Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Updates
As you can imagine we've been a bit busy around here lately. Here's a quick update on everyone.
Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie
Grandpa and Grandma rock! They have been keeping Spencer and Josh busy, as well as cooking and helping around the house. Oddly, the amount of cookies, candy, and chips in our house has multiplied exponentially since they've gotten here. Good for winning the love of grandchildren and a son-in-law; not so good for losing the baby weight. (We're still so grateful they're here!)
Lance
Lance has been busy at work this week. (He's staying home for the next two weeks.) I suspect he goes to work and takes naps under his desk, because he doesn't seem tired at all even though we have a rather loud baby in our room. Hmmm...
Maren
My recovery has been going really, really well. I'm weaning myself from the pain medication and am able to (fairly) easily move around the house. I was even feeling good enough to go on a walk around the neighborhood tonight. I just wish I didn't have to still wear maternity clothes; I'm so sick of them! (But I guess I should go easy on myself - it's only been a week.) The difference between this c-section and the one I had with Josh is night and day!! (With Josh I got an infection and was completely miserable.) Now if I could just get a decent night's sleep...
Spencer
Spencer is my good little helper. He really loves Cole and is interested in all that he does. Spencer has also become an expert on babies. He drove me nutso today by giving me nursing tips. (Whatever, Spence.) He has also decided that he can 'speak baby'. When Cole cries Spencer translates. Oddly, Cole often says "Noooooo!"
Joshie
Joshie is... well, Joshie. Only more so. If you know him, then you know what I mean. He likes to hold Cole for about 10 seconds, and then he's done. Josh has become a bit more beligerent lately, but I'm not really sure if that's in reaction to the baby or Josh just being Josh. Probably both.
Cole
Cole sleeps. And sleeps and sleeps. He is the sleepingest baby ever. I have the hardest time waking him up just to eat. Part of the problem is that he is a little jaundiced. We went to the hospital yesterday to have some bloodwork done on him, but his bilirubin levels were okay so they're not going to treat him for it. Still, he's lost enough weight since he was born that his doctor is concerned. Having a baby who doesn't want to eat is an extremely foreign concept around here and I'm having a hard time accepting it. Anybody know how to wake up a sleepy baby?
Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie
Grandpa and Grandma rock! They have been keeping Spencer and Josh busy, as well as cooking and helping around the house. Oddly, the amount of cookies, candy, and chips in our house has multiplied exponentially since they've gotten here. Good for winning the love of grandchildren and a son-in-law; not so good for losing the baby weight. (We're still so grateful they're here!)
Lance
Lance has been busy at work this week. (He's staying home for the next two weeks.) I suspect he goes to work and takes naps under his desk, because he doesn't seem tired at all even though we have a rather loud baby in our room. Hmmm...
Maren
My recovery has been going really, really well. I'm weaning myself from the pain medication and am able to (fairly) easily move around the house. I was even feeling good enough to go on a walk around the neighborhood tonight. I just wish I didn't have to still wear maternity clothes; I'm so sick of them! (But I guess I should go easy on myself - it's only been a week.) The difference between this c-section and the one I had with Josh is night and day!! (With Josh I got an infection and was completely miserable.) Now if I could just get a decent night's sleep...
Spencer
Spencer is my good little helper. He really loves Cole and is interested in all that he does. Spencer has also become an expert on babies. He drove me nutso today by giving me nursing tips. (Whatever, Spence.) He has also decided that he can 'speak baby'. When Cole cries Spencer translates. Oddly, Cole often says "Noooooo!"
Joshie
Joshie is... well, Joshie. Only more so. If you know him, then you know what I mean. He likes to hold Cole for about 10 seconds, and then he's done. Josh has become a bit more beligerent lately, but I'm not really sure if that's in reaction to the baby or Josh just being Josh. Probably both.
Cole
Cole sleeps. And sleeps and sleeps. He is the sleepingest baby ever. I have the hardest time waking him up just to eat. Part of the problem is that he is a little jaundiced. We went to the hospital yesterday to have some bloodwork done on him, but his bilirubin levels were okay so they're not going to treat him for it. Still, he's lost enough weight since he was born that his doctor is concerned. Having a baby who doesn't want to eat is an extremely foreign concept around here and I'm having a hard time accepting it. Anybody know how to wake up a sleepy baby?
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Cole's Birthday
I believe the last words of my post last Friday were "I think I've had enough fun for the day."
Auspicious.
I finished that post around 2:45, after which I swept and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned the kid's bathroom, and picked up around the house. My dad was flying in that evening and we were going to leave around 5:30 to pick him up, hence the cleaning and such. Then I decided to sit down and rest.
As I mentioned in my Friday post, I had been having contractions off and on all day, but nothing consistent or strong. I hadn't really worried about them. But once I sat down the contractions started coming on, stronger, harder, more consistently.
Dang it.
So I got up and started walking around, thinking that this diversion would put an end to them. Nope. I tried sitting in a different chair. No change. I tried drinking a bunch of water. (Dehydration can cause contractions, right?) They kept coming.
At this point Lance was home and probably wondering what was up with his crazy wife. Luckily, he didn't say anything to that effect.
Just before Lance came home my dad called to let us know his flight had been delayed. I thought this was good, because that would give me some more time to rest and stop these dumb contractions. Then I laid down, because even though the contractions were about 6-9 minutes apart, hard, and lasting at least 30 seconds, I was still under the delusion that this wasn't really labor.
But a little while later, while Lance and I were discussing who would go pick up my dad and who would stay home with the kids, reality struck. I was in labor. It wasn't going away. I was having this baby. And soon.
So I called my doctor, who was of course not in the office (it was after 5pm on a Friday, after all), and left a message with his answering service. Then I took a quick shower, because I had been hot and sweaty all day and if I was going to have a baby who knew when I'd next get to have one? By the time I had dried my hair the on-call OB/GYN, Dr. Harrison, called me back, agreed that I was in labor, and told me to come to the hospital.
By this point the boys were already in bed. So we called our neighbors and friends down the street, the Polmateers, and they were only too happy to come and sit while we went to the hospital. Shannon and his son, Austin, soon arrived. (Austin only came to see if he could get me to tell him the baby's name, which cracked me up even though I wasn't feeling exactly great. It didn't work - he had to wait just like everyone else!) Shannon and Lance gave me a priesthood blessing, which calmed me down a bit and allowed me to even start feeling excited about the whole thing.
(Side note: to be perfectly honest, for the previous week I had been feeling kind of anxious about having Cole. Not that I didn't want to. Not that I had a choice! But who wouldn't feel a little scared about having major surgery?)
As we were getting into the car my dad called, and we let him know that we wouldn't be able to pick him up because this pesky baby had run out of patience. Could he get a rental car and come home to relieve the Polmateers from their babysitting duty? Of course my wonderful dad said this was no problem. (Thank you, Dad!)
So... we drove to the hospital. I didn't even have to tell Lance where to go this time, like I did when I was having Josh. (Sorry hon - I just had to tease you a little. It was just so stereotypical!) Lance dropped me off at the entrance, parked the car, and then wheeled me up to the 5th floor. Since I had done my pre-testing that morning we didn't even have to register or anything. (So nice!) The nurses in labor and delivery were expecting me and we got right to work.
I changed into a 'lovely' hospital gown, got baby monitors strapped on to my contorting belly, and endured an IV being stabbed into my hand. The nurses did pre-op nursing stuff, Lance and I chatted, Dr. Harrison came in and introduced herself, and I contracted for about an hour and a half. Finally, it was time to get things rolling!
Lance (now dressed in blue scrubs) had to wait in the lounge while I got prepped in the operating room. The room was quite cold and I think my adrenaline was kicking in, so I started shivering quite a bit. This made me even more nervous for my spinal block (Getting a rather large needle put into my spine while I'm shaking? Not so much...), but the nurses and anesthesiologist were so great and helped me through it. It didn't really hurt all that much, although of course a contraction started right in the middle. The medication kicked in fast and I soon couldn't even sit up by myself, let alone feel or move anything from my armpits and down. (Talk about a weird sensation...)
The nurses and doctors were all very kind and kept talking to me and asking me questions. I think they could tell I was still a little nervous. (This is a far cry from when I had Josh - everyone in the OR basically ignored me. Rude.) Lance was called in and they finished prepping me. At this point I was interested to note that Lance was the only man in the room. (For a few more minutes at least!)
If you've never had a c-section, let me tell you: it's weird. Really. You're completely numb, so you don't feel any pain. But you can feel pressure and when they move things around. Very weird.
It took less than 15 minutes for Cole to be born. At first everyone let out "Whoas!" because they thought he would weigh a lot because of his chubby cheeks. (We know better than that now!) As soon as he started crying so did I. I couldn't help it. I was just so relieved and happy and sad and totally hormonal. Lance left my side to be with Cole, leaving me in the capable hands of the anesthesiologist.
It took the doctor another 30 minutes to sew me up. While she was doing this I started feeling nauseous and was soon in need of a basin. This was especially annoying because I had specifically had the anesthesiologist give me some anti-nausea medication. Oh well. My pregnancy began with throwing up so it was fitting that it would end with it as well!
I was soon in recovery, which was very, very boring. Recovery room is a rather grand title for it; it looks more like an overgrown medical supply closet. Oh well. All I know is that the nurse was zealously friendly and somewhere in the background was a radio playing country music. It was around 11:15 and I was starting to get really tired. Lance eventually came in and we waited until I could be released. (I had to be able to lift my legs to a certain height and have good vitals.) He showed me pictures of Cole on the camera, which made me feel kinda bad that I hadn't held him yet.
We didn't get into my post-partum room until 1:30am. I finally got to hold Cole for the first time. Even though I was tired and shaky and starting to itch all over (a lovely side effect of the spinal block) I was so happy to hold that little boy! Exhausted, but happy.
Even though it was a little unexpected, and having a c-section isn't the greatest way to spend the evening, it was a fun way to end the day. I'm so glad you're here, Cole - I love you!
Auspicious.
I finished that post around 2:45, after which I swept and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned the kid's bathroom, and picked up around the house. My dad was flying in that evening and we were going to leave around 5:30 to pick him up, hence the cleaning and such. Then I decided to sit down and rest.
As I mentioned in my Friday post, I had been having contractions off and on all day, but nothing consistent or strong. I hadn't really worried about them. But once I sat down the contractions started coming on, stronger, harder, more consistently.
Dang it.
So I got up and started walking around, thinking that this diversion would put an end to them. Nope. I tried sitting in a different chair. No change. I tried drinking a bunch of water. (Dehydration can cause contractions, right?) They kept coming.
At this point Lance was home and probably wondering what was up with his crazy wife. Luckily, he didn't say anything to that effect.
Just before Lance came home my dad called to let us know his flight had been delayed. I thought this was good, because that would give me some more time to rest and stop these dumb contractions. Then I laid down, because even though the contractions were about 6-9 minutes apart, hard, and lasting at least 30 seconds, I was still under the delusion that this wasn't really labor.
But a little while later, while Lance and I were discussing who would go pick up my dad and who would stay home with the kids, reality struck. I was in labor. It wasn't going away. I was having this baby. And soon.
So I called my doctor, who was of course not in the office (it was after 5pm on a Friday, after all), and left a message with his answering service. Then I took a quick shower, because I had been hot and sweaty all day and if I was going to have a baby who knew when I'd next get to have one? By the time I had dried my hair the on-call OB/GYN, Dr. Harrison, called me back, agreed that I was in labor, and told me to come to the hospital.
By this point the boys were already in bed. So we called our neighbors and friends down the street, the Polmateers, and they were only too happy to come and sit while we went to the hospital. Shannon and his son, Austin, soon arrived. (Austin only came to see if he could get me to tell him the baby's name, which cracked me up even though I wasn't feeling exactly great. It didn't work - he had to wait just like everyone else!) Shannon and Lance gave me a priesthood blessing, which calmed me down a bit and allowed me to even start feeling excited about the whole thing.
(Side note: to be perfectly honest, for the previous week I had been feeling kind of anxious about having Cole. Not that I didn't want to. Not that I had a choice! But who wouldn't feel a little scared about having major surgery?)
As we were getting into the car my dad called, and we let him know that we wouldn't be able to pick him up because this pesky baby had run out of patience. Could he get a rental car and come home to relieve the Polmateers from their babysitting duty? Of course my wonderful dad said this was no problem. (Thank you, Dad!)
So... we drove to the hospital. I didn't even have to tell Lance where to go this time, like I did when I was having Josh. (Sorry hon - I just had to tease you a little. It was just so stereotypical!) Lance dropped me off at the entrance, parked the car, and then wheeled me up to the 5th floor. Since I had done my pre-testing that morning we didn't even have to register or anything. (So nice!) The nurses in labor and delivery were expecting me and we got right to work.
I changed into a 'lovely' hospital gown, got baby monitors strapped on to my contorting belly, and endured an IV being stabbed into my hand. The nurses did pre-op nursing stuff, Lance and I chatted, Dr. Harrison came in and introduced herself, and I contracted for about an hour and a half. Finally, it was time to get things rolling!
Lance (now dressed in blue scrubs) had to wait in the lounge while I got prepped in the operating room. The room was quite cold and I think my adrenaline was kicking in, so I started shivering quite a bit. This made me even more nervous for my spinal block (Getting a rather large needle put into my spine while I'm shaking? Not so much...), but the nurses and anesthesiologist were so great and helped me through it. It didn't really hurt all that much, although of course a contraction started right in the middle. The medication kicked in fast and I soon couldn't even sit up by myself, let alone feel or move anything from my armpits and down. (Talk about a weird sensation...)
The nurses and doctors were all very kind and kept talking to me and asking me questions. I think they could tell I was still a little nervous. (This is a far cry from when I had Josh - everyone in the OR basically ignored me. Rude.) Lance was called in and they finished prepping me. At this point I was interested to note that Lance was the only man in the room. (For a few more minutes at least!)
If you've never had a c-section, let me tell you: it's weird. Really. You're completely numb, so you don't feel any pain. But you can feel pressure and when they move things around. Very weird.
It took less than 15 minutes for Cole to be born. At first everyone let out "Whoas!" because they thought he would weigh a lot because of his chubby cheeks. (We know better than that now!) As soon as he started crying so did I. I couldn't help it. I was just so relieved and happy and sad and totally hormonal. Lance left my side to be with Cole, leaving me in the capable hands of the anesthesiologist.
It took the doctor another 30 minutes to sew me up. While she was doing this I started feeling nauseous and was soon in need of a basin. This was especially annoying because I had specifically had the anesthesiologist give me some anti-nausea medication. Oh well. My pregnancy began with throwing up so it was fitting that it would end with it as well!
I was soon in recovery, which was very, very boring. Recovery room is a rather grand title for it; it looks more like an overgrown medical supply closet. Oh well. All I know is that the nurse was zealously friendly and somewhere in the background was a radio playing country music. It was around 11:15 and I was starting to get really tired. Lance eventually came in and we waited until I could be released. (I had to be able to lift my legs to a certain height and have good vitals.) He showed me pictures of Cole on the camera, which made me feel kinda bad that I hadn't held him yet.
We didn't get into my post-partum room until 1:30am. I finally got to hold Cole for the first time. Even though I was tired and shaky and starting to itch all over (a lovely side effect of the spinal block) I was so happy to hold that little boy! Exhausted, but happy.
Even though it was a little unexpected, and having a c-section isn't the greatest way to spend the evening, it was a fun way to end the day. I'm so glad you're here, Cole - I love you!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Baby Weight Winner!
First, thanks to all who made guesses for my Baby Weight Giveaway. It was fun to see what everyone thought and your reasoning behind it.
Second, I will be the first to admit that I thought Cole would be a lot bigger than he was. Seriously, I thought he'd be between nine and a half and ten pounds. I scoffed at any guesses below nine pounds. (Shows what I know...)
Third, congratulations to Mindi (my old roomie, buddy, and friend), whose guess of 8 lbs 14 oz was exactly right. Good job, Mindi - I am very impressed! Mindi very recently had her fourth baby, so she knows a thing or two about babies. (Mindi - please email me to let me know which email address you would like your $8.14 Amazon.com gift card to go to.)
Fourth, is it wrong that as the nurse called out his weight for the first time I immediately tried to recall who had won the contest? :)
Back Off - This is My Paci
Can I just say that I am soooo happy that Cole will take a pacifier?
Happy day and hallelujah!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Cole Robert Madsen
So as you have probably seen, my fun day was only just beginning on Friday!
I would go into all of the details, but I'm still hopped up on narcotics right now. Which means I'm feeling pretty good, but also pretty loopy. Not the best blogging combination.
So for now I'll just say a big thank you for all of your support and congratulations. It means a lot!
p.s. Thanks also to my 'guest blogger' for putting up the announcement. Even if he did forget to tell you the baby's name. :)
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