Coming home, meeting family, and feet : the first 3 weeks

 

 I am realizing I have not been nearly as good a photographer this time around (3rd child syndrome?), so I apologize that I am missing a lot of pictures of grandparents holding Cooper!  I am hoping they have some on their own cameras and I can get them sometime.  Anyyyyywayyy, Cooper had lots of family and friends come to meet him in the hospital and once we were home and it has been so fun sharing our miracle with everyone! Babies are so amazing.  As you can see from the pictures, his two big brothers absolutely ADORE him.  Adore.  They are always seeking to kiss, eskimo kiss, hug, and hold him.

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Cooper is growing like a weed!  At his 2 week appointment he was 9 lb 4 oz and 22 inches.  Big boy!  The doctor said "well, this isn't your first rodeo... he looks great, just keep doing whatever you're doing!" It is nice having a vote of confidence from your pediatrician :) 

He is such a sweet baby and sleeping well, minus the first night when my milk came in and caused him tummy issues.  He is by far the best napping baby I've had (wahoo!) and his nights are pretty good too (he is doing a 4-5 hour stretch currently).  He really, really likes his crib and does NOT like the swing we have (aaaaahhhh).  I just borrowed a swing from a friend to see if its just our swing or swings in general.  Luckily, since he is a great napper, the lack of a swing option isn't too bad.  He tolerates the car seat pretty well - you just have to keep driving.  He is a great nurser and eats every 3 hours during the day.  He has a fussy period in the evenings, but he is asleep for the night sometime around 9.  We've discovered gripe water is a great tool during his 'witching hour' - when he starts to fuss we put just a drop on his tongue and it distracts/calms him/helps him grab his pacifier to soothe.  I am so glad I've got a sweet hubby who comes home and teams up with me in the evenings!  Newborns are sweet but very tiring :)

Cooper also finally had his first bath after his umbilical cord stump fell off... he disliked the washing of his neck/ears, enjoyed the water, and disliked being taken out of it :)  He tolerates the washing now but still hates when I get him out!

Feet... some may remember my post about discovering Cooper would have a birth defect of his right foot.  Two ultrasounds seemed to confirm a clubfoot and I read everrrrrrything about clubfeet, researched our nearest pediatric orthopedists that would be the ones to treat him, and even talked to a specialist in Memphis about it.  The doctor in Memphis, Dr. Kelly, was the nicest man.  I called and asked his secretary for a referral for a doctor in Nashville and she went and asked him... then goes, "wait a second, he wants to talk to you!"  I was completely surprised that this pediatric orthopedist was taking a moment out of his day to talk to a perfect stranger 2.5 hours away from him.  He was so kind and encouraging.  At the end of our conversation he said, "and I have to tell you... just because two ultrasounds showed it, there is still about a 20% chance his foot will be fine".  Well,.. lets just say I didn't hang any hope on that.  Matt, on the other hand, was always reminding me "maybe his foot will be fine, you dont know!"  (yeah, right, ok honey... :) ).  Well, you can guess where this is going... Cooper was born and we look at his feet and... look at his feet... and... they look fine??  I got an "I told you so" from Matt.  hehe  I probably asked every attending nurse in the room that night for their personal opinion (his right foot - the one in question- looked perfect, his left looked a little smooshed - which, turns out was just from how he was crammed in my right ribs) and then obviously made sure the pediatrician who checked him out int he morning knew our story and could professional confirm what we already knew: his feet were just fine.  I'm not sure if I have words to explain how this whole experience has made me feel... but suffice it to say, I've been humbled in more ways than one.  Lots of humility, gratitude, and even a little guilt.  Never before have I been so aware of sweet little feet!   I love to touch them, rub them, kiss on them :)  What a journey and what a miracle.

I finally made my first trip to the store (Walmart) with all three children in tow: all three boys behaved perfectly and it was a great first experience!  Whew!  Besides the doc, two trips to a store, and trips to grandparents' homes, we've been major homebodies so far.  This is mostly because I am avoiding sickness... bah!  At his 2 wk checkup I asked the doctor, "my previous ped recommended keeping them home from crowds until 6 wks, is that what you recommend?" to which he replied, "uh, can I tell you to stay home until April?? (hahahah)"  It is a really sick year and RSV is on the rise currently, so we're trying to be really cautious.  Although 6 weeks seems like forever, we're already at 3 and coasting along, so I'm sure we'll make it through our cabin fever stage!  In the meanwhile, I'll be taking us out in small doses to keep sane - followed by hand washing, sanitizer, and maybe even clothes changing (what my pediatrician told me to do!).

So, how am I feeling?  So good.  Tired at times, yes... busy, you betcha... but my moments of gratitude and abundant joy overwhelmingly outnumber the moments of feeling overwhelmed.
I think this picture sums it up - and the best caption I could think for how it makes me feel is, "my cup runneth over!"  Life is so good.

Introducing... Cooper !

A detailed account for my record keeping... :)

4:30 AM January 9th
...I woke up to Mason calling me, "Mommy!  My door is open? Sammy opened my door!"  Yes, our cat likes to harass us randomly and open the boys' bedroom door in the night... we usually lock their door because of this , but apparently we had forgotten.  I felt 'crampy' when I got up to head to Mason, but I was generally uncomfortable so I didn't initially think anything of it.  Well, after tucking Mason back in bed and closing (locking!) his door, I knew this cramping wasn't just discomfort... it was labor.  I started timing  and they were about 7-8 minutes apart and so after 40 mins, I woke Matt just to let him know I was in labor and that he shouldn't bother getting up and ready for work.  We both attempted to go back to sleep at this point... but after 30 minutes, he quietly said, "I can't sleep" to which I replied "I can't either!".  So, we ended up watching an episode of Lie to Me (thanks, Netflix!) in bed until it was time for the boys to be up.  We called Matt's parents a little after 7 to ask them to come get them so we would be free to leave for the hospital as necessary.  I called my doctor's office when they opened to cancel my ultrasound scheduled for that morning, informing them I was in labor and would see them later that day (hooray!).

12:30ish, January 9th
... We had spent our morning readying ourselves - we gave the boys baths, each of us took a shower, ate breakfast, did laundry, packed our bags for the hospital, etc.  The boys left with Matt's Dad and Step Mom and Matt and I finished chores and tried to keep ourselves occupied. My contractions got stronger and became about 5-6 minutes apart, but were still not bad- I was still up and about and able to talk through them.  My nurse called at this point and said, "Jordyn... where ARE you?"  I explained what was going on and she said "uh yeah, I think you should come in".  I was really really surprised they were calling me and concerned!  Although I wasn't feeling ready to go in, I wasn't about to ignore their pretty specific request for me to come in so we got our things together and left.  We (Matt and my Mom and myself) got to the hospital and they told me I was at a 2 (haha!  I had been at a 1.5 at my last appointment) and after the hour of observation, I went to a 2.5.  Womp womp!  Since you aren't considered in "active labor" until you're at a 4 and dilating a cm an hour the doctor on call told me I was welcome to stay and rest, stay and walk, or leave.  At the rate I was going, I did NOT want to be at the hospital all day, so we left.  A waffle sounded good, so we ended up at Waffle House (haha!), then went to Walmart to walk and try to make some progress.  By this point it was about 5 PM and I was EXHAUSTED.  My contractions were all over the place, they had slowed to 8-9 mins at the hospital, went back to 5-6 mins at Walmart, and then when I got back in the car they went to 10 mins apart.  So, we headed back to our house so I could try to rest and give my body some more time.  Since they were spaced out to 10 mins, I was able to nod off between them, but they were getting pretty intense to where I couldn't talk at all in the middle of one.  Around 7 Matt decided we should go back to the hospital because he didn't want to have a baby born at home :) , even if my contractions were doing strange things.

7:30-8, January 9th
.... We got back to the hospital and they took me in an observation room where they told me I was finally at a 4.  They got me set up in a real room and we hunkered down for the duration.  I was able to listen to hypnobirthing "affirmations" on our ipod and it was GREAT!  During Lincoln's labor I attempted to do this as well, but my ipod battery died within 30 mins and I was stuck on my own.  The affirmations really helped me this time to focus and relax and I found myself dozing between (hard) contractions up until transition. Amazing!  During contractions I would use the affirmations to feel calm, relax to my best ability, and view the entire process in a positive light.  I also tried to consider them feeling like "a big hug" (a remark some woman made on a blog I read once) which also helped.  Transition finally came... which is where I think I just go into survival mode. Forget trying to relax!  I was mumbling/kind of talking (deliriously, probably, haha) between contractions at this point and Matt tried to make a joke just as I was going back into a contraction and got a sharp, unkind response of "shut. up." from me.  :)  The doctor laughed.  FINALLY pushing time came - in my mind I literally said, "GO TIME!" - I knew what needed to be done and how to do it and I was reaaaady to be done!  I was able to birth on my side again and I gave one long push through one contraction (about a min of pushing) and........


12:47 AM, January 10th

Cooper Michael decided to finally make his debut!!  8 lb 15 oz, 21 inches long and scoring a 9 on his Apgar.  I was so anxious to hold him but was delayed a second as the entire room kept saying "look at his cord!" which was apparently wrapped around his legs multiple times in multiple ways.  I had one stitch internally and have had a great recovery so far (besides the initial exhaustion! Over 20 hours of labor... good grief!). He nursed like a champ within an hour of being born and we spent about 2.5 days (blah) in the hospital due to my positive group b strep.  We did, however, enjoy visits from friends and family and I tried to soak up the one-on-one time I had with him there alone.   

He is so, so precious.  So sweet and perfect.

We are SO happy and blessed to have him in our family!!

Any time baby....

This morning I raked (for the umpteenth time) our backyard, burned the huge pile of leaves, washed my van (twice actually... when it started to dry I realized it needed more elbow grease), and started redecorating our bathroom... I think this babe can come any time now.



Do you hear that baby?  Any. time.  :)


Here is a glamorous bathroom mirror picture of my belly, 40 wks to the day....

Year End 2012

Merry (belated) Christmas!!!

As the holidays approached and people asked about when our baby was due, I kept saying "he is basically here", considering that I KNEW December would be a whirlwind and then his due date would be here in a flash.  Well, I was right.  December really was a whirlwind and here it is, January already!

Our month included - in no particular order: baking treats, caroling, Christmas parties, speaking in church, the starter in our van going out, a few rounds of company in from out of state, Matt enduring inventory at work, a new calling at church, singing a solo w/the choir, stomach bugs/colds galore, enjoying our Christmas decorations, Matt's Birthday, the arrival of our NEW NIECE!, decorating the baby's room, Matt's car tricking us and acting like it needed to be towed one night (I talked it out of its nonsense somehow), Christmas shopping (go Amazon!), weekly OB doctor's visits for me, and more :)

Christmas was SO fun with the boys... if we thought last year was fun w/their ages, this year was even more so!  We had family over in the morning and visited more family in the afternoon/evening - it was a perfect Christmas.  Hands down.

We even got some SNOW the day after Christmas!  It was bitterly cold out and there wasn't much of it, but we bundled and headed out to enjoy what we did have!  They did NOT want to come in!  Here I am, the pregnant one who is usually exceptionally warm, saying "come on, lets go in and get some hot cocoa..." and they're begging to stay out longer!  Hopefully we get some more snow this year (last year we literally didn't get any!).  They even attempted some snow angels in what we got :)

New Year's Eve we were able to sneak away on a much-needed, last-minute, 'final' date night before sweet baby boy arrives.  We went and saw Les Mis at the theater and enjoyed some one-on-one time together.  We also reminisced that on New Year's Eve 8 years ago we got engaged!  Afterwards we joined my parents & Gram (where our boys were sleeping) and enjoyed some games and shrimp.  We even managed to stay up until midnight! :)  Call us party animals!

Looking back at the month, there were some moments of feeling and being completely overwhelmed, but there was also complete and utter gratitude, pure joy, and a needed re-realization that God is in control of all things. We have been abundantly blessed and I can say that I ended 2012 looking at life with happiness and a feeling of contentment, even while being aware of challenges that we have faced. I KNOW that Heavenly Father is in the details of life and that with faith and hope, we can find joy and peace through all the good and the bad we experience.

Happy New Year everyone!  May 2013 be a year of growth, love, and happiness for all!

Lights & Santa!

Thanks to the internet, I recently found out a local home has a light display set to music... so of course we had to go check it out!  It was really fun to watch and the boys didn't want to leave AT ALL! I'm wondering how you handle living inside this house/as neighbors of these people though... whew.  Anyway, I think we'll be making a return trip before Christmas!

Yesterday we attended our annual Breakfast With Santa to support the local chapter of the Imagination Library. We enjoyed breakfast, won some things at the silent auction (sweet!!), and had a great visit with Santa!  No tears & they talked to him! Mason told him he wanted a bike, a basketball hoop, and TWO basketballs.  Lincoln just exclaimed "a basketball!"  Tall order ;)

November Recap

I didn't realize just HOW far behind I was on blogging until just now... and suddenly felt bad for leaving the blog-world with "throw up happens" for so many weeks.  Sorry, folks!

Looking at my November re-cap of pictures, it appears I was a poor photographer for the month.  It has been a full, busy, beautiful month none-the-less!

Gram (Bobby) and my brother Josh came into town to help as my/our Mom underwent double-knee replacement.  Uncle Josh quickly was latched onto by the boys and was clobbered at every chance they got (home, hospital room, it made no difference!).  Alike my Father, who the boys have determined they can basically coerce into most anything, Uncle Josh was the go-to for whatever plan they could hatch up.  It is amazing what a 2/4 yr old can get a grown man to do:

Needless to say, although poor Mom was down and out that week, the boys had a great time visiting :)

Meanwhile, Mom's surgery went swimmingly... then her initial recovery was horrendous... and now she is on the up-and up.  Seriously, her progress each 24-hours has been amazing. Although she couldn't see her own progress for the first week or so, I think even she now sees how well she is doing compared to where she was.  She is a fighter and she had been in pain for so long, even though the surgery is really, really rough it will be awesome to have a level of life back that she hasn't had in years.  Hurrah for technology/medical advances!

Thanksgiving, which I apparently took NO pictures of (gasp!), was a sad and happy day.  That morning Matt's Grandmother (Granny), who had been declining after a long fight with Parkinson's, passed away.  It was appropriate that the day be spent with family and spent reflecting on our blessings and gratitude.  Granny was very positive and happy and I know she wouldn't have had it any other way.  We celebrated her life at her funeral on Saturday and Matt gave a beautiful Eulogy that I think really reflected her life and her legacy.   On Sunday we had our third Thanksgiving meal (I'm going to blame ALL my pregnancy weight gain on all these meals! haha) and rounded out the weekend perfectly with more time with family.  

Squished in there was some black-Thursday shopping (I braved Walmart at 8PM Thursday for some piddly stuff), lots of black-Friday online shopping (YAY for online!), and the buying and decorating of our Christmas tree!

While I'm on a roll with November, I'll include that I had my 34 week OB appointment this week and was told I was 'looking great'.  I informed them I was officially 'feeling crowded'.  :)  I preregistered with the hospital the same day before leaving (my doc office is in the hospital)... let the count down begin!

When throw up happens

...you may end up looking like this on the drive home...
very, very cute :)

(I think it's great how happy he appears after what had just transpired!)