Jacob And Mom Are Home!!!

Jacob and mom have made it home. Both are doing well. Mom is sore, but resting comfortably. Although, I may need to sit on her shortly because she is talking about doing a lot and doesn't need to be.

We will be making a trip to the pediatrician tomorrow. Jacob lost almost a 1/2 pound and is down to 6lbs 11oz. It is normal to lose about 10% and is okay, but his weight loss is causing a little jaundice so we are going to the pediatrician a little sooner. Other than that, everyone is fine and safe at home!!

Coming Home Today?!?!

Today should be the day that mom and baby come home for the first time! The pediatrician and OB/GYN should both be in this morning to check out mom and baby.

Mom was pretty sore yesterday, but was able to get a totally awesome nurse that made all of Amy's ailments seem to just float away. It made the night nurses look like they weren't very competent considering everything. Yes, Amy did tough it out unncessarily, but I think now she knows that she shouldn't be. She did have a bout of dizziness that was of a concern, but she is okay and doing well now (or at least when I left about 10:30 last night). Amy's favorite nurse will be back this morning and hopefully be our nurse again. She will be able to give us the rundown on the taking Jacob home before we hopefully leave today.

Jacob checked out okay by the pediatrician yesterday, but he did/does have a little jaundice. It is 0.2 which is something I guess they are watching, but not concerned with. We didn't even know he had any until the pediatrician looked at his chart and mentioned it. He noted that the jaundice needed to be at a 3-4 before we could see it, so nothing to worry about. It was nothing to worry about in mind already since we couldn't see it and didn't think it was even worth discussing.... Guess that's why Amy and I aren't doctors... ;)! Oh, Jacob is now breastfeeding GREAT!! He was falling asleep A LOT, but wouldn't you know it... When I wanted to leave after he was done last night, he just kept going and going and going... I think he has a sixth, seventh and eighth sense about his mommy and daddy already... LOL!!

I will be leaving here soon and am hoping to be at the hospital before 7. The day REALLY started yesterday at 8:15 with people literally lined up waiting to see us. Mom and I were a little overwhelmed and didn't really remember who came in. Some of them are coming back today because there was just too much going on at the time yesterday, partly because this is when Amy was having her bout with dizziness.

So, today should be the day that our new family will all be arriving home together for the first time!!! Let our new life begin!!! :-D!

Will The Blog Continue?

Many have asked the question if we will be maintaining the blog now that Jacob has arrived. The answer is simply, yes. We have grandparents, relatives and friends that are not close to us in distance, but are close in relation. I/we have had fun sharing many of the events leading up to the birth of our child and are looking forward to sharing pictures, video and stories with you in the future. We hope you have enjoyed checking the blog to either check and see what we have been up to or to get a good giggle and maybe even both. The silly antics, the anxiety of our experiences or just the plain 'ol fun... Not to mention that I really need to proofread these before I post (spelling errors, missing words, extra words... LOL!) My mom has even gotten a new computer and is looking at getting even more up-to-date with getting the internet. Something that she has talked about since I gave her a computer a number of years ago and really even before that. I guess it just takes a first grandchild to put that into motion... ;)! It didn't take long after she was told that if she were to get into the "technology craze", she would be sent pictures and could access the blog just like all of you.

So, yes, we will be keeping the blog going. It is sort of an online scrapbook...

Why Am I Up Now?

It is now 5:44 am on Saturday... I'm at home and it is less than 24 hours after the birth of our son. You are probably saying to yourself, "Why is that fool up now when he could be getting a good nights rest?" It's pretty simple, my wife and baby are not here and the only place there are pictures or the ability to see them is online. I simply woke up and my mind starting thinking about the events of yesterday and how I would like to be back at the hospital. At the same time, I am sitting with Frankie and making sure she is okay and getting rid of some energy as she had a long day yesterday as well with hardly no one around... It is still too early to head back to the hospital because hopefully mom and baby are still sleeping. We decided it was best for me to come home and tend to our pet while we allowed Jacob to go to the nursery for the night. This was to allow mom to get some rest and not feel the need to be up all night with him. He is in the nursery and is "feed on demand" and will be brought to the room if mom is needed for a feeding.

So, here I am checking out the pictures of yesterday, feeling the present and looking forward to the future...

Jacob Daniel Has Arrived!!

Jacob Daniel arrived at 12:03 pm. Mom and baby are doing extremely well. Mom is currently sleeping soundly and the baby is in the nursery. He is about 35 minutes old in the picture.

Other stats: 7 pounds, 2 ounces; 20-1/4 inches long.

E-mail announcement to follow later...

Pictures from Aunt Abby...

Almost Time To Go... Again!!

As the time approaches for us to leave for the hospital once again, we are "trying" to get some much needed last minute sleep. Amy was able to get some sleep yesterday afternoon and some last night. She is only resting now as the alarm is set to go off in the next 1/2 hour or so.

We are hoping that we have much better luck today and the hospital is not full. We were guaranteed that we would not be sent home today, but as we found out yesterday, things do happen. Hence we are still a little concerned, but optimistic.

A Depressing And VERY Frustrating Day!!

The morning was off to a great start, we woke up and got to the hospital on time (6 am). We checked in, got the the monitors hooked up and things were rolling right along. At about 7:30 or so Amy needed to go to the bathroom and was unhooked and went to the bathroom across the aisle. While in there, our doctor showed up to say good morning and check on Amy. Amy heard him while she was in the bathroom and was relieved and excited that she heard his voice. The doctor let me know of a concern about how the day migh play out and left…

As Amy was coming back across the aisle, she heard a woman say something about the possibility of sending an induction patient home. Her eyes were instantly very much bigger than her head as she exclaimed “They aren’t talking about me are they?!?!” I didn’t want to be the one to tell her about the possibility, but I was not given the choice. I had to tell her that they were talking about us and there was a chance of us being sent own. Fortunately, our doctor came back and filled us in and how he was lobbying for us to stay.

After about 45 minutes or so, one of the managers of the unit came and said that we could stay or go home. After much discussion and her reevaluation of the hospital’s status, we are being sent home. We were discharged form the hospital due to the hospital not having any post partum beds available for us. We have been guaranteed that we will be in an LDR room with an IV and pitocin going in by 7 am tomorrow morning or the manager told us that we could/should fire her. She will be there at 7 am to check and be sure that this is the case.

Amy is on her way home as I sit her and wait for my mom to arrive at the hospital since her cell phone isn’t working and she has already left the house. We will be back here tomorrow bright and early at 6 am, to once again be induced and have our child. Needless to say, one of Amy worst fears has come true and we have been sent home and she feels like she has let people down. I have told her that there is nothing that we can do about it and everyone understands. There is nothing that we did wrong or could have changed. We just need to relax and hopefully get some rest tonight so that we can bring our child into this world tomorrow…

Induction Day!!

Here we are getting ready to bring our child into the world. Mom was able to only get a couple hours of sleep, but is ready to go, once she takes a shower. Stay tuned for what we have all been waiting for...

Have you ever gone into a local pub and when you open the door the whole bar turns and stares at you? Well, Amy and I went out to celebrate our last official dinner as a dink couple (dual income, no kids) and this is exactly what happened at the neighborhood Big Boy. Jaws dropped and you could see stares and lips mouthing "oh my god". You would think they never saw a pregnant woman before... It probably didn't help when the waitress asked Amy when she was due and she said tomorrow. The waitress immediately said "You're kidding!!!" and Amy replied "No!" The waitress said, "Well, don't break your water in here..." At least we were able to satisfy Amy's latest craving for Big Boy spaghetti. It was a very romantic dinner... ;)!

Today has been a bittersweet day... As we anticipate bringing a new being into our lives, we are saying goodbye to another. Amy's stepmother's dad passed away around noon today after a short 'bout with cancer. We are deeply saddened by his passing. This makes an even bigger void for our little one to fill as Amy's Uncle Larry's girlfriend also passed away suddenly within the past few weeks...

So, now we are sitting here contemplating tomorrow's events along with a new life with our son. Of course, we are doing this while watching the results show for 'Dancing With The Stars'. This may be the last time that we can do it and stay awake or not get pulled away due to a dirty diaper or some other "infant" reason. One of the big things that Amy is contemplating / envisioning for tomorrow is our son swaddled up on her chest while she watches the season premiere of 'Grey's Anatomy'. Quite the picture, eh? Just in case that tomorrow's events run long, she is taping it for her own mental security... ;)!! LOL!!

We will be at the hospital tomorrw at 6:00 am to get the new adventure started. We do not know for certain in which direction our adventure will traverse, but we do know how it will end... Holding our baby son between us staring into his eyes in awe...

Thursday 9/27/07 Birthdate?!?!

If our little boy doesn't arrive soon, he will be forced out of his safe haven this week. Amy is scheduled to be induced on Thursday this week. Yes, only a couple of days away. Last minute things are being done around the house like putting the knobs on the closet doors, attached the changing pad to the dresser, putting baby wipes in the carrying cases and warmer, etc.

Amy is getting a little anxious about the whole day and time leading into Thursday. I think we would both prefer it to still be a surprise and are secretly hoping that we will still go in on our own. I'm sure it would relieve much of the anxiety that Amy is now feeling because we now know when it is going to happen and can't avoid it. Of course, this is all new to us and we are taking it in stride. We could be waiting three more weeks and still have the need to induce. Given Amy's health, she has done a GREAT job in keeping our little guy healthy and growing, so their is no need to further stress her body when our little guy is basically fully cooked!! (not by the button though... ;)! ) You might say that she has created quite the little haven for him and he is just comfortable in there. To put everything in perspective, our due date isn't for close to another week...

I will let you know when the little guy arrives as soon as everyone is cleaned up, stable and I can steal a few moments away from the excitement of becoming parents for the first time!!

Highlights - Cousin Gets Published!

A blast from the past and looks like still around for the future. Do you remember when you were young and when you went to the doctor they had magazines for kids? Do you remember the one that had puzzles and fun games called Highlights? To Amy and I's surprise, Highlights Magazine is still around for kids and is now online as well. I'm sure many of you that have older kids than ours, probably already know this.

How many of you know of any kids that have gotten published in the magazine? Up to this point, I haven't know any, but I am very excited to say that I know one. It is my first cousin's daughter Maria who was 8 at the time of the submission. She submitted a drawing to illustrate a poem called "The Oak Hotel" by Clare Mishika. Click on the titel of this blog or click here to see Maria's great creation. You may need to page through a bit once you get there, so look for Maria, Age 8 Michigan.

A job well done Maria!!!

Aw Nuts!! We Had To Go To The Week 39 Appt!!!

Today's appointment itself was pretty much uneventful and status quo basically like the last nine months. The baby's heartbeat was good, Amy's symptoms are normal, etc. Amy's swelling has come back some in the past couple days, but still doesn't rival where it was while she was working.

Well, since the baby hasn't shown his face in the last week and due to the issues during the pregnancy, on Monday, the doctor will be working on scheduling an induction on either Thursday or Friday of this week. We will probably find out the details on Tuesday as the hospital doesn't always get back to them right away.

During today's appointment, the doctor confirmed that the baby is headed downward and his head is still low. He did attempt to "stir things up", so only time will tell. This "stirring up" has caused Amy some discomfort. So, she is now resting a little uncomfortably. Looks like it will be a low key day so that we can rest up and be ready for D-Day (delivery day)!!

A Big Thank You!!

A big thank you goes out to those that communicated with us about the huge crib recall. Please be rest assured that we fortunately did not purchase one of the cribs being recalled. It is pretty scary to actually see one of the cribs we were considering on the list. Another positive is that if we did purchase one the cribs being recalled, our baby isn't here quite yet for him to use it. So, we would have at least a little bit of time to take it back and get a new design and/or manufacturer.

Thanks again for all of your concern!! :-)!!

Haven't Left Yet

Nope, we haven't left for the hospital yet. There were no contractions to really speak of yesterday. Could this be the calm before the storm? Only time will tell... Mom is getting very anxious to have the baby and is feeling a lot of pressure. We are staying focused and relaxed as we are still over a week away from her due date. Yes, the doctor said he wouldn't let her go past 39 weeks, but we are still hopeful that she won't have to experience extra drugs to get things moving. At the same time, we are letting things take their course at this point.

So, nothing report this morning...

No Baby Yet!!

Our little guy hasn't arrived yet. Many have been asking and calling, but there is nothing to report on the grand entrance. My cousin, Paulette, after reading the blog noted to "Relax, it's all good". So we are... ;)! It doesn't mean that we still aren't excited and anxious whenever Amy has a big contraction, but we aren't running to the car when they happen either.

Amy's mom came over yesterday and visited (and also worked her tail off doing some cleaning) and was able to get snuck in for her non-stress test. I guess it was pretty funny because whenever the nurse came behind the curtain they told Amy's mom to be quiet, eventhough she hadn't said anything at all. Amy did get to see one contraction on the monitor in the 15-20 minutes she was hooked up.

Since Amy's mom did a lot around the house, we decided to take her out to dinner before she left. Near the end of dinner and while we were waiting for Amy to finish eating, she had a pretty big contraction. I thought her mom was going to make it to the hospital in a single bound while her eyes were bigging than an ostrich... A second contraction came nine minutes later... which made Amy's mom's eyes even bigger if that was possible... I asked Amy's mom if she had her bag packed and she said no, but she was going to go home and pack one. I told her if she would be able to go home... ;)! "All is good" because we went home and the contractions stopped. On the way home, I asked Amy if she wanted to go for a walk. She immediately started giggling and said that her mom asked the same thing earlier in the day. Amy and I both think that her mom was hoping that by her coming over that Amy would progress much further.

I don't think Amy is quite 100%, let's have this baby NOW!!, but I think she is around 99.6%. We are a couple days away from our next appointment and Amy is already saying that the doctor better note that she is really progressing because of all the "stuff" that has been going on this week.

We are encouraged that things are progressing, but Amy still has the fear of being sent home. So, I think she will be toughing it out at home as much as she can. It's a good think we are only 12 minutes from the hospital...