Saturday, May 14, 2011
Pictures
Today my friend Shelia came over to take pictures of our little family. We had yet to get a picture of the three of us, so it was about time, plus we wanted pictures of our Little Man before he changes too much. I love so many of the pics, but seeing as I am one dial-up I will only post a couple of them.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Life With My Little Man
It is hard to believe I have had over two weeks with my Little Man! In some ways it has flown by, but it also seems like eons ago that we were in the NICU. We are settling into a nice little routine; it goes like this: sleep, poop, change diaper, eat, watch mommy pump, sleep. I keep telling Griffin that we could speed up the process if he would just eat from the source, but other than a few short attempts yesterday latching is not happening! So we finger feed, it takes time, but I am told that most babies will latch on in 6-8 weeks if we stick to the plan. I am super determined to get him to latch, but for now he is getting mostly breast milk, in the evening he never stops eating and I can’t keep up to him so he gets some formula then.
Other than his eating issue Griffin is a great baby! He rarely cries, and when he does it is because mommy or daddy just aren’t quick enough getting his next meal. He is a night owl (total opposite of his mommy), he starts eating around 5pm and usually doesn’t stop until midnight (or later). Then he sleeps for 5 or 6 hours and wakes up around 6:30, yup my two week old gives us 5 or 6 hours of solid sleep! Now that I have written this I am sure it will come to an end! During the day he eats every three hours or so. He is most happy when he is in someone’s arms, and I love loving him to sleep. As the days have gone on he has gotten much more active with his arms and legs, and stares at faces for hours.
I am loving my new job as mommy. I love spending hours with Griffin in my arms, I love feeding him, changing his diaper, and basically loving him. My c-section recovery has been super easy, and pain free. In fact I am convinced that it has been easier than it would have been if I got the birth I wanted. I am super thankful that this is the case, it has given me the chance to enjoy every moment with Griffin!
Other than his eating issue Griffin is a great baby! He rarely cries, and when he does it is because mommy or daddy just aren’t quick enough getting his next meal. He is a night owl (total opposite of his mommy), he starts eating around 5pm and usually doesn’t stop until midnight (or later). Then he sleeps for 5 or 6 hours and wakes up around 6:30, yup my two week old gives us 5 or 6 hours of solid sleep! Now that I have written this I am sure it will come to an end! During the day he eats every three hours or so. He is most happy when he is in someone’s arms, and I love loving him to sleep. As the days have gone on he has gotten much more active with his arms and legs, and stares at faces for hours.
I am loving my new job as mommy. I love spending hours with Griffin in my arms, I love feeding him, changing his diaper, and basically loving him. My c-section recovery has been super easy, and pain free. In fact I am convinced that it has been easier than it would have been if I got the birth I wanted. I am super thankful that this is the case, it has given me the chance to enjoy every moment with Griffin!
Monday, May 2, 2011
For I Know the Plans I have For You...
Declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Griffin Allan entered the world at 12:35am on Sunday, April 24th (Easter Sunday), not according to our plans, but according to His! We like to think of him as our Easter Miracle
On Saturday we went in for a non-stress test to make sure all was well. It was great, and Griffin looked really happy in the womb (even though he had spent an extra two weeks in there). The doctor figured we might as well start the induction a day early seeing as we were already there. They started with cervidil and things got under way. Jay and I walked and walked around the Selkirk hospital parking lot, and finally when I went to have a nap around 2:30pm the contractions started. This was a good sign right?! I ate dinner and then got hooked up to the monitors. My contractions were super close together, without much time in between them, I am sure full blown labour is worse, but these ones hurt, and neither Griffin nor I had time to rest between them. The doctor pulled the cervidil around 6:30pm, she figured the contractions needed to find a normal pattern and that this would help. It didn’t they continued to come one on top of the other, and I was uncomfortable and Griffin’s heart, although okay was not recovering fast enough. At about 10:00pm Griffin’s heart rate took a nose dive (into the 60’s) and the doctor advised us to make the trip to St. Boniface Hospital.
By 11pm I was being loaded onto the ambulance and Jay was heading for his car to make the trip to the city. The nurse that I had all day in Selkirk joined me and I was so grateful for the company and conversation to keep my mind off what was happening. Little did I know how difficult this trip was for Jay, who was by himself and running over all the possible outcomes of this. When we arrived at the hospital I was whisked into a delivery room and checked over by nurses and a doctor. By now my contractions had slowed down, so I figured that we might wait until the next day to figure this out, but then Griffin’s heart rate dropped again, and it was time to get him out! The last doctor decided to break my water to get things moving, with hook in hand he examined me and found the umbilical cord below Griffin’s head. Clearly breaking my water was not an option. Before Jay even arrived at the hospital it was made clear that a C-section was absolutely necessary! Jay got tied up in admitting and I didn’t want to sign or start anything without him, when he finally got to me I filled him in, we signed the forms, and we were taken down the hall where he put on scrubs, and I went to the operating room. Within an hour of arriving at St. B. Griffin was born, a little blue, and with a lot of fluid in his lungs. I did see him very briefly, his eyes were open, I fell in love! He was then whisked away to NICU, with Jay following close behind him.
I was wheeled into recovery, and after throwing up once felt pretty good (at least physically). It was certainly scary to not know what was happening with Griffin. Jay came up to update me and let me know that Griffin was getting admitted to the NICU, and again when he got kicked out so they could attach him to machines. It certainly was not easy to be stuck in bed as all this was going on, but I was thankful for the nurses and doctors and all the work they were doing. Besides the breathing issues, Griffin appeared to have some sort of infection, his blood counts were pretty low. So while Jay was with me they put Griffin on a CPAP machine and oxygen for his breathing, and hooked him up to an IV for fluids and antibiotics. After half an hour Jay was able to go back to be with him, and finally my legs were moving and the effects of the epidural was wearing off the nurses wheeled my bed into the NICU so I could see him. It was so hard to see him but not be able to hold him, I touched his foot. I was wheeled up to the maternity floor to “settle” in for the night, and told Jay to go to my parents to sleep, we couldn’t do anything in the hospital and we were looking rough around the edges.
I must say that night was terrible, I was in the room with two other women, and their babies. One was a teenager who was less than thrilled to have to feed her baby. I did get an hour or two of broken sleep, but at 6:30 the nurse found be bawling in bed. I so badly wanted to know Griffin was okay, or at least would be okay, I wanted him in my arms. She did go get an update for me, but the only change was that the x-ray showed something (fluid, infection???) in his lungs, we already knew that was the case. He had remained stable through the night.
At 8:30am my parents walked through the door. I had talked to mom as I went in for my c-section but Jay told them the whole story when he got home. It was good to have them there. Jay arrived not long after, by 11am we were allowed to go to the NICU. I finally held Griffin, almost 12 hours after his birth. He was still hooked up to all his machines but his stats looked great. After my turn Jay had his, and as he held him the doctors took him off the CPAP. His stats remained high, and he was able to breathe on his own. His infection was still a concern, but things were improving.
During that day we spent as much time as possible with Griffin in the NICU, between Jay, and his parents and I he got lots of cuddles. We worked on feeding issues but he was given bottles in order to meet his nutrition needs. My parents got to meet him, but not hold him that evening. At the 8pm feeding we talked with the doctor and were told it was possible that he might be moved upstairs that night! We were thrilled with the idea, but scared to have him not on monitors and such. By about 11pm he was in a bassinet at the end of my bed (okay his bassinet was there, he was in our arms). It was so good to have him with us. Of course this was day two and Jay and I had two hours of sleep each in the 36 hours. We were both exhausted! Jay spent the night, even catching an hour or two of sleep on the floor.
I find it a touch ironic that my last post was about plans, seeing as by the end of this we referred to the word plan as a four letter word. Nothing went to plan, at least not my plan! If I had gone into labour at home (plan a) we certainly would have lost Griffin, there was no way I could have reached the hospital in time and the cord would have prolapsed. If plan b would have worked out it is likely that the outcome would have been the same as plan a. Selkirk doesn’t have the resources to deal with a situation like that. Clearly Plan C was God’s Plan A! Looking back and at the “what-ifs” is much scarier than anything that actually happened. In fact I think I was pretty calm as the plans were being blown apart. God clearly worked through each situation as it arose, and each decision that needed to be made was made correctly. Even though our plan didn’t work out, the outcome was more that we could have hoped for!
In the end there was no infection, and after 48 hours Griffin was wireless and normal looking (other than the bruise on his hand and foot). We spent three nights in the hospital and came home on Wednesday. In all reality Griffin is a amazingly content baby, he likes to be held, and cuddled, and loved on, and I don’t mind at all. He cries only when hungry, but we often have to wake him in order to feed him every three hours. He feeds for hours on end in the evening and the last two nights has let mommy and daddy sleep for 4-5 hours at a time. We continue to deal with feeding issues, another thing not going to plan, but he is gaining weight and thriving, mommy just has to work hard. We are loving this new stage in our lives!
Pictures to follow!
Griffin Allan entered the world at 12:35am on Sunday, April 24th (Easter Sunday), not according to our plans, but according to His! We like to think of him as our Easter Miracle
On Saturday we went in for a non-stress test to make sure all was well. It was great, and Griffin looked really happy in the womb (even though he had spent an extra two weeks in there). The doctor figured we might as well start the induction a day early seeing as we were already there. They started with cervidil and things got under way. Jay and I walked and walked around the Selkirk hospital parking lot, and finally when I went to have a nap around 2:30pm the contractions started. This was a good sign right?! I ate dinner and then got hooked up to the monitors. My contractions were super close together, without much time in between them, I am sure full blown labour is worse, but these ones hurt, and neither Griffin nor I had time to rest between them. The doctor pulled the cervidil around 6:30pm, she figured the contractions needed to find a normal pattern and that this would help. It didn’t they continued to come one on top of the other, and I was uncomfortable and Griffin’s heart, although okay was not recovering fast enough. At about 10:00pm Griffin’s heart rate took a nose dive (into the 60’s) and the doctor advised us to make the trip to St. Boniface Hospital.
By 11pm I was being loaded onto the ambulance and Jay was heading for his car to make the trip to the city. The nurse that I had all day in Selkirk joined me and I was so grateful for the company and conversation to keep my mind off what was happening. Little did I know how difficult this trip was for Jay, who was by himself and running over all the possible outcomes of this. When we arrived at the hospital I was whisked into a delivery room and checked over by nurses and a doctor. By now my contractions had slowed down, so I figured that we might wait until the next day to figure this out, but then Griffin’s heart rate dropped again, and it was time to get him out! The last doctor decided to break my water to get things moving, with hook in hand he examined me and found the umbilical cord below Griffin’s head. Clearly breaking my water was not an option. Before Jay even arrived at the hospital it was made clear that a C-section was absolutely necessary! Jay got tied up in admitting and I didn’t want to sign or start anything without him, when he finally got to me I filled him in, we signed the forms, and we were taken down the hall where he put on scrubs, and I went to the operating room. Within an hour of arriving at St. B. Griffin was born, a little blue, and with a lot of fluid in his lungs. I did see him very briefly, his eyes were open, I fell in love! He was then whisked away to NICU, with Jay following close behind him.
I was wheeled into recovery, and after throwing up once felt pretty good (at least physically). It was certainly scary to not know what was happening with Griffin. Jay came up to update me and let me know that Griffin was getting admitted to the NICU, and again when he got kicked out so they could attach him to machines. It certainly was not easy to be stuck in bed as all this was going on, but I was thankful for the nurses and doctors and all the work they were doing. Besides the breathing issues, Griffin appeared to have some sort of infection, his blood counts were pretty low. So while Jay was with me they put Griffin on a CPAP machine and oxygen for his breathing, and hooked him up to an IV for fluids and antibiotics. After half an hour Jay was able to go back to be with him, and finally my legs were moving and the effects of the epidural was wearing off the nurses wheeled my bed into the NICU so I could see him. It was so hard to see him but not be able to hold him, I touched his foot. I was wheeled up to the maternity floor to “settle” in for the night, and told Jay to go to my parents to sleep, we couldn’t do anything in the hospital and we were looking rough around the edges.
I must say that night was terrible, I was in the room with two other women, and their babies. One was a teenager who was less than thrilled to have to feed her baby. I did get an hour or two of broken sleep, but at 6:30 the nurse found be bawling in bed. I so badly wanted to know Griffin was okay, or at least would be okay, I wanted him in my arms. She did go get an update for me, but the only change was that the x-ray showed something (fluid, infection???) in his lungs, we already knew that was the case. He had remained stable through the night.
At 8:30am my parents walked through the door. I had talked to mom as I went in for my c-section but Jay told them the whole story when he got home. It was good to have them there. Jay arrived not long after, by 11am we were allowed to go to the NICU. I finally held Griffin, almost 12 hours after his birth. He was still hooked up to all his machines but his stats looked great. After my turn Jay had his, and as he held him the doctors took him off the CPAP. His stats remained high, and he was able to breathe on his own. His infection was still a concern, but things were improving.
During that day we spent as much time as possible with Griffin in the NICU, between Jay, and his parents and I he got lots of cuddles. We worked on feeding issues but he was given bottles in order to meet his nutrition needs. My parents got to meet him, but not hold him that evening. At the 8pm feeding we talked with the doctor and were told it was possible that he might be moved upstairs that night! We were thrilled with the idea, but scared to have him not on monitors and such. By about 11pm he was in a bassinet at the end of my bed (okay his bassinet was there, he was in our arms). It was so good to have him with us. Of course this was day two and Jay and I had two hours of sleep each in the 36 hours. We were both exhausted! Jay spent the night, even catching an hour or two of sleep on the floor.
I find it a touch ironic that my last post was about plans, seeing as by the end of this we referred to the word plan as a four letter word. Nothing went to plan, at least not my plan! If I had gone into labour at home (plan a) we certainly would have lost Griffin, there was no way I could have reached the hospital in time and the cord would have prolapsed. If plan b would have worked out it is likely that the outcome would have been the same as plan a. Selkirk doesn’t have the resources to deal with a situation like that. Clearly Plan C was God’s Plan A! Looking back and at the “what-ifs” is much scarier than anything that actually happened. In fact I think I was pretty calm as the plans were being blown apart. God clearly worked through each situation as it arose, and each decision that needed to be made was made correctly. Even though our plan didn’t work out, the outcome was more that we could have hoped for!
In the end there was no infection, and after 48 hours Griffin was wireless and normal looking (other than the bruise on his hand and foot). We spent three nights in the hospital and came home on Wednesday. In all reality Griffin is a amazingly content baby, he likes to be held, and cuddled, and loved on, and I don’t mind at all. He cries only when hungry, but we often have to wake him in order to feed him every three hours. He feeds for hours on end in the evening and the last two nights has let mommy and daddy sleep for 4-5 hours at a time. We continue to deal with feeding issues, another thing not going to plan, but he is gaining weight and thriving, mommy just has to work hard. We are loving this new stage in our lives!
Pictures to follow!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Still Waiting...
So I am not really a patient person, I like plans, and I like when they go accordingly... Maybe God is trying to teach me patience before this little one comes! Although my due date was changed to the 14th a couple of months ago I have focused on the 10th for this whole pregnancy, which means I am now almost two weeks overdue... two weeks of waiting to meet this little one... waiting, waiting, waiting. This is just reinforcing my guess of boy, he probably won't leave the nest until he is 30!
Now we have another plan (and we have since Monday)... one that I dreaded this entire pregnancy, but at this point I am okay with it. As much as I don't want to be induced it is time for this little one to make an apperance, although the doctor keeps wondering if he/she is not so little! So unless Baby Boaz decides to join us in the outside world before Sunday an eviction will take place! We have a non-stress test on Saturday to make sure everything is good, and then we will head back to the hospital on Sunday for the start of the eviction, if we are lucky Sunday will be enough and we won't need more interventions on Monday. Either way this baby has a deadline to enter this world.
So we continue to wait, but are able to plan... maybe this baby is working with his/her mommy, I do like plans!
Now we have another plan (and we have since Monday)... one that I dreaded this entire pregnancy, but at this point I am okay with it. As much as I don't want to be induced it is time for this little one to make an apperance, although the doctor keeps wondering if he/she is not so little! So unless Baby Boaz decides to join us in the outside world before Sunday an eviction will take place! We have a non-stress test on Saturday to make sure everything is good, and then we will head back to the hospital on Sunday for the start of the eviction, if we are lucky Sunday will be enough and we won't need more interventions on Monday. Either way this baby has a deadline to enter this world.
So we continue to wait, but are able to plan... maybe this baby is working with his/her mommy, I do like plans!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Playing the Waiting Game
Remember when you were 6 and it was Christmas Eve, there were big boxes under the tree with YOUR name on them, you couldn't sleep you were just so excited? I remember those evenings/nights as special, and fun... but I knew that the next morning was Christmas and that I would be unwrapping the presents as soon as breakfast was finished. Nice memory!
Now picture this I am 29, and I am as huge as huge can be. I am in the 40th week of pregnancy and really want to meet our son or daughter. I would love to sleep but am uber uncomfortable in any position and spend my evenings tossing and turning. Unlike those presents under the tree I have not peeked (or unwrapped) the present yet and am dying to find out if I am right and we are having a boy or if I have been calling our little girl 'he' for the last 20 or so weeks. Of course the worst of it is that I have no idea when I will get to open this present and I am pretty sure it won't be as easy as pulling off the wrapping paper!
I so want to just meet this little one! Pregnancy has been fun, but it is time for it to be over!
I guess I am getting closer, only because I can't be getting any further away!!
Now picture this I am 29, and I am as huge as huge can be. I am in the 40th week of pregnancy and really want to meet our son or daughter. I would love to sleep but am uber uncomfortable in any position and spend my evenings tossing and turning. Unlike those presents under the tree I have not peeked (or unwrapped) the present yet and am dying to find out if I am right and we are having a boy or if I have been calling our little girl 'he' for the last 20 or so weeks. Of course the worst of it is that I have no idea when I will get to open this present and I am pretty sure it won't be as easy as pulling off the wrapping paper!
I so want to just meet this little one! Pregnancy has been fun, but it is time for it to be over!
I guess I am getting closer, only because I can't be getting any further away!!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Post 129
It is hard to believe we are at the 36 week mark, even harder to believe that we are 4 (yup only FOUR) weeks to our due date. I keep saying that in 4 to 6 weeks I will be a mom! It is so hard to imagine what my life will be like, how it will change, and how I will function with less sleep! Yet the excitement is ever increasing and I am very much looking forward to meeting Little Baby Boaz. When people ask me if I am excited about my life change, I often comment on how I am a little nervous, really I know that there will be struggles and such, and I am not naive enough to think that I know what to expect. Of course I am oh so happy to be becoming a mom, I have wanted this for longer than I would like to admit!
Last weekend my sister threw me a baby shower. Ashley is Ashley so let’s just say there was a ton of effort put into games, food, decorations, and pretty much everything! I was so blessed with gifts that we will definitely put to good use. Having things like clothes, bath tubs, and toys for the baby makes it all seem so much more “real”! Don’t get me wrong the kicking, and punching let me know this baby is real, but “real” as in will be coming home with me in not too long of a time! It was good to see family and friends.
I think everything will feel more real when I am done teaching. Right now I am so focused on all things school that my focus is not on baby quite yet. I have another week of teaching and a ton of stuff to do over Spring Break (report cards, cleaning and packing up my classroom etc.), when that is done I am sure my focus will change. Currently I am praying that there is a teacher for my 22 kids come April 1st, but either way I can’t stop the baby from coming so I won’t be here!
Of course my life revolves around baby and work, but other fun things have happened lately too. We have had friends that live in Australia up to our place for a couple of nights over the past few weeks. Paul and Jay have been friends for years. Paul and Ashley moved to Australia a couple of years ago, and since then have had two boys. They are in Canada visiting family and friends. It was great to have them come visit and hang out (twice!!). We don’t get lots of visitors so it was nice to have people come see us!
So, bets on when this baby is coming and whether it is a girl or boy??
Will post 130 be the announcement?
Last weekend my sister threw me a baby shower. Ashley is Ashley so let’s just say there was a ton of effort put into games, food, decorations, and pretty much everything! I was so blessed with gifts that we will definitely put to good use. Having things like clothes, bath tubs, and toys for the baby makes it all seem so much more “real”! Don’t get me wrong the kicking, and punching let me know this baby is real, but “real” as in will be coming home with me in not too long of a time! It was good to see family and friends.
I think everything will feel more real when I am done teaching. Right now I am so focused on all things school that my focus is not on baby quite yet. I have another week of teaching and a ton of stuff to do over Spring Break (report cards, cleaning and packing up my classroom etc.), when that is done I am sure my focus will change. Currently I am praying that there is a teacher for my 22 kids come April 1st, but either way I can’t stop the baby from coming so I won’t be here!
Of course my life revolves around baby and work, but other fun things have happened lately too. We have had friends that live in Australia up to our place for a couple of nights over the past few weeks. Paul and Jay have been friends for years. Paul and Ashley moved to Australia a couple of years ago, and since then have had two boys. They are in Canada visiting family and friends. It was great to have them come visit and hang out (twice!!). We don’t get lots of visitors so it was nice to have people come see us!
So, bets on when this baby is coming and whether it is a girl or boy??
Will post 130 be the announcement?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Life as I Know It!
Is a little on the CRAZY side, but I am loving most moments of it!
I am in the anxious stage of my pregnancy. As a student said the other day I was more excited at the beginning. It isn't that I am not excited about it now, it is just that worry is creeping in. I am going with "this is normal" and thinking it is okay to want to make sure things are good for baby, but in the process my worry-wart personality can take over. I spend my evenings at home telling myself not to dwell on things.In the end things will be fine, and what I have control over I will take care of, everything else will work itself out!
We started our pre-natal classes last night. I left with a question... why do the pregnant women sit on mats on the floor, with nothing to rest our backs on to practice breathing? I made the decision yesterday that I will NOT be in labour on the floor! Seriously I am eight months pregnant, I don't sit on floors very comfortably and instead of focusing on my breathing I was thinking about how my back hurt and my legs were getting cramped. At times I wanted to burst out in laughter...
Jay and I both experienced a wonderful case of the stomach flu last week. I commented that it was the first time we had two solid days at home together with no commitments in months... of course we spent it sleeping and puking so the qaulity was laking! I was so thankful that every time i woke up baby kicked me. I dranks as much water as I could and things seemed to be fine (no I didn't go to the doctor).
As for school it is hard to believe I have only two weeks and two days left with "my kids". I will have stuff to wrap up during Spring Break but these last two weeks with my students will fly by. We are working a ton of stuff right now so I don't leave stuff hanging when I leave.
Right now that is life: work, sleep, eat (and that I do a lot these days), think about baby, press repeat. Just the way it shoudl be right now! Change is just aroudn the corner!!
I am in the anxious stage of my pregnancy. As a student said the other day I was more excited at the beginning. It isn't that I am not excited about it now, it is just that worry is creeping in. I am going with "this is normal" and thinking it is okay to want to make sure things are good for baby, but in the process my worry-wart personality can take over. I spend my evenings at home telling myself not to dwell on things.In the end things will be fine, and what I have control over I will take care of, everything else will work itself out!
We started our pre-natal classes last night. I left with a question... why do the pregnant women sit on mats on the floor, with nothing to rest our backs on to practice breathing? I made the decision yesterday that I will NOT be in labour on the floor! Seriously I am eight months pregnant, I don't sit on floors very comfortably and instead of focusing on my breathing I was thinking about how my back hurt and my legs were getting cramped. At times I wanted to burst out in laughter...
Jay and I both experienced a wonderful case of the stomach flu last week. I commented that it was the first time we had two solid days at home together with no commitments in months... of course we spent it sleeping and puking so the qaulity was laking! I was so thankful that every time i woke up baby kicked me. I dranks as much water as I could and things seemed to be fine (no I didn't go to the doctor).
As for school it is hard to believe I have only two weeks and two days left with "my kids". I will have stuff to wrap up during Spring Break but these last two weeks with my students will fly by. We are working a ton of stuff right now so I don't leave stuff hanging when I leave.
Right now that is life: work, sleep, eat (and that I do a lot these days), think about baby, press repeat. Just the way it shoudl be right now! Change is just aroudn the corner!!
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