Birth Day ;-)

September 20th, 2012

9:05 am

7 lbs  4 oz 19.5 inches long

Cohen William Grafton made us a family of three!

After a quick clean-up and measurements, Cohen was whisked to the nursery to be assessed.  Patrick went with him and I patiently received my morphine while the nice doctors stitched me up.  I was blessed to have my OB, Dr. McClure, and her awesome partner, Dr. Allen, both there for the surgery.

Cohen's assessment went well.  Both APGARS were a 9, but his breathing was too labored and they were concerned about his blood sugar being low.  The nurses decided that he needed to eat immediately to help his sugar level, so Patrick was able to give him his first bottle (formula, of course).  At this point I was wheeled back into the room and my sister, Audrey, and my dad had just arrived from Tulsa.  Within an hour, I was moved to postpartum and Patrick was checking on Cohen and me - just going back and forth between the nursery and me.  I wasn't allowed to see Cohen until I could get out of bed, and they wouldn't release him from the nursery until his breathing issues resolved...which they didn't...so I still hadn't seen him :0(

After Cohen had been in the nursery for around 5 hours, his breathing had not slowed enough and they moved him to the NICU.  The NICU doctor gave us a bunch of senarios (one included him staying in there for 24-48 hours....) but basically said it was a sit and wait.  His vitals were perfect but the breathing took too long to settle and they wanted to keep him overnight for observation.  Once I could get in a wheelchair, I was finally able to go SEE my SON around 2 pm.  He was hooked up to monitors but they let me hold him!

Mom and Patrick went back down to the NICU a few hours later around 4:30 pm and gave him his first bath!  I can't tell you how jealous I was that Patrick had gotten to do all these firsts and I didn't get to participate or even watch!!  My body gave in to the effects of major surgery/emotional hormones/unexpected complications and I slept for most of the afternoon/evening.

Our family went to the NICU one by one (rules that only two people are in there visiting, and one MUST be a parent) to visit Cohen.  It was so special.

They visited for a couple more hours before tucking us in for the night. Patrick and I made a couple more trips to the NICU that night for his feedings to try to breastfeed....and this mama had several meltdowns about not being able to see her baby.  I don't know if it was the pain medicine or what, but I had some pretty vivid dreams about suddenly not being preggo anymore and not knowing where my baby was.  I am also pretty sure that Patrick was thinking I had lost my mind by the second set of hysteria at 2 am ;-)

Cohen was released to us from the NICU at 8:30 am the next morning. Somehow the smiley-face emoticon just doesn't do this sentence justice - we were SOOO EXCITED!!

Cici and Petco the morning of the 21st - Dad's first time to hold Cohen.

 I brought Cohen to a sleeping new daddy that morning - he was so surprised ;-) and still had some sleepy in those eyes.  We were so excited to have Cohen in our room and get to just SEE him!!

Blessings,

39 weeks!

Marination Time: Cohen is 7 days old today ;-) I think I cried a few times today about how he is already a week old, and getting too big too fast.

Size of the week:  Cohen was 6 lbs 14 oz when we were released from the hospital and 6 lbs 12 oz at our appointment on Wednesday.  I say somewhere around there.

Maternity Clothes:  Nursing bras/tanks and nursing dresses.  I can't fathom putting on pants right now and not sure how I ever will with this incision - ouch.  With the insane amount of swelling, my flip-flops don't fit either, so I'm sure I'm a sight to be seen.

Movement:  Cohen is a pretty laid back baby so far.  I think he's growing and keeping his personality under wraps for a few more weeks.  He feeds, sleeps 2-3 hours and is alert for a bit before repeating the cycle.  Today he discovered his long limbs and has started to really stretch and fill his space.

Cravings:  I crave my pain meds...unfortunately I am still in a lot of pain in my mid-section and can tell when its about 30 minutes before the next dose.  I have weaned myself off the really loopy stuff, and am on the next lower type...so ultimately I crave the day when I do NOT have to take the meds at all.  I am hungry a bit since starting breastfeeding, but not anything compared to being pregnant..so no specific food cravings here.  I crave time just holding and looking at Cohen- I mean, he is just so cute and perfect :-)

Annoyances: I can't get out of bed or chairs without assistance.  Not being able to pick up things that I drop.  Not feeling like accomplishing anything (blogging, facebook, scrapbooking) - I just want to sit on my butt and do nothing. Ugh.  There is NOTHING about Cohen that is annoying!

Belly Button: Deflated and oh those stretch marks, battle scars, and weird feeling skin.  I want to document my postpardumness for a few weeks/months after Cohen just so I can see the progression. I promise, however, no bare belly shots because no one wants to see that :-)

Highlights: In case you haven't heard, we have a baby ;-)  There is no better highlight of our lives.  It is wonderful and new and fun and more than we could imagine.  On that note, I miss my baby so I'll sign off for the evening!  Here are some pics of me giving him his bath at home.

Blessings!

L n D 38 weeks!

Never late than never, right?  Thank you for your patience as we figured out this whole birth/first week home bit ;-)  It has been nothing short of bliss each and every day.  Here's where we started last Wednedsay..... I was 38 weeks pregnant!

We checked in for induction at 7:30 pm on 9/19/12 with mom and Patrick. Started an iv (ouch) before checking me for dilation and I was still only 1 cm and 50% effaced. We were a good candidate for cervdil!  The cervidil was inserted by the nurse at 9:00 pm (the twelve hour dose).  Thinking we'd have an easy night and then start pitocin around 9:00 in the morning-ha!

At 10 or so they started my antibiotics for Strep B. I was crying my arm/IV line hurt so much. Looking back at my 'labor' experience, I can honestly say this weShe adjusted the dose down and then wanted me to get up to pee.  By the time I got back into bed my contractions were pretty regular and getting uncomfortable, not to mention the cervidil had slipped out and was making other areas equally as uncomfortable.

She let me labor on my own for another hour before placing a second cervidil around 11:30 pm.  By 1:00 am I was breathing through contractions one by one...they were one minute long and 90 seconds apart.  Yup, I was in full blown labor with consistent and strong contractions before starting the pitocin.  We weren't even thinking about pitocin until 8 or 9 that morning, so we decided to go ahead and get the epidural so that I could get a good night's rest before laboring the next day.

I got the epidural around 2:30 am and it was REALLY hard to stay still for the doctor - between my sobbing (painful contractions and painful epidural needle) and Patrick crying for me, we were a sight to be seen I'm sure.  I could feel the epidural take effect immediately, and told the doctor my legs were feeling warm and tingly.  The medicine took the pain away but I was able feel my feet and it really wasn't the dead-leg feeling I had been told about.  It wasn't until I got the epidural that the Ambien they had previously given me was able to work and I fell asleep.

During my sleep Patrick stayed awake for updates as the nurses came and went.  At around 4am they came and removed the Cervidil because I was contracting and progressing too quickly and hoped that I would ease up.  When this didn't work over the next two hours at around 6:30 am they gave me Terbuteline to stop contractions altogether.  The contractions were overwhelming little Cohen, and he was struggling to recover between contractions.  His heart-rate and oxygen levels couldn't hold up before the next contraction would start since they were so close together.

Needless to say we were pretty scared!  Finally, at around 8 am, the nurse said they were just waiting on my doctor to come by to talk to us but that I probably needed to explore other options.  I think I was too drugged up to really have a panicked reaction, so my response was if Cohen needs it then lets do the cesarean.  We didn't really realize how much his little heart was struggling until my OB said we had about 10 minutes before the surgery would begin.  (Patrick had asked if we had a few hours before the c section or if we would do it that morning...she replied with the OR was prepped and ready for me).

They wheeled me out of our l and d room into the OR....

to be continued (here's a pic to hold you over!)

37 weeks: Full Term!

Marination Time: 37 weeks

Fruit/Size of the week: A watermelon.  Interestingly enough for the next 3 weeks, the watermelon just gets larger.  I guess its the largest fruit/veggie that the app could think of!  We saw the high risk OB on Tuesday afternoon and she estimated he is already 7 lbs 7 oz....for those of you keeping track, that almost a one-pound gain in a week.  I freaked out on the table, and she assured me its probably because of the difference of machines.  His head also measured at 40w3d, that's three weeks ahead of schedule, so I'm going to ask my OB tomorrow about what that means.   I'd like to avoid the c-section so Maui can happen.....

Movement: Same as the last few weeks.  He moves his butt from side to side, but his hands and head are always low.  His legs like to find a crevice below my right ribs to push off of.  Its not painful, but it is weird to feel him stretching against me.

Cravings: Cookies-n-Cream.  I blame Brooke Grall - she brought us dinner this week with these cookies-n-cream cupcakes.  YUMMY!  So, I wanted ice cream the next night ;-) sounds good, right?  My taste buds have been a bit off since being at home.  My usual meals of Dr. Pepper, yogurt, apples and goldfish just don't sound good.  Today I had grilled cheese and yellow bell peppers......weird.

Annoyances:  This is part of what I typed on Tuesday - it has been edited since I have had time to calm down :-)
" I called my OB's office in the morning, thank goodness, because they forgot to tell me we had an appointment at a high risk OB's office THAT afternoon.  Insert deep breath here....Then another nurse calls to let me know they have pushed back the induction date to the 23/24 of September.  That is TWO FULL weeks of bed rest.  That is THREE days earlier than the original, you-don't-have-high-BP-everything-is-normal induction, date of the 27th.  That is FOUR weeks past the 'safe-zone' that my OB said she was fine if he delivered (thus I was allowed to go back to work).  Herein lies my frustration.  I'm not sure how I can be high risk and no risk in the same sentence.  In fact, I'm feeling a bit like I am paying for all these extra sonograms as an end-of-pregnancy-bonus to the medical community.  Not to mention that I am already stir crazy, taking unpaid leave, checking my BP (which has been normal.....its probably a bit high from the drama today ;-) ) and making plans for how this affect the end of my maternity leave."

It was probably a good thing my doctor wasn't in the office that day.  Patrick had to call on my behalf a few times because I was a bit crazy hysterical overly dramatic FRUSTRATED.  You aren't surprised, are you?!?

Belly Button: Same, flat ;-) Stretch marks noticeable on the left side of my belly and on my right leg.  Ugh. Anyone have any remedies for helping them turn white after I have the baby?

Highlights:  The ultrasound on Tuesday was nothing short of awesome.  It was 45 minutes in length- at least 40 minutes longer than the ones at my doctor's office.  She was so good to point out every detail of his little body - we are the 'unusual' patient in a high risk office, she's used to looking at sick babies, so her and her nurse were enjoying pointing out all his 'normalities!' We saw Cohen has hair, that his face looks a lot like his cousin Fin, and that he apparently didn't like us taking his picture (see middle finger picture below!)

Seriously, he looks like his cousin, and those cheeks are already huge!

 A lateral view of his foot.  Looks like a Grafton foot to me...Havlik feet have way higher arches! Yay for not having to deal with shin splints like his mama when he starts running...

 And finally, we had his whole hand waving and then....yup...that would be his middle finger.  Does it look like his finger nails are already too long? I think he was feeling the same way towards doctors as his mama was that day!

Blessings!

Early maternity leave

Today we had our 36 week appointment at oh-dawn-thirty (6:45am) and it was....surprising.

The sonogram was fun.  Cohen is weighing 6 lbs 9 oz as of today and she said he has a big head.  I groaned, and the sweet lady replied, "Tall husbands make babies with large heads."  Great- why does Patrick have to be tall?  And why did I JUST find this out??? LOL

The doctor checked my blood pressure and my cervix.  No change with either, and the blood pressure thing is really bothering her.  So, she came in and put me on bed rest until Cohen is delivered.  I begged.  I pleaded, everything short of paying her off, and she stood her ground.  I would vent about him needing to come now, but I'm no doctor and Patrick said to just listen and sit still.  I hate not being in charge!  So, I'm officially on maternity leave.  I have been a bit panicked today as I don't know what to do next and I was really hoping to get another week with my students. But, my lesson plans are done and I do have an email account and a cell phone to help with the band hall until Cohen makes his arrival.

Speaking of his arrival, if he doesn't come by September 19th, then we are inducing that night.  September 20th is only 13 days away...and that makes me a bit nervous.  We got special preference on the schedule due to high BP so I guess that is one positive about this whole appointment.

Next week I plan to do lots of scrapbooking and blogging before I have no time ;-) Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Blessings!

36 weeks!

Marination time: 36 weeks, or ‘term.’  My books say these next 7 days are the difference between ‘term’ and ‘full term.’  Either way, we are looking at DAYS, people!

Fruit/Size of the week: Watermelon (19 to 22 in and 6.5 lbs) We have our growth scan tomorrow, and I think he’s probably a bit bigger than 6.5 lbs.  The steroid shots for his lungs also speed up fat deposits so I bet we are above the average this week.

Movement: I am singing “Low Rider” in my head most days at this point.  Usually the low movements only bother me when I go from sitting to standing and I think that’s more gravity that Cohen actually moving.  When his head isn’t bothering me, he likes to flip his little butt from my left side to my right.  No real kicks any more, either, just pushes and shoves.  I guess he’s running right out of room!

Cravings: Sleep.  Sitting.  To not be so hot all the time (I have NO idea what we are doing at over 100 degrees in September!!!)

Annoyances:

-Getting comfortable in bed is almost a memory at this point.  It doesn’t matter how many pillows or wedges I cram into the bed, I still wake up almost every hour or two to rearrange. 

·      -Because he is so low, my bladder is being high maintenance…but so far my students just laugh when I have to make a quick potty break before the next class!

·      -More swelling this week – I’ve noticed even my fake wedding rings (that are 1-2 sizes larger than my real ones) are getting uncomfortably tight by mid-afternoon.

·      -Strep B came back positive so I’ll be getting antibiotics during delivery.  I know its not a big deal, but I’m still annoyed ;-) and I TOTALLY blame the hormones!

Belly Button – Still in ;-) and I don’t think its going anywhere!  The book says I won’t get any bigger than I am right now belly-wise.  Cohen will grow each day, but with him also getting lower, my belly won’t be bearing the brunt of the weight! Patrick is still holding out for the tell-tale sign of ‘doneness’ ha!

Highlights

·      -Not baby related, but we have actually had a couple REAL band rehearsals at this point and that makes me happy ;-)  Plus, I feel like each day I have with my students is another day I’ve set them up right before passing them off.

·      -Tomorrow is our growth scan and 36 week appointment.  I am excited to see how far I’ve progressed in a week and possibly talk about induction dates!

·      -My band parents have been talking about throwing us a shower for months now, and today is the day.  I’ll do a separate post on that later, but I do feel loved and appreciated.  Its going to be a good day

Blessings!

The Nursery!

The long awaited moment arrived for us this week.  Well, maybe just for me ;-)  I've had this random idea of what I wanted in our nursery, but I am just not good at visualizing until its done.  Patrick has been great about really just letting me go with my ideas, and he has been putting most of this together while I supervise.  We kicked it into high gear a few weeks ago when Cohen's early arrival became a real possibility.

Also, I am going to try to put price points/what we got where so that you know it is possible to have a cute room on a budget.  I'll also put links on where I got some of my ideas!

So, without further ado, here it is!!

This is the view from the door way walking into his room. Both of these walls are light grey.  We borrowed the crib from our friends Susan and John, and I found the crib bedding on Craig's list for $75 which included the blue wall paint to match.

The left wall is light blue (matching the crib bedding) and the other three walls are a light grey. I went shopping a while back with our friend Carrie to choose fabric for the curtains and the glider slipcover.  Total cost for fabric was $150 (the curtains are heavy duty) and we had our fabulous band parents sew them for us this month.  Such a blessing!  We purchased the glider at a consignment sale for $60 here and will definitely be using them in the future when we need more clothes and toys for Mr. Cohen!  I love how the slipcover turned out.

Anyone else love this dresser?  I hate to brag, but its a one-of-a-kind piece made for us by my SISTER!  We found a plain dresser on Craigs List over father's day weekend for $50 (I think!) and she took it for a make over.  The grey chevron pattern starts lighter and gets darker.  The drawer pulls are green and yellow.  SO cute!
On top of the dresser are two framed pictures of "You Are My Sunshine" that I made, Cohen's name spelled out in blocks made by my friend Debra, and my mom's hand-painted piggy bank.  Lots of special touches in this space! (Oh, and Olivia wanted to be in the photo as well....ha!)

Just because its super cute, here's a different angle :-) I'm not biased or anything...

The book wall is an idea I got from pinterest here, and my Dad, hubbie and brother-in-laws built it for us this summer.  We have gotten so many cute books from our baby showers, and they are all prominently displayed!

 Between both walls is our little toy play area until he's old enough to really play with them.  All of the toys have been gifts from our showers.   (Seriously, we have THE best friends and family).  If you look carefully there is a small grey stool that Margeaux made with COHEN on the top!

 The yellow changing table was another Craig's List find ($70) - Nathan helped me pick it up in Plano in early spring.  It was the FIRST purchase for the nursery, and we just made everything else fit around it.  We just happened to find the exact color yellow baskets at garden ridge pottery ($50) and we have all our cloth diapers and accessories stored in there.  The hamper was another gift from Stephanie and Adam ;-)

 Oh, and I guess the most important part about this wall is the letters!!  I blogged about them here.  After I found the bedding I searched alphabet themes on pinterest and came across a company on etsy that sells the letters (here).  Instead of paying the exorbitant amount of money for painted ones, I thought it would be neat to have our friends paint them for us.  Each letter has a name and some have cute letters to Cohen on the back.  I used command strips to hang them (found a combo pack on Amazon for $6!!).

 The corner storage was a Craig's List find at $20 and our band parent made the liners to match the room!

 This little table we found at a local resale shop for $25 before we painted it and fixed the drawers.  The diaper cake is from our friend Amanda, the framed print from our friend Katie and the cute alphabet storage bins from Jerri!

If you were keeping count (like us Dave Ramsey budgeting fools do...)
Crib: Free
Bedding: $75
Material: $150
Glider: $60
Blue table: $25
Dresser: $50
Small Shelf: $20
Changing Table: $70 + baskets $50
Letters: $75
Wall paint/shelves: $150

That's a grand total of:  $675

When we first started this journey we came across prices like this or this, and that just seemed a bit ridiculous to spend over $2000 on baby furniture.  Not including the paint, or anything for the walls.  We also wanted a space that would grow with the baby so we didn't have to re-do this process once they out-grew the infant stage.  Once Patrick was laid-off, the budget for the nursery was no longer about what we wanted to do, but what we had to work with.  We are very fortunate to have crafty friends and family that helped make our room exactly what we wanted without all the added costs.

Cohen, you are so loved!! I am really proud of how the room came together and I am so ready for a baby to be in here!!

Quick Update

We had our first weekly appointment yesterday mid-morning (35w1d) to check on any progress with this baby ;-)  So...

I am 1 centimeter dilated and 25% effaced....way different that the last report we got after our hospital stay. Kinda makes labor sound real, and I have been a bit anxious about it really coming in the coming days/weeks!
She did the Strep B test, so that will come back next week.
They took blood for more tests (I have no idea what they are looking for!)

I had a bit of high blood pressure so they want me to monitor it over the weekend and come back in on Tuesday to check it again.  She wants me to rest all weekend with my feet up to get my swelling down (yeah right, I've had cankles since May....) and then pull blood, urine and do another blood pressure check first thing Tuesday.  She said she's being overly cautious, but wants to make sure I don't have signs of preeclampsia.

So, we know my body is moving in the right direction to have Cohen.  Now the question is how long!

Have a great labor day weekend!