Adventures in Diapering

So there we were... Watching the recording of the Olympics, enjoying some special time with Caleb, and loving being a family. Caleb was freshly bathed (and smelled fantastic!) and we were winding down for the night. D.J. took Caleb to change his diaper and I got ready to feed him. I always love listening to D.J. talking to Caleb while he changes him. It's so sweet to hear the one-sided conversation. Although last night, the conversation was a little different...

"Oh goodness Caleb! You sure filled that diaper! Let's get you all cleaned up. Here we go... Oh! My! Aaaah!" I yelled to the back of the house to check on my boys and he assured me that all was well, but that Caleb had "christened" his t-shirt and the carpet and several things near by. But he'd gotten him covered with a diaper and all was well. So the conversation went on... "That was funny Caleb! You got Daddy all wet! Let's not do that again... Let me grab a fresh diaper, ok? Oh my gosh! Alli! Help! Come quick! This is...Well it's... Hurry!" I put myself back together again and rushed into the nursery. There I discover a soaking wet husband with Caleb's ankles in one hand, a wipe in the other, and poo shooting out of our son at an alarming rate. All I could do was laugh. I quickly grab some wipes and another diaper and attempt to clean up. In the process, Caleb begins to christen us all again. Out of options and panicked by the fountain that had sprung up, D.J. covered the flow with his hand and laughed hysterically. I just stood and looked at him. "What are you doing?!?! That's not going to absorb anything!" "What are my options?" "A diaper! Get a diaper!" With quite a bit of scrambling and more than a few laughing fits, we finally get a diaper successfully covering all of the messy bits! When all was said and done, Caleb had soaked his pajamas, used 5 diapers, half a box of wipes, and sprinkled everything in sight. I know it won't be our last diapering mishap - I'm sure we'll have many more. And for now we're so thankful that for some un-known reason D.J. set Caleb down so that his bottom faced the tower part of our changing table and not the glider only a foot away. But for our first diaper changing explosion, it sure was fun to experience it together and laugh through it all!

And that's how we narrowly escaped death... Well, Caleb did anyway!

Photo Bomb

I apologize in advance for those of you who have trouble downloading a ton of pictures. But with a baby this cute, it's impossible to keep him all to myself! :)



Meeting face to face for the first time!




Both moms meeting Caleb. They were just a little in love!




My dad meeting Caleb. He was so proud!



My mom and Caleb

Our first family photo! Yes I was just as tired as I looked. 26 hours of labor really takes it out of ya! :)



Caleb and Winnie the Pooh



A much better family photo! It's amazing what a few hours of sleep will do!



All snuggled up after bath time



This is currently the background on my desktop. I think it's my favorite one of him so far!



Caleb has some big shoes to fill!

40 weeks and no longer pregnant! Let the adventure begin!

Caleb's Birth

In case you've missed it on Facebook, Caleb has arrived! I always love when my friends share their birth stories on blogs so I'm thrilled to get to do it here. At the advice of a friend I'm adding a disclaimer. If you're close to delivering your own bundle of joy you might want to hold off on reading until after your sweet one has arrived. My story has some scary moments - even though it all ends well. (It ends very well - with the cutest baby boy ever!) 

Monday, July 16th: I had a dr's appointment in the morning and was 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced. I began feeling contractions sometime in the afternoon. I knew it was just false labor because they never organized into a pattern and didn't grow in intensity. However, I noticed that I kept getting hotter and hotter as the day went on. DJ checked the a/c and was frustrated to discover that it had gone out. Again. (We just fixed it in May.) The a/c man came and said we had to have an entire new unit. I sat through contraction after contraction and tried to listen to what he was saying. We ended up borrowing a window unit from our neighbor so we could cool down the bedroom enough to sleep that night. The contractions stopped about 10:30 or 11:00 that night and I was able to sleep, hoping this baby would have an air conditioned house to come home to.

Tuesday, July 17th: The a/c people called and said that sadly, the part we needed was on back order. In Houston. And couldn't be shipped until Friday. Which meant we wouldn't get the new unit installed until Saturday. Grrrr!!! So we buckled down and set up camp in the bedroom. We told Caleb all day long that he couldn't come until we had a/c again. I could not fathom bringing home a baby to a house that reached 95+ each day.

Wednesday - Friday: Nothing exciting happened. I had a few contractions on and off but nothing to speak of. We got very restless very fast.

Saturday, July 21st: The a/c men showed up early in the morning and spent most of the day working to get it installed. We stayed put in the bedroom, eager to enjoy the rest of our house. At 4:30 I started feeling contractions. They weren't in much of a pattern so I didn't think anything of it. I don't think I even told DJ about it for quite a while. By 8:00 the house was finally cooling off and we made our way into the living room. We also started timing the contractions. We were shocked to discover that they were over a minute long and 4 minutes apart. However, I was still able to talk through them and didn't feel like the timing warranted a very expensive trip to the hospital. By 10:00 I was having trouble talking and really needed to focus to get through them. We were watching "Grease" and had to pause it every few minutes in order for me to work through a contraction. I don't think anyone's ever taken so long to get through that movie! :) Just about the time the contractions would get in a solid, predictable pattern, we'd have 10 or 15 minutes that threw the whole thing off. By 11:00 we were feeling like maybe this wasn't false labor but we still weren't sure. I called the on-call doctor, sure he'd say that because they weren't in a perfect pattern I should stay put. He told us to head on in and he'd meet us there. We took our dear sweet time getting out the door. We straightened the bedroom, finished packing our bags, loved on the dogs, DJ took a shower, etc.

Sunday, July 22nd: At 12:45 we checked into the hospital. They got me hooked up to monitors and made me lay down because my blood pressure was elevated. (Of course!) When they checked, I was 3cm and 50% effaced. I was thrilled that I'd made so much progress since Monday. By that point we began to realize that maybe this was real and we really were going to have a baby soon.

We labored for 4 hours, certain we were making lots of progress. When they checked me again, I hadn't made any progress. My heart was just a little sad. The doctor felt that because my blood pressure wasn't coming down and we were contracting regularly, it was best to start pitocin in order to get things moving a little faster. We fought through 4 hours of horrible pitocin pain. I felt a constant level of pain, not the typical waves of contractions. When the doctor came to check me I was confident that this time there'd be progress and we'd be moving closer to having a baby. I was crushed when there was still no progress. He tried to break my water, but Caleb was still too high and the sack had no tension. Much to our dismay, the doctor urged us to get an epidural. He needed to double my pitocin levels and was worried about my blood pressure climbing too high. I cried quite hard that I wouldn't have the natural childbirth I was planning on, but agreed that it was for the best. Right before the anesthesiologist put the epidural in, I ran to the bathroom one last time. As I was walking back to bed, my water broke. I was thrilled! It was one thing I had really wanted to experience on my own and God was gracious enough to give it to me.

The epidural wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. It allowed me to relax and DJ and I both got a little nap. (We had been up all night laboring.) Within 20 minutes of the epidural going in, I was dilated to 5cm and 100% effaced. Within a few hours I was at 10cm. After a few set backs it was finally time to start pushing! I was going to have a baby by dinner time!

We pushed for an hour and a half and I was so deeply proud of myself for being what the nurse deemed a "great pusher"! The doctor came in to see how much progress we'd made. Sadly, Caleb's head was stuck and wasn't coming down very fast. The doctor felt very confident that he was facing sideways and couldn't be delivered naturally. So he ordered forceps in the hopes that he could be turned and we'd still get a vaginal birth. After several minutes of working with the forceps (during which I was so deeply thankful for the epidural) the doctor sat back in frustration. It wasn't working. Caleb's head was turned and not only was he sideways - his head wasn't coming straight down. It would be literally impossible for me to deliver vaginally. A c-section was the only option.

I, of course, was heart broken. This was NOT what we'd planned on and dreamed of. Suddenly, our room became a hub of activity. In the midst of it all I suddenly sat straight up (although I'm not sure how with the strong epidural pumping through my back) and began throwing up violently. I had no idea I could get that sick that fast. My nurse rubbed my back and looked concerned. She gave me anti-nausea medicine and promised it would all be over soon.The anesthesiologist came in to increase my epidural for surgery. As he put a booster in the line, I suddenly felt a pain like I've never felt before. My legs and lower back felt like they were on fire, and there was a horrible pain in my upper right side. I immediately began screaming and crying. DJ rushed to my side and begged the nurse for answers and relief. I did my best to describe the pain, but there really weren't words to describe what I was feeling. Within seconds, the nurse began screaming for more nurses and began unplugging machines as quickly as possible. Chaos erupted and we began to panic. Suddenly, I could no longer hear Caleb's heart beat and I was being whisked out the door to the OR without a chance to say good-bye to DJ. I heard the nurses say just enough to know that I was utterly terrified. I screamed in pain all the way down the hall (I'm sure I terrified all the other women in labor!) and shook all over in fear. After what felt like hours I was all set up in the OR and DJ was finally allowed by my side. We prayed and cried together as the operation began. Somewhere in the midst of everything they finally gave me enough medicine that I wasn't feeling pain, but I was still scared to death. I was sure that Caleb had died and I wasn't far behind.

At 6:33 pm, after 26 hours of labor, I felt DJ squeeze my hand and laugh. Then, I heard a cry that made all the pain and fear disappear. I got a quick glimpse of a squirmy, bloody 8lb 10oz baby over the curtain before they whisked him off to be cleaned and weighed. My first thought was that he looked exactly like the 3D ultra sound pictures we'd seen a few days before.

DJ got to put his first diaper on and comfort him as he was measured (21" long). When I finally got to meet my sweet Caleb, he was still fussing a little. DJ held him up next to my face and the second I started talking, he immediately calmed down and just looked at my face. It was a moment I'll never forget!

In the hours after the c-section we began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. About the time we decided Caleb wasn't coming on his own, my placenta decided it was done. When all was said and done I had a 10% placental abruption. Basically, the placenta began to separate before it was done doing the work it needed to do. Without the c-section, Caleb and I both would have died quickly. My nurse realized that the odd combination of symptoms was a big red flag and literally saved our lives. We will forever be thankful!

It's been a week and a half since Caleb was born and we're settling into life with a newborn. We have taken a million photos and I'll post some of them soon. We're shocked by how much we love the newest member of our family. He is a genuinely good baby and hardly ever cries or fusses. He is proving to be a good sleeper - literally an answer to prayer.

Thank you to all of those who have prayed for us through this entire journey - from struggling to conceive to long bouts of morning sickness to a very difficult labor. Let the adventure begin!

Our little boogar

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day resting on the couch because, let's face it, that's my life these days. Hubsters was hard at work on adding trim to the new back door he had installed the day before. I was quite proud of the work he was doing and enjoying listening to the sounds of hammering and sawing as he worked away.

A little before 5 I realized I hadn't felt Caleb move very much during the day. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it had been a very long time since this little guy had kicked or squirmed. I mentioned my concerns to DJ who quickly got me a glass of orange juice and planted me on my left side on the couch. An hour later there still wasn't any movement and I was starting to get concerned. We made a bowl of queso (Caleb's favorite food) and I quickly ate the spicy, cheesy goodness. Still no movement. DJ busted out the guitar and played as loud as he could right next to my belly. In a beautiful little moment, I felt one flutter before all was silent once again. When Caleb refused to move anymore we decided we would feel a whole lot better if we spoke to the doctor.

The on call doctor heard my story and immediately told me it was time to head to the hospital. We frantically packed the last elements of our labor bag, DJ showered, we called families, and headed out the door - more than a little stressed.

When we arrived at the hospital they got us checked in quickly and immediately hooked up monitors. Within seconds our room was filled with the glorious sounds of a teeny tiny heart beat. It was, without a doubt, the best thing we'd heard all day. The weight of the world fell off both of our shoulders. The nurse got us hooked up to the rest of the monitors and got us all checked in. Due to the stress of the past few hours my blood pressure had sky rocketed and they weren't going to let me go anywhere until it came down. I was confident that if I could lay on my side for a little while and listen to the sweet heart beating away I'd be fine in no time.

We spent a total of 3 hours hooked up to the monitors and heard Caleb roll around and kick the monitor several times. (This child does NOT like any monitor of any kind!) It was wonderful to know that he was moving even when I couldn't feel him. My blood pressure returned to normal and we watched the monitors as I had several little contractions - none big enough to be considered labor.

At 11:00 last night they finally let us go home. However, the nurse on duty mentioned that my records from the dr showed there was protein in my last urine test. So far this hasn't been a concern because it would mean I had pre-eclampsia and not just high blood pressure. It scared us just a little that we hadn't heard those results from the doctor. So we called our regular doctor first thing this morning to see what was going on and to make sure she knew about our little adventure.

She ordered an ultra sound for first thing Monday morning to make sure Caleb's still growing well and isn't showing any signs of stress. We're excited to get one last peek at our little man before he meets the world. I'm also glad we're going to check to make sure he's growing properly and he's not too squished now that he's getting bigger by the moment. If he looks good on Monday then we'll induce on July 25th. (If, for any reason, he looks like he's having trouble, they'll induce sooner.) That means that in less than 2 weeks I'll have this sweet little boy in my arms and I can come off of bed rest!

DJ is frantically finishing his to do list so that we have time next week to just relax and enjoy our last days with just the two fo us. :- ) I'm resting and making sure there's no reason for this baby to come early because of my blood pressure. And we're all so very thankful that Caleb's okay and that we didn't have to have an emergency delivery last night. Praise the Lord!

Full Term!

Today we have officially reached "full term"! 37 weeks! I have to say, there were many days when I didn't think we'd get here. Even my doctor did a little cheer for us today at our appointment! Here's the general run down of where life stands right now:

--The To Do list is almost completed! My family came in on Sunday for a few hours to put the finishing touches on the nursery. My sister is quite the artist and took our walls from boring to outstanding! Here's a little peek at the nursery.


Shelf over the crib - complete with a complete Winnie the Pooh collection! :) I'm working on the finishing details of letters spelling out "Caleb" that'll hang under this shelf.

My sister's fantastic handwork! This bee is flying over the closet door.



Shelves over the changing table. I seem to be lacking pictures of the furniture itself, huh?



Another bee flying over the shelves. Isn't he cute?!?!

These pictures hang over the glider in the corner. Above that, the third bee makes his appearance.

This is the corner next to the crib. You can get a little glimpse of the valance and the shelf over the crib.



This is the amazing mobile my best friend Natalie found on eBay years and years ago. Best we can tell it was from the 50s or 60s. She gave it to me for Christmas back before many people knew we were pregnant. It was such a fun little surprise!



--Today at my doctor's appointment I felt like we had a lot of good news/bad news going on.

Good news: We're full term.

Bad news: My blood pressure is slightly elevated again.

Good news: My doctor is still very proactive and is running a full panel of blood work to make sure it's just high blood pressure and not pre-eclampsia.

Bad news: My doctor goes on vacation next week.

Good news: My cervix is dialated 1cm and very thinned out.

Bad news: Caleb is still very high.

Good news: We are getting good at managing our days while on bed rest. (Even if we stay up way too late!)

Bad news: I'm still on bed rest and I'm starting to get a little restless.

--We tried to get the doctor to pin down an exact date for induction and she wasn't willing to do so. Her goal is that we make it to 39 weeks (and not much longer) but her fear is that we won't. We'll see another doctor next week while she's on vacation and pray that we don't need to be induced in that time. She's putting a rush on all my lab work so that she can get the results back in time to make a decision before she leaves if a problem should arise.

--Our puppies have LOVED the fact that I spend days on end laying on the couch. Cua, in particular enjoys my expanding belly and feels like she's been blessed with an every growing bed. She'll be shocked when it suddenly disappears!

--One of the wonderful things that has recently been checked off the to do list is the completion of a home made cradle. DJ and his dad worked very hard to make a gorgeous cradle for our bedroom. It turned out better than I could have dreamed! The pictures are a little dark, but I promise you it's amazing!



The cradle in our room!

 

The details on the end. Hard to see, but absolutely amazing!


That's the update from our neck of the woods! Our plan for the week is to keep resting and get this little guy to cook until he's "well done". Please pray with us that my blood pressure will go down, that our doctor will be able to deliver, and that we'll have a successful natural delivery like we've planned all along.



Another Update

We went back to the doctor today for our 36 week check up. This past week I think Caleb has absorbed every single calorie I've eaten since I'm not burning them off myself. My stomach has gone from "Awww, that's a cute pregnant belly" to "Woah! Look out! She's gonna take someone out with that thing!" He spent this week getting BIG. Even the doctor agreed that he had grown quite a bit.

I've been very obedient and have spent most of my days laying down. I was thrilled to see that my blood pressure was back down within normal range. I was also thrilled to see that my weight hadn't gone up in 4 weeks! I've worked hard to be careful about weight gain during this pregnancy and it's paying off.

So we're sticking with the same game plan - lots and lots of bed rest. However I'm allowed to sit up occassionally if need be. (My hips were thrilled by the news.) I'm currently sitting up in the recliner and it is glorious!

But the best news of the day was that the dr moved the induction date up an entire week! So we'll have a baby in just three weeks! (Unless the Lord decides he needs to come earlier.) The week of July 25th (give or take a day) we'll go in for an induction and have this precious baby in our arms. Wahoo!!!!

Spoke too soon

Looks like we jumped the gun on lifting those bed rest restrictions. After light activity on Tuesday and one trip to Hobby Lobby, I started feeling bad fast. I woke up in the middle of the night so dizzy I couldn't walk a straight line. When it didn't go away the next morning after breakfast and some water I put in a call to the doctor. She had me come in to check my blood pressure - just in case. Luckily, my mother-in-law was at my house for a movie marathon and drove me to the dr. We got there and were shocked to discover my blood pressure had shot up to 172/110! In a matter of seconds I was sent to the hospital where they were confident I would be prepped for an emergency c-section. My mom was in Waco, my husband was at a conference in Plano, and I didn't have a hospital bag packed. It was all I could do not to panic!

When we got to the hospital they took my blood pressure and were pleased to see it was already coming down. After several hours of monitoring and resting everything returned to within normal range. Much to our surprise, they released me to go home. (We were all sure I was in the hospital to stay until Caleb made his arrival!) I am on extremely strict bed rest at home. I can get up to potty and shower, but must be laying on my side otherwise. My mother-in-law is helping out while DJ finishes his conference in Plano and my mom is packing her bags to come up next week.

We go back to the dr on Monday for our next check up. I have no hopes of her taking me off of bed rest before this baby comes - whether he shows up early or late. Looks like my Kindle and I are about to become best friends! :)