Birth Story

I know this is a long time coming, and I’m not sure why.  I’ve had this typed on out my computer for months --- I wrote it shortly after Sam’s birth because I didn’t want to forget anything.  It is really long, and maybe has too much detail for some people, so if you have no interest, feel free to check back another day.  :)

Sam's Birth Story

I had an appointment with my doctor on March 7^th, and as of that day, I was not dilated or effaced at all.  She said I was going to be one of her unpredictable patients --- we were just going to have to wait and see when Sam would finally make his appearance.  Well…..when I woke up the next morning (March 8^th), I was pretty uncomfortable.  My stomach was feeling very cramped, but I assumed Sam had just worked his way into a strange position that was giving me the random sharp pains.  Based on my appointment the afternoon before, it never even crossed my mind that I would be starting to have contractions.

I had lunch plans at a thai restaurant with my friends Amanda and Rachele at noon.  Even though I wasn’t feeling great, I thought the distraction would be nice.  Both girls have a child of their own, so it was immediately clear to them the minute we sat down that something was happening to me.  My face would randomly turn red, and I stopped contributing to the conversation for about a minute or so.  In a very calm voice, Amanda said, “hey, how about we time these? No big deal, but lets just see how far apart they are.”  I agreed and by the end of the meal she told me the episodes were consistently about ten minutes apart, and I might want to keep an eye on things.

We parted ways and I texted Zach to let him know what was going on, but not to come home.  I've heard that contractions sometimes disappear and end up not being an issue, but I wanted him to be in the know.  To continue on with a distraction, I went to get a manicure and pedicure with a gift certificate my mom had given me.  I was at the salon for about three hours, and the entire time I watched their clock and recorded my contractions on a chart I had printed.  I didn't tell anyone in the salon what was happening, which was a strange idea looking back now.   I was in some pretty serious pain by the end of my little spa experience, so I called the doctor.  She suggested I wait until they were five minutes apart and about a minute long, 

Skipping forward --- Zach made it home around 5:00 and did his final exam for his online graduate course --- it wasn’t due until the following evening, but we didn’t know where the current evening was going to go.  By 9:15, we had talked with the doctor and the OB floor at the hospital, and we made the decision to go in to be checked.

Still chilly outside!

It was dark and a little chilly outside.  There were piles of snow from a previous storm in the parking lot, but no ice or snow on the ground otherwise.  I had to lean up against the car to let a contraction go by, and then we started on our way.  We almost got hit by a car as we crossed the street to the hospital entrance --- we had the "walk" signal, so the lady turning left into the intersection was completely in the wrong...and she was going way too fast!

I told the nurse station that I needed to be checked to see if I was dilated, but when they took me into a room, they basically checked me into the hospital.  I got into a gown and was found to be dilated 3 centimeters.  Sasha, the OB nurse, was at the hospital’s childbirth class we had taken earlier, so it was nice to have her there as a familiar face.  She said my contractions were very intense and probably wouldn’t get much worse, so I thought I would try for no epidural.  Zach walked the halls with me for a while to move things along.  I had to snag a trashcan from beside the hallway water fountain to throw up in, and at that point I went back to my room.   I had dilated a little bit more, and still thought I could do it without the epidural....but then Zach reminded me what the contractions were leading up to.  

The experience of getting the epidural sure wasn’t pleasant.  Those things hurt!  I was nervous about having something put into my spine like that --- but Zach was face to face with me so I had something else to focus on.  Once it was in I was able to relax a little bit, but not completely, because the epidural didn’t take on my right side.  I felt every contraction, but I was okay with that.  I had always said that if I ended up doing an epidural that I wanted a light dose --- I wanted to be able to tell when I needed to push…….so I suppose I got what I wished for!  I definitely felt every contraction, but only at 50% intensity.

The evening moved along and all of a sudden the doctor was there and they were setting up the room.  There was no big scene or anything, I just had the nurse, Zach, and the doctor, and the nurse just randomly told me to start pushing.  I got sick a few times during the pushing process, but I knew exactly when I needed to make my next big effort…..and after a little over an hour, Sam was here.  We took plenty of pictures and Zach was whisked away to the nursery for the bath, footprints, etc. with Sam.  They transferred me to a recovery room and the role of parenthood began.  

First family pic

Off to the nursery

My mom got to the hospital by about noon on March 9^th.  We had plenty of visitors that day --- a few friends and even the wife of Zach’s commander. My dad got to town the next day.  

Pamma!

Papa Mark!

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday, March 11th and Zach’s family came the following weekend.   

Headed home with our new baby boy

Mia meets Sam

Grandi!

Grandpa Mark!

It is just amazing to me that he is here.  The pregnancy was so easy and the delivery couldn’t have been smoother.  It was much calmer than I ever expected....probably because every mother I encountered during my pregnancy had some horrifying birth story that she just had to share with me…..and I am happy to say that I will not be one of those girls.   

We are slowly learning what it takes to be parents, and we learn something new everyday (and will continue to for the rest of our days!).   Sam is awesome and we are so excited about our happy little family.

A few days after being home with Sam with the "It's a Boy" banner that
my mom made when she was having kids.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day!  We had a pretty good family weekend --- not too many big plans, but just enough little things to keep us busy.

Zach had survival training on Wednesday night, so when he arrived back home on Thursday night, he was exhausted.  Lucky for him, Sam and I were, too.  Little man was up all of Wednesday night with a very congested nose, and my day with him on Thursday was rough enough that we took him to a clinic in town to have him checked out.  The doc said he has a viral infection (which antibiotics won't help) and he will just have to work though it.  When we got home, this happened:

Sleepy boys

The weather wasn't the best here.  It was pretty chilly, and it rained off and on the entire time; however, it did stop long enough for some friends on base to have a little bonfire on Friday night (and by bonfire, I mean two contained fire pits in the fenced-in backyard).  Due to the low temp, Sam and I stayed inside their house while Zach mingled with the folks outdoors.   Everyone was wrapped up in comforters, heavy coats, gloves, and hats ---- so I didn't mind the excuse to stay out of the cold.   There were smores being made that were brought into me, and plenty of the ladies came in to hang out with us.  I think they used Sam as an excuse, too.   :)

Indoors at the bonfire party

On Saturday we took a road trip to Fargo.  We had originally talked about going to Minneapolis, but my pumping schedule and the recent development of Sam's stuffy nose made it seem like too much work.  A day trip to Fargo sounded much less stressful, and still far enough away that we would feel like we got out of town.  Sam did awesome in the car, but had a few fussy moments at lunch and while we were shopping.  This was our first time out of town and in a restaurant with him, so he did pretty well for it being such a new adventure.  Here are a few pictures from our day.

Road trip!

Lunch at Granite City.
I crack up every time I see this picture.  Sam was
clearly starting to have a fit, and no pacifier
was going to slow him down.

Brief dance party to Hanson's "MmBop"
in the mall parking lot.

Worn out at the Fargo mall.

Sunday we spent the day indoors and watched the rain, and Monday we celebrated Memorial Day at a BBQ on base with good friends.  It is tough to be so far away from our families during these long weekends, so we feel very blessed to have such wonderful friends here to spend time with.  They have been so good to us and love on Sam like he is their own.  He will definitely be our little military brat, but he'll have so many people across the country that will love to watch him grow up.     :)

Here is a video from this morning.  Sam just recently started to focus in on himself in the mirror, and he apparently likes what he sees!

Also, Happy Bachelorette Weekend to my best friend, Jess.  I missed her celebration in Denver this weekend, but I'm excited to get to Seattle for her big day in August.   :)

Words with Dad

Walkin'

Worn out after our walk with Pamma and Mia.

Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a wonderful week! 

Everything is going well here.  We had a great Mother’s Day celebration last weekend.  I woke up to Zach feeding Sam his morning bottle, which was lovely.  They had gotten me beautiful lilies and all the fixins for a delicious avocado, tomato, sausage, and cheese omelet.  

We sat together and ate breakfast, and then I headed back to get ready for the day.  While I was in the shower, Zach situated Sam on his lounge chair on the floor outside the bathroom door, so when I got out of the shower, this is what I saw.

How cute is that?!  He was holding an envelope that said ‘Mommy’ on the front, and inside was a giftcard for a fabulous spa day (manicure, pedicure, facial, and massage).  There was nice note from Sam inside, too. 

Zach went out in the afternoon to clean the garage and wash the cars, so Sam and I relaxed together.  We tried being outside for a bit, but I swear the wind up here never stops!  We spent most of our relaxation indoors to avoid it.   That night we had a homemade meal that Zach had been preparing all day on the back deck --- smoked turkey, grilled veggies, and cous cous.  

The rest of this week has been low key.  We’ve worked a lot on getting Sam to chat with us and get stronger with his tummy time.  I’m still pumping the days away, but kiddo is still growing….so its all worth it.

Me with both of my kiddos

Pamma got here on Thursday!  She’ll be here through Tuesday, and then we’ll be just a few days away from a four day Memorial Day weekend!  

Big Kiddo!

 I know I literally just posted the two month update, but I went back through our pictures just now and could not get over this.  

Check out this kid's growth in just one month!  

One Month

Two Months

Two Months!

We have a two month old!  

Wow.  That was fast, but we have learned so much over the past eight weeks.  I feel like we have adjusted to life with our new little guy, thanks to a daily run of trial and error to answer our constant questions.  What is the best way to bathe him? Why does his pee leak out the top of the diaper EVERY time?  How do you clip nails that small?  Is breast milk different than formula...and if so, how much do we give him?  We eventually figure out the answers…and luckily, Sam is very patient with us. 

It is funny how something so life altering as a baby can feel like your new “normal” so quickly.  I can’t really imagine our life without Sam.  The washer and dryer are constantly running, the house is not nearly as clean, and dinner is not always ready.  But man, it is the best. 

Check Up:

He had his two month well-baby appointment on May 9^th, and it went very well.  His weight was 11 pounds 6 ounces (in the 44th percentile), and his height was 23 inches (in the 54th percentile).  He gained two pounds in a month!  I was really pleased.  We were able to sit with the pediatrician for awhile to ask a few questions (I had quite the list), and then we were off to immunizations for his shots.  I seriously felt like I was going to throw up as we got him ready.  Thankfully, Zach was able be there…although, he was just laughing at me the whole time.  I had been dreading the appointment all morning (well….since he was born, actually), so I was kind of a mess.  Sam got one oral injection and three shots in his thighs --- each shot had a few different things in it --- but he did well.  He screamed after all three had gone in, but we rushed out to the lobby to get a bottle going.  After that he was fine.  The afternoon at home was off and on with sleeping and crying , but his night was normal.  What a trooper.  It is me that needs to toughen up.

Eating:

Sam is getting a combo of breastmilk and formula.  He takes a 5 ounce BM bottle every 3 hours during the day, and for his last bottle before bed, we give him 4 ounces of formula.  It fills him up enough so we usually don’t hear from him until between 4:00-6:00 a.m.  I still get up to pump every three hours throughout the night, but that feels normal now --- just part of the routine!  Each time we feed him, we try to stop at about two ounces to burp him....but he has definitely learned what we’re doing, so the instant we start getting him into position, he lets out an impressive squeal to let us know that this pause is unacceptable.   I know I shouldn't laugh, but I think its pretty funny.  

Sleeping:

We seem to get between 6 and 8 hours from him at night now, which is amazing.  My pumping schedule interrupts my sleep, but my boys are well rested. 

He takes short 10-15 minute naps during the day, but they are just long enough for me to do something productive each time --- first nap, take a shower, second nap, blow dry my hair, third nap slap on some make-up.  By dinner time I am looking pretty decent.  

Other Fun:

He is really starting to find his voice.  He LOVES his changing pad and the round mirror we have hanging above it --- he used to just gaze up at it, but now he looks and likes to discuss what he sees.  They are just short shouts, but he looks at us when he does it, and we do what we can to carry on the conversation.

He finds and follows our voices, and he is starting to smile when something makes him happy. 

He has an impressive grip with his little fists!  I learned this the hard way during two separate interactions that involved my hair and some hoop earrings.  Any dangly jewelry has been temporarily retired.

We have a soft blue bunny that we keep at his changing table that has become his little buddy.  He likes to grip the ears, and we like to rub the fur on Sam’s tummy --- he seems to like the softness because it makes him smile.

We just can’t get enough of him.   I posted a video below, but he isn't doing a whole lot.  I have a great one on my phone that has him babbling on about his plans for the day, but the file was too big to email and upload.  Oh well.


 On to month three!