus, I will have something to hang over his head for the rest of his life.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
The title-less entry
I am overflowing with love for my husband and my son.
It is amazing how having a baby really makes you want to be a better person. Not that I'm a bad person (I actually think I'm an excellent human being and more people should strive to be me), but now I really, really just want to be great.
It is amazing how having a baby really makes you want to be a better person. Not that I'm a bad person (I actually think I'm an excellent human being and more people should strive to be me), but now I really, really just want to be great.
Max's first doctor appointment (and trip to Wal-mart)
Max had his first appointment with the pediatrician this morning. While we were out, we decided to stop by Brandon's work (it's literally about 2 blocks from the doctor's office) and show off The Max. Max slept the whole time as co-worker after co-worker passed him around and ooooooooooooooooooooed and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahed. I had never met Brandon's colleagues before, and so it was nice to meet them--they were all very nice and fell in love with Max.
Afterwards, we went to the doctor. He was measured, weighed, and examined. He is down to 7 pounds, 6 ounces (he was born at 7 pounds, 12 ounces). The doctor said it was perfectly normal to lose some weight the first week, but we have scheduled an appointment for next Friday just to do a weight check. I anticipate that his weight will be back up because he really is a good eater. Apparently he is still very healthy and the doctor called him "very alert."
Since we had some running around to do, I asked the doctor if it would be OK if we went to the store with Max. I think she thought we were stupid for asking (we are both very paranoid, especially when it comes to our child), and said, "Uh...yeah...just don't let people touch him," etc. So, Brandon and I agreed that we would stop at Target, but because of construction, we ended up going to Wal-mart.
We bought Max a bouncie and a swing. Brandon will put them together this afternoon, and perhaps during Max's "alert hour," we will use them. Max tends to be wide awake during Dr. Phil (3-4 pm) and a little bit of Oprah.
A few other things: I keep feeling so bad about not breast-feeding. However, I can't really do it now because of all the pain pills I had to take. Fortunately, I haven't had to take a pill today. I am really starting to feel a million times better. Also, a new milestone for me: I GOT MY FIRST CUP OF STARBUCKS IN OVER 7 MONTHS TODAY! It is delectable, and I have no idea how I lived without it.
As for the weight loss: As of this morning, I have lost 25 pounds (out of 50 gained). Still a LONG way to go, but I figured 25 pounds isn't bad (and in fact, quite impressive), especially since I have not done a single thing to lose any weight yet.
Afterwards, we went to the doctor. He was measured, weighed, and examined. He is down to 7 pounds, 6 ounces (he was born at 7 pounds, 12 ounces). The doctor said it was perfectly normal to lose some weight the first week, but we have scheduled an appointment for next Friday just to do a weight check. I anticipate that his weight will be back up because he really is a good eater. Apparently he is still very healthy and the doctor called him "very alert."
Since we had some running around to do, I asked the doctor if it would be OK if we went to the store with Max. I think she thought we were stupid for asking (we are both very paranoid, especially when it comes to our child), and said, "Uh...yeah...just don't let people touch him," etc. So, Brandon and I agreed that we would stop at Target, but because of construction, we ended up going to Wal-mart.
We bought Max a bouncie and a swing. Brandon will put them together this afternoon, and perhaps during Max's "alert hour," we will use them. Max tends to be wide awake during Dr. Phil (3-4 pm) and a little bit of Oprah.
A few other things: I keep feeling so bad about not breast-feeding. However, I can't really do it now because of all the pain pills I had to take. Fortunately, I haven't had to take a pill today. I am really starting to feel a million times better. Also, a new milestone for me: I GOT MY FIRST CUP OF STARBUCKS IN OVER 7 MONTHS TODAY! It is delectable, and I have no idea how I lived without it.
As for the weight loss: As of this morning, I have lost 25 pounds (out of 50 gained). Still a LONG way to go, but I figured 25 pounds isn't bad (and in fact, quite impressive), especially since I have not done a single thing to lose any weight yet.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Maybe Max is a keeper after all...
We got.....drum roll, please....5-6 hours of sleep last night! Max's problem is that he likes to stay up late. He didn't decide to sleep until after 1, and then he woke up at 3 for a feeding. After feeding and changing him, he went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 5:30 or so to eat, and then he woke up at 9. All together, our grand total of sleep was 5-6 hours, so that's a good sign. Both of us can live on 5 or 6 hours.
It takes him a long time to eat and it still takes us longer than the professionals to change his diaper (partly because we are caring for the cord and circumcision, but once those heal, changing should go faster). He is a hearty eater and is regularly eating 2 ounces per feeding. He cracks me up--as I was feeding him last night, he tried several times to grab my breast and nurse. I felt so bad about it, especially because he was so cute doing it. Really makes me think again about nursing, but I still don't know how I could do it with school just 8-9 weeks away.
The dogs have really calmed down. Lucy and Pippi were no problem to begin with (shocking, I know), and it has taken Shelley a few days to chill out, but she has managed. They all really love to smell him and lick his head (while we are holding him and supervising, of course!). Pippi also likes his feet (but whose feet doesn't Pippi like?).
In other news...we had a brief scare last night. At around 4:45, our electricity went out. Any time our electricity goes out, we (and the whole neighborhood) cringes because we were out for 8 days in July and 6 in December. We called Ameren and the recording said we would have power by 2 am. Fortunately, it didn't take until 2 am, because around 7pm, Brandon saw an Ameren truck drive by to fix the downed line. We had power restored by 7:30. It really scared me because it's not exactly easy to pack up and leave right now if something like a power outage were to happen, but there's also NO WAY we could stay in the house if we did have an extended power outage. Let's just hope that never happens again.
It takes him a long time to eat and it still takes us longer than the professionals to change his diaper (partly because we are caring for the cord and circumcision, but once those heal, changing should go faster). He is a hearty eater and is regularly eating 2 ounces per feeding. He cracks me up--as I was feeding him last night, he tried several times to grab my breast and nurse. I felt so bad about it, especially because he was so cute doing it. Really makes me think again about nursing, but I still don't know how I could do it with school just 8-9 weeks away.
The dogs have really calmed down. Lucy and Pippi were no problem to begin with (shocking, I know), and it has taken Shelley a few days to chill out, but she has managed. They all really love to smell him and lick his head (while we are holding him and supervising, of course!). Pippi also likes his feet (but whose feet doesn't Pippi like?).
In other news...we had a brief scare last night. At around 4:45, our electricity went out. Any time our electricity goes out, we (and the whole neighborhood) cringes because we were out for 8 days in July and 6 in December. We called Ameren and the recording said we would have power by 2 am. Fortunately, it didn't take until 2 am, because around 7pm, Brandon saw an Ameren truck drive by to fix the downed line. We had power restored by 7:30. It really scared me because it's not exactly easy to pack up and leave right now if something like a power outage were to happen, but there's also NO WAY we could stay in the house if we did have an extended power outage. Let's just hope that never happens again.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
POOR, CONFUSED MAX
It appears that Max has continued the sleeping habits he had in the womb--very quiet and sleepy during the day, but very active and alert at night.
This does not please his tired and fatigued parents. Since Friday, I have slept less than 20 total hours. Last night we fed Max at 11 pm; he gets very sleepy after eating, and so Brandon and I decided to lay in bed afterwards and try to get some sleep. It seemed like it might work--Max slept very peacefully after eating, but at 11:30, he decided it was party time. From that point on, he was awake.
And so were we.
Max cried off and on from 11:30 pm till 6:30 am. When we fed him at 6:30, he decided it was finally bedtime, and he has been sleeping ever since. It is now 2 pm, and he has only been awake a couple of times since 6:30--just for his feedings and simultaneous diaper change.
We are hoping--praying!--that he realizes that he has his days and nights confused. Fortunately, Brandon and I both feel OK right now--the sleep deprivation isn't too bad--but I don't want this to go on forever. I don't know how my body could possible recover from childbirth if I never get to sleep.
Maybe we should just wake the little squirt up and bug him so he loses some of his daytime sleep and must sleep during the evening.
Hmmmmmm.....
This does not please his tired and fatigued parents. Since Friday, I have slept less than 20 total hours. Last night we fed Max at 11 pm; he gets very sleepy after eating, and so Brandon and I decided to lay in bed afterwards and try to get some sleep. It seemed like it might work--Max slept very peacefully after eating, but at 11:30, he decided it was party time. From that point on, he was awake.
And so were we.
Max cried off and on from 11:30 pm till 6:30 am. When we fed him at 6:30, he decided it was finally bedtime, and he has been sleeping ever since. It is now 2 pm, and he has only been awake a couple of times since 6:30--just for his feedings and simultaneous diaper change.
We are hoping--praying!--that he realizes that he has his days and nights confused. Fortunately, Brandon and I both feel OK right now--the sleep deprivation isn't too bad--but I don't want this to go on forever. I don't know how my body could possible recover from childbirth if I never get to sleep.
Maybe we should just wake the little squirt up and bug him so he loses some of his daytime sleep and must sleep during the evening.
Hmmmmmm.....
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
JUNE 23, 2007, Max's birthday
The story actually begins several weeks before June 23. I had a dream in which Max was born, and the date of his birth was June 23. No kidding. I remember telling my students about the dream, and one of my students said, "Cool! That's my birthday!" I at least have proof that I dreamed June 23.
Anyway, on Thursday, June 21, I was feeling very "weird" in the evening. I can't quite explain it--I just felt weird. I told Brandon as we were laying in bed that I just felt weird and that I could go in to labor. But nothing happened that night. I know now that I was in early labor.
The next day I felt wonderful, but in the evening I was feeling very "weird" again. We both lay in bed reading, unable to sleep. It must have been after 1 AM or so that we finally turned off the lights, but still couldn't sleep. At 2:20 AM, though, I jumped out of bed, caught up in the sheet and stumbling to the bathroom. "Uh.....I think my water broke," I told Brandon. Brandon came in, examined the situation, ran and got a pregnancy book, confirmed it, and we both hurriedly got dressed and ran for the car.
All the way to the hospital I was shaking. I was excited and happy, but so nervous that the day had finally come--and he was 2 weeks early!
After the doctors assessed me and ran some tests to confirm that my water had in fact broken, I was taken to labor and delivery. Gradually my contractions got more and more painful, but I think I was handling the pain pretty well. In fact, I probably could have gone med-free had I not felt so nauseous. I had a wonderful doula, Kim, who did everything she could to make me feel comfortable.
When the doctor first checked me, I was very disappointed. I was completely effaced, but not dilated. She gave me some pill (not sure what it was called) to help with dilation. It made the contractions stronger, but when the doctor checked me again, I was only 1cm. It was then that they offered me the epidural and I went ahead and took it.
Getting the epidural was BY FAR the scariest part of labor. I'm not sure I would get it again if I ever had to. The doctor walked in and said to me in a language barely perceptible as English, "You want epidural? You can get paralysis. You can get nerve damage. You can die. There are all sorts of complications." The guy had no bedside manner and scared the crap out of me. I went ahead and took the offer with the reassurance of Brandon and the doula. But it wasn't scary doctor who gave me the epidural--it was some sort of trainee! During the administration of the epidural, he scared me even more with comments like, "Am I doing it right?," "Should I put this here?," etc. He was new on the job! When I got an electric shock down my right leg, I almost died of fear. He fixed it, and obviously, the rest of the epidural went fine.
The epidural did help with the nausea and the pain. I couldn't feel anything. When the OB checked me again, I was 3-4 cm after she gave me some oxytocin. An hour or so later, I was just 4 cm. It was moving very, very slowly.
And then a couple of hours later (by now it was around 8pm), I said to the nurse, "I think he's coming. I have so much pressure." The doctor came, looked at me, and told me that I was fully dilated and ready to go.
I didn't start pushing until around 8:15 or 8:30. I had no idea what I was doing, but the doula and doctors explained everything to me. It seemed to take a long time to make progress--my first pushes just seemed very futile. But all of a sudden, I could feel the urge to just push and push and get him out. When the head started coming, I had a little bit of pain, and somehow I was able to push him out in like 2 pushes. When he came out, I collapsed and began half an hour of sheer sobbing. He was born after less than an hour of pushing at 9:14 pm. He was 20.5 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 12.8 ounces.
The doctors took Max immediately and began assessing him. They did not give him to me to hold for half an hour. I was so scared because they were working on him like he was hurt or unhealthy, but it turns out they were just making sure he was OK because I had developed a fever before pushing. They were just being cautious, but it took entirely took long for me. I just lay there sobbing because I was so happy and so relieved but also really needing to see my son and hold him.
While sobbing and waiting, I had to finish the hardest part of labor--the delivery of the placenta. I was so tired that it took several minutes. After that, the doctor told me that I had to stay still because I needed stitches. I apparently suffered a 3rd degree tear and needed suturing.
When I finally got to hold Max, it was instant love and happiness, nothing like I had ever experienced before. Brandon and I just held each other and held him and looked at him with joy written all over our faces.
Now, 3 days later, we are both still in love with our Max. Max is a wonderful child. Yesterday was our first day alone with him, and yes, it was very, very hard. He refused to sleep during the night, and I wasn't much help to Brandon because I am still in so much pain that it takes me a lot longer to just sit up in bed.
But today was a lot quieter. Max did a lot of eating and sleeping. He is really a pretty easygoing kid if he gets his food. He loves to be swaddled and loves to hold our fingers. He likes to look around and examine his surroundings. His eyes are very different--we think they are almost a dark, dark, dark blue-grey. Neither one of us is really sure if he will have brown eyes. I have hazel-green and Brandon has brown, so I guess we will see.
It's hard to see us in Max. We are pretty sure he has my eyes--not necessarily the color, but everything else--and Brandon's nose, but other than that, we can't see anything right now. I guess it will take a long time before we see more of ourselves in him.
Well, that's enough for now.
One more thing--I can't imagine myself being happier. I have a wonderful husband (who really amazes me with his ability to father and love and pick out push presents!) and a beautiful son.
Jennifer
Anyway, on Thursday, June 21, I was feeling very "weird" in the evening. I can't quite explain it--I just felt weird. I told Brandon as we were laying in bed that I just felt weird and that I could go in to labor. But nothing happened that night. I know now that I was in early labor.
The next day I felt wonderful, but in the evening I was feeling very "weird" again. We both lay in bed reading, unable to sleep. It must have been after 1 AM or so that we finally turned off the lights, but still couldn't sleep. At 2:20 AM, though, I jumped out of bed, caught up in the sheet and stumbling to the bathroom. "Uh.....I think my water broke," I told Brandon. Brandon came in, examined the situation, ran and got a pregnancy book, confirmed it, and we both hurriedly got dressed and ran for the car.
All the way to the hospital I was shaking. I was excited and happy, but so nervous that the day had finally come--and he was 2 weeks early!
After the doctors assessed me and ran some tests to confirm that my water had in fact broken, I was taken to labor and delivery. Gradually my contractions got more and more painful, but I think I was handling the pain pretty well. In fact, I probably could have gone med-free had I not felt so nauseous. I had a wonderful doula, Kim, who did everything she could to make me feel comfortable.
When the doctor first checked me, I was very disappointed. I was completely effaced, but not dilated. She gave me some pill (not sure what it was called) to help with dilation. It made the contractions stronger, but when the doctor checked me again, I was only 1cm. It was then that they offered me the epidural and I went ahead and took it.
Getting the epidural was BY FAR the scariest part of labor. I'm not sure I would get it again if I ever had to. The doctor walked in and said to me in a language barely perceptible as English, "You want epidural? You can get paralysis. You can get nerve damage. You can die. There are all sorts of complications." The guy had no bedside manner and scared the crap out of me. I went ahead and took the offer with the reassurance of Brandon and the doula. But it wasn't scary doctor who gave me the epidural--it was some sort of trainee! During the administration of the epidural, he scared me even more with comments like, "Am I doing it right?," "Should I put this here?," etc. He was new on the job! When I got an electric shock down my right leg, I almost died of fear. He fixed it, and obviously, the rest of the epidural went fine.
The epidural did help with the nausea and the pain. I couldn't feel anything. When the OB checked me again, I was 3-4 cm after she gave me some oxytocin. An hour or so later, I was just 4 cm. It was moving very, very slowly.
And then a couple of hours later (by now it was around 8pm), I said to the nurse, "I think he's coming. I have so much pressure." The doctor came, looked at me, and told me that I was fully dilated and ready to go.
I didn't start pushing until around 8:15 or 8:30. I had no idea what I was doing, but the doula and doctors explained everything to me. It seemed to take a long time to make progress--my first pushes just seemed very futile. But all of a sudden, I could feel the urge to just push and push and get him out. When the head started coming, I had a little bit of pain, and somehow I was able to push him out in like 2 pushes. When he came out, I collapsed and began half an hour of sheer sobbing. He was born after less than an hour of pushing at 9:14 pm. He was 20.5 inches long and weighed 7 pounds, 12.8 ounces.
The doctors took Max immediately and began assessing him. They did not give him to me to hold for half an hour. I was so scared because they were working on him like he was hurt or unhealthy, but it turns out they were just making sure he was OK because I had developed a fever before pushing. They were just being cautious, but it took entirely took long for me. I just lay there sobbing because I was so happy and so relieved but also really needing to see my son and hold him.
While sobbing and waiting, I had to finish the hardest part of labor--the delivery of the placenta. I was so tired that it took several minutes. After that, the doctor told me that I had to stay still because I needed stitches. I apparently suffered a 3rd degree tear and needed suturing.
When I finally got to hold Max, it was instant love and happiness, nothing like I had ever experienced before. Brandon and I just held each other and held him and looked at him with joy written all over our faces.
Now, 3 days later, we are both still in love with our Max. Max is a wonderful child. Yesterday was our first day alone with him, and yes, it was very, very hard. He refused to sleep during the night, and I wasn't much help to Brandon because I am still in so much pain that it takes me a lot longer to just sit up in bed.
But today was a lot quieter. Max did a lot of eating and sleeping. He is really a pretty easygoing kid if he gets his food. He loves to be swaddled and loves to hold our fingers. He likes to look around and examine his surroundings. His eyes are very different--we think they are almost a dark, dark, dark blue-grey. Neither one of us is really sure if he will have brown eyes. I have hazel-green and Brandon has brown, so I guess we will see.
It's hard to see us in Max. We are pretty sure he has my eyes--not necessarily the color, but everything else--and Brandon's nose, but other than that, we can't see anything right now. I guess it will take a long time before we see more of ourselves in him.
Well, that's enough for now.
One more thing--I can't imagine myself being happier. I have a wonderful husband (who really amazes me with his ability to father and love and pick out push presents!) and a beautiful son.
Jennifer
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