Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Diaper Drills
Everyone tells you that a boy will pee on you without warning. NO ONE told me to watch out for the projectile poop! This boy has a range of at least 2 feet.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Home from the Hospital
Well, it apparently has been decided that we needed to have a good story to tell Austin (when he’s old enough to understand) about his first day home from the hospital.
It's been a long 24 hours. Whitney was completely unable to rest in that awful hospital. Every five minutes some staffer was coming in to empty trash, to mop floors, to ask for her meal order, to have us fill out paperwork, to ask unnecessary questions, etc, etc, etc. On top of that, the Dr that does the circumcisions showed up last night instead of today as he was scheduled to. Needless to say, little Austin was less than comfortable last night. Bottom line, Whitney never got to sleep more than about 15 minutes at a stretch. After all she has been through, we couldn't keep her in that awful place anymore.
So we notified the nurse that we were going home TODAY, not Tuesday.
It took about six hours to get all the checkups done on mama and Austin before they would release us, but finally we drove away around 1PM.
So the good news is, we're home! The bad news is, about 45 minutes after we got here, we were hit with a tremendous thunderstorm (i'm talking sideways rain here) for about 45 minutes, and as a result we lost power around 3 PM. It's now 7:30 PM, and still no power. The recorded line says they expect to have power restored by 10 PM. Needless to say, we're keeping our fingers crossed.
But even with the power off, we're still glad to be home. Already Whitney has gotten to sleep uninterrupted for nearly two hours, and we'll send her back to bed once little Austin has finished feeding.
The storm did a lot of damage. Something like 190,000 people in our county are out of power. Unfortunately, the storm didn’t do much to get the temperature down, so last night we were sitting in a 90+ degree, 70% humidity house with no air conditioning and a newborn baby. As darkness closed in, I went out in search of food for everyone. I had to drive FIVE MILES to get out of blackness and to a shopping center that had power. Needless to say, the place was PACKED. There was no bagged ice to be found anywhere, so I went to the only McDonald’s and waited in line for 40 minutes to get food and brought it home. By then it was dark and we were working by candlelight.
The drive through miles of blackness made it clear that we would not be getting power back anytime soon. With no relief from the heat, it was time to get everyone to a hotel. I tried several only to find that either they didn’t have power either, or that they were full with people like us who needed respite from the heat.
Whitney had a great idea to try the hotels near BWI airport, and it payed off…we got a room reserved at the Embassy Suites. It turned out it was their next-to-last room available. So Whitney, Austin and Linda and I all packed up and drove 35 miles to the airport. We finally settled in to the room at around 11PM and fed/changed Austin. Linda and I slept in shifts so that Whitney could FINALLY get more than 15 minutes sleep at a time.
We awoke this morning and checked with our neighbors, still no power. We’ve extended the room for another night and are keeping our fingers crossed for power restoral before tomorrow afternoon. We are in MUCH better shape than we were yesterday, with both Whitney and Linda getting some decent sleep for the first time in days.
It's been a long 24 hours. Whitney was completely unable to rest in that awful hospital. Every five minutes some staffer was coming in to empty trash, to mop floors, to ask for her meal order, to have us fill out paperwork, to ask unnecessary questions, etc, etc, etc. On top of that, the Dr that does the circumcisions showed up last night instead of today as he was scheduled to. Needless to say, little Austin was less than comfortable last night. Bottom line, Whitney never got to sleep more than about 15 minutes at a stretch. After all she has been through, we couldn't keep her in that awful place anymore.
So we notified the nurse that we were going home TODAY, not Tuesday.
It took about six hours to get all the checkups done on mama and Austin before they would release us, but finally we drove away around 1PM.
So the good news is, we're home! The bad news is, about 45 minutes after we got here, we were hit with a tremendous thunderstorm (i'm talking sideways rain here) for about 45 minutes, and as a result we lost power around 3 PM. It's now 7:30 PM, and still no power. The recorded line says they expect to have power restored by 10 PM. Needless to say, we're keeping our fingers crossed.
But even with the power off, we're still glad to be home. Already Whitney has gotten to sleep uninterrupted for nearly two hours, and we'll send her back to bed once little Austin has finished feeding.
The storm did a lot of damage. Something like 190,000 people in our county are out of power. Unfortunately, the storm didn’t do much to get the temperature down, so last night we were sitting in a 90+ degree, 70% humidity house with no air conditioning and a newborn baby. As darkness closed in, I went out in search of food for everyone. I had to drive FIVE MILES to get out of blackness and to a shopping center that had power. Needless to say, the place was PACKED. There was no bagged ice to be found anywhere, so I went to the only McDonald’s and waited in line for 40 minutes to get food and brought it home. By then it was dark and we were working by candlelight.
The drive through miles of blackness made it clear that we would not be getting power back anytime soon. With no relief from the heat, it was time to get everyone to a hotel. I tried several only to find that either they didn’t have power either, or that they were full with people like us who needed respite from the heat.
Whitney had a great idea to try the hotels near BWI airport, and it payed off…we got a room reserved at the Embassy Suites. It turned out it was their next-to-last room available. So Whitney, Austin and Linda and I all packed up and drove 35 miles to the airport. We finally settled in to the room at around 11PM and fed/changed Austin. Linda and I slept in shifts so that Whitney could FINALLY get more than 15 minutes sleep at a time.
We awoke this morning and checked with our neighbors, still no power. We’ve extended the room for another night and are keeping our fingers crossed for power restoral before tomorrow afternoon. We are in MUCH better shape than we were yesterday, with both Whitney and Linda getting some decent sleep for the first time in days.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Birth Day
7/23 2:19 AM:
They admitted us at 1 AM. We are in the delivery room. Whitney's contractions are more frequent (3 min) and stronger, but she's still barely dilated. They are going to give it time before considering inducing.
7/23 2:49 AM:
Whitney is on a light pain med and dozing. Going to try and get a few hours sleep.
7/23 6:04 AM:
It's now 24 hours since recognizable contractions began. Whitney has not slept, as her contractions have stayed sharp and frequent. The OB finally showed. She said Whitney is 100% effaced but still only 3cm dilated. The OB has put her on Pitocin to get things moving. They started the epidural and now we're hoping she can get a few minutes rest before the hard part begins.
7/23 10:50 AM:
Whitney slept for close to an hour, the epidural has done wonders. The nurses check the monitors periodically, but we're still in a holding pattern until either the OB comes back around or the nurses see a reason to call her in.
7/23 2:40 PM:
OB came in at 1PM and 2PM. Dilation was at 6cm on the first visit, 7cm on the second. Effacement is still good. The OB will visit again before 4PM. Hopefully things are picking up!
7/23 4:23 PM:
OB came in at 4 PM. Whitney is 8 cm dilated. She will be checking back at 5 PM.
7/23 6:30 PM
OB came back at 5:35. Whitney is 9 cm dilated, but the baby is turned around (facing front instead of back). OB tried to turn the baby, but no luck. I’m massaging Whitney’s belly to try and encourage him to turn.
7/23 8:40 PM
Baby would not turn. We are headed to the OR for a C-Section.
7/23 8:45 PM
Delayed, now they say 15 to 30 min. Whitney has been incredibly valiant throughout all 40 hours of this. She amazes me. I'm so lucky.
7/23 9:21 PM
In the OR They are prepping Whitney inside, will call me in once prep is done.
7/23 10:22 PM:
They admitted us at 1 AM. We are in the delivery room. Whitney's contractions are more frequent (3 min) and stronger, but she's still barely dilated. They are going to give it time before considering inducing.
7/23 2:49 AM:
Whitney is on a light pain med and dozing. Going to try and get a few hours sleep.
7/23 6:04 AM:
It's now 24 hours since recognizable contractions began. Whitney has not slept, as her contractions have stayed sharp and frequent. The OB finally showed. She said Whitney is 100% effaced but still only 3cm dilated. The OB has put her on Pitocin to get things moving. They started the epidural and now we're hoping she can get a few minutes rest before the hard part begins.
7/23 10:50 AM:
Whitney slept for close to an hour, the epidural has done wonders. The nurses check the monitors periodically, but we're still in a holding pattern until either the OB comes back around or the nurses see a reason to call her in.
7/23 2:40 PM:
OB came in at 1PM and 2PM. Dilation was at 6cm on the first visit, 7cm on the second. Effacement is still good. The OB will visit again before 4PM. Hopefully things are picking up!
7/23 4:23 PM:
OB came in at 4 PM. Whitney is 8 cm dilated. She will be checking back at 5 PM.
7/23 6:30 PM
OB came back at 5:35. Whitney is 9 cm dilated, but the baby is turned around (facing front instead of back). OB tried to turn the baby, but no luck. I’m massaging Whitney’s belly to try and encourage him to turn.
7/23 8:40 PM
Baby would not turn. We are headed to the OR for a C-Section.
7/23 8:45 PM
Delayed, now they say 15 to 30 min. Whitney has been incredibly valiant throughout all 40 hours of this. She amazes me. I'm so lucky.
7/23 9:21 PM
In the OR They are prepping Whitney inside, will call me in once prep is done.
7/23 10:22 PM:
Austin Scott Brooks, born 7/23/10 at 9:30 PM, 6 lbs 5 oz, 20 inches long. He had the cord wrapped twice around his neck, but came through with flying colors. Mama and baby are doing well.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
And the Day Continues...
Apparently, labor pains don't go away. They just keep coming and coming and coming. I called and strongly recommended that Dallas come home as soon as his 1:00 meeting ended. He arrived in time to help me monitor the contractions for. the. rest. of. the. day. About 7:00, we started walking around the block to move things along. My contractions got worse as we walked. We still hadn't reached that "5-7 minutes consistently for an hour" point, but I was tired of not knowing where we stood. And I wanted to know if I could go to bed to try to sleep or if we should keep timing the contractions. We decided to go to the hospital to get an update. I fully expected them to send me home, but at least we would come home with more information.
We got to the hospital around 9:30. After monitoring the contractions, we were told to walk the hallways for an hour and squat (I needed to squat. Dallas did not.) during each contraction. Whoever came up with that idea should be shot on sight. Regardless, the walking/squatting drills seemed to move things along. I was admitted around 11:30.
Oh, and Nemo never did get a bath.
We got to the hospital around 9:30. After monitoring the contractions, we were told to walk the hallways for an hour and squat (I needed to squat. Dallas did not.) during each contraction. Whoever came up with that idea should be shot on sight. Regardless, the walking/squatting drills seemed to move things along. I was admitted around 11:30.
Oh, and Nemo never did get a bath.
Labor Pains!?!?!?!
After deciding that the baby was going to arrive 2 weeks early with no luck, I decided that the child was either never going to arrive or would arrive around Christmas time. The thing to understand is that I am not at all hormonal or irrational. Once again, baby had his own agenda.
Today, I am officially in labor. My regular weekly check-up yesterday basically showed no progress - slight dilation (1.5 cm) and mildly effaced. We scheduled another appointment for Monday and talked about the possibility of scheduling an induction at 41 weeks. I also saw my chiropractor who did say that things are beginning to move...whatever time schedule that implies!
Perhaps my exam yesterday got things moving. I don't know. I had some pains last night that felt like the baby was burrowing his head into my back and pelvis. The pains were uncomfortable, but not what I expected labor pains to feel like. I went to bed with plans to go to work this morning. During the night, I woke up several times with similar pains and kept getting up to go to the bathroom. The pains passed, and I guess I fell back to sleep.
This morning, I got up and started getting ready for work. The pains were taking my breath away, and I started thinking twice about driving or commuting into D.C. for work. As soon as Dallas woke up, I talked to him. We decided I didn't need to drive into downtown, although we still hadn't pegged the pains as contractions. I trudged downstairs to the office and sent an email to folks at work to let them know I was opting to work from home. I then Googled "what do labor contractions feel like?" After reading through all the oh-so-helpful responses of "you'll know it when you feel it," I found this: "Labor contractions are felt low in the groin or in the lower back. They may radiate from front to back or back to front or down your legs. They are dull and crampy like menstrual or gas cramps." -from parentsplace.com
Uh-oh! I disagree with the "dull" part, but the rest of it was pretty spot on. Back upstairs to tell Dallas. I was still not sure what I was feeling were contractions - even though they were cycling around every 15 minutes. I convinced Dallas there was no reason for him to stay home from work and promised to call my doctor as soon as they opened.
I also decided that I had to get my hair washed just in case this thing was real because who wants to sit around feeling miserable with greasy hair? Oh, and I seriously considered giving Nemo a much needed bath. Still expecting my doctor to laugh at me, I called. I was told to come in - now! No I would not need to get an appointment. I needed to come in immediately. At last, I started to worry that this thing might be real. So, I washed my hair, shaved my legs, finished packing my bags, and petted the dog. With nothing else to postpone reality, I went to the doctor.
As of 10:00 this morning, I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Well on the way to having a baby. The doctor told me to go home and get something to eat. Once the contractions hit 5-7 minutes apart for an hour, we will head to the hospital. In the meantime, Nemo may still get that bath...
Today, I am officially in labor. My regular weekly check-up yesterday basically showed no progress - slight dilation (1.5 cm) and mildly effaced. We scheduled another appointment for Monday and talked about the possibility of scheduling an induction at 41 weeks. I also saw my chiropractor who did say that things are beginning to move...whatever time schedule that implies!
Perhaps my exam yesterday got things moving. I don't know. I had some pains last night that felt like the baby was burrowing his head into my back and pelvis. The pains were uncomfortable, but not what I expected labor pains to feel like. I went to bed with plans to go to work this morning. During the night, I woke up several times with similar pains and kept getting up to go to the bathroom. The pains passed, and I guess I fell back to sleep.
This morning, I got up and started getting ready for work. The pains were taking my breath away, and I started thinking twice about driving or commuting into D.C. for work. As soon as Dallas woke up, I talked to him. We decided I didn't need to drive into downtown, although we still hadn't pegged the pains as contractions. I trudged downstairs to the office and sent an email to folks at work to let them know I was opting to work from home. I then Googled "what do labor contractions feel like?" After reading through all the oh-so-helpful responses of "you'll know it when you feel it," I found this: "Labor contractions are felt low in the groin or in the lower back. They may radiate from front to back or back to front or down your legs. They are dull and crampy like menstrual or gas cramps." -from parentsplace.com
Uh-oh! I disagree with the "dull" part, but the rest of it was pretty spot on. Back upstairs to tell Dallas. I was still not sure what I was feeling were contractions - even though they were cycling around every 15 minutes. I convinced Dallas there was no reason for him to stay home from work and promised to call my doctor as soon as they opened.
I also decided that I had to get my hair washed just in case this thing was real because who wants to sit around feeling miserable with greasy hair? Oh, and I seriously considered giving Nemo a much needed bath. Still expecting my doctor to laugh at me, I called. I was told to come in - now! No I would not need to get an appointment. I needed to come in immediately. At last, I started to worry that this thing might be real. So, I washed my hair, shaved my legs, finished packing my bags, and petted the dog. With nothing else to postpone reality, I went to the doctor.
As of 10:00 this morning, I was 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Well on the way to having a baby. The doctor told me to go home and get something to eat. Once the contractions hit 5-7 minutes apart for an hour, we will head to the hospital. In the meantime, Nemo may still get that bath...
"Nameless" by Sassy
NAMELESS
by Sassy
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;”
Jeremiah 1:5a
Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name?
Without a name you’re still the same.”
I really hope that that is true,
For we keep changing names for you.
You started out as Mom’s “Sweet Pea”;
We weren’t quite sure “what” you would be.
A girl, we thought, might be the best;
No Dallas pranks, no boyish mess.
But soon we learned: “We’re buying blue!
No girl for us; his name’s not Sue.”
So “Buster” was the name of choice—
No one asked me, no family voice!
Then “Rowdy” soon took center stage
And followed as you came of age.
Till YaYa came: “None yet?” she sighed,
“’Noneyet’” it is! It’s great!” she lied.
But names are labels that we wear;
We’re judged by people everywhere.
A name dictates your destiny;
It drives the man that you will be.
I know your name—and I’m sincere;
It’s faithful, honest, pure and dear.
Godly, able, brave and true,
Exemplary in all you do.
Filled with laughter, charm and wit,
Handsome, gracious, strong and fit.
You’re Brooks, McMakin, Austin, Shoe.
I call you “Ours”; we all love you!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
38 Weeks and Counting
We got good news for baby at the 38 week check-up today. Baby has grown significantly over the last two weeks. He is now clocking in at a massive 6 lb 14 oz, up from 5 lb 5 oz. Heartbeat is good, and he appears healthy and happy. I would like him to be just as healthy, but a little less happy. Maybe that would encourage a hasty exit.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
37 Week Update
This is beginning to read like a bad birthday countdown...except I can't wait to reach 40 (weeks)!
Short and sweet this time. This was another mini-sonogram. Fluid levels in the placenta were great. Last week was an anomoly or perhaps just a bad reading. Heartbeat is strong at 138 bpm. He is in position for delivery, but he has been there for a long time. We just need some contractions. Once again, baby turned his face away from the camera, so no pics. After waking up in a complete panic that this wasn't a boy, I had the sonographer check one more time. All boy parts are still in place and prominently on display. Next week they will do another full sonogram and measure the baby's growth.
Unless something starts happening very quickly, I don't expect we'll have a baby on my "new and improved" delivery date of July 10!
Short and sweet this time. This was another mini-sonogram. Fluid levels in the placenta were great. Last week was an anomoly or perhaps just a bad reading. Heartbeat is strong at 138 bpm. He is in position for delivery, but he has been there for a long time. We just need some contractions. Once again, baby turned his face away from the camera, so no pics. After waking up in a complete panic that this wasn't a boy, I had the sonographer check one more time. All boy parts are still in place and prominently on display. Next week they will do another full sonogram and measure the baby's growth.
Unless something starts happening very quickly, I don't expect we'll have a baby on my "new and improved" delivery date of July 10!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Welcome to the Jungle
Over the weekend, our wonderfully talented friend, Kim, recreated the jungle theme from the baby shower decorations onto the walls of the nursery. Unfortunately, the process was not without its challenges – the paint dried very quickly and made blending difficult and the texture of the walls didn’t work well with the thickness of the paint. Fortunately, Kim figured out ways to complete the project, and after a lot of hard work, created a beautiful focal point in the nursery. We love, love, love it! It really brightens up the room and adds a whole new life to it! Soon, very soon in fact, we will be bringing our new life into the room!
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