Well we are actually going to do this. The ticket is booked. The bags are packed. We just need to get up tomorrow morning at 4am and get to the airport.
Today was super busy. It started off with a fun meeting at our place with some of the PEPS moms. Then Andrew and I ran off to take William to the pediatrician to make sure it was okay to travel with his phlegmy cough. The doctor said his lungs were clear and he was good to go. Then we went to Crossroads Mall to pickup a Baby B'air flight vest for William and then over to Target to pick up some last minute supplies. We spent most of the evening folding laundry and packing.
I may post from VT. Wish us luck
Showing newest 17 of 21 posts from February 2008. Show older posts
Showing newest 17 of 21 posts from February 2008. Show older posts
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Last minute travel
Yesterday we got word that Andrew's grandfather had passed away. An odd thing happened about an hour before he died. William and were sitting on the living room couch, playing around and all of a sudden he started to ignore me and began looking over my shoulder. He was looking at something over my shoulder and smiling as if someone was smiling back at him. I couldn't get his attention for a couple of minutes. He just kept smiling and looking intently at something over my shoulder. Hmm. I have been very sad that William wasn't able to meet his great grandfather Poppa Martin and I'd like to believe that Poppa came for a visit just before he died.
William and I will be heading to CT and VT from Friday the 29th of February until Wednesday, March 5th. I will be traveling alone with him for the first time. Andrew will be going to Northern Ireland for his grandfather's funeral. Andrew's friend Keith will be housesitting and hanging out with Rowan. All of these plans were made in a big flurry last night and this morning and we are trying to remain calm.
I've got the PEPS moms coming over today for a couple of hours and then Andrew and I need to run out and get baby travel supplies and get William's nasty cough checked out by the pediatrician this afternoon. Oh what a busy day.
I'm dreading getting up at 4am to get William and I to the airport for our 7am flight. It's gonna be brutal, but we will manage.
I'll likely be out of touch for a couple of days.
Wish us luck!!
William and I will be heading to CT and VT from Friday the 29th of February until Wednesday, March 5th. I will be traveling alone with him for the first time. Andrew will be going to Northern Ireland for his grandfather's funeral. Andrew's friend Keith will be housesitting and hanging out with Rowan. All of these plans were made in a big flurry last night and this morning and we are trying to remain calm.
I've got the PEPS moms coming over today for a couple of hours and then Andrew and I need to run out and get baby travel supplies and get William's nasty cough checked out by the pediatrician this afternoon. Oh what a busy day.
I'm dreading getting up at 4am to get William and I to the airport for our 7am flight. It's gonna be brutal, but we will manage.
I'll likely be out of touch for a couple of days.
Wish us luck!!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Blisters and blueberries
Today was a great day. William and I spent the morning with our neighbor, Devon, and she taught me all about how to set up a low cost, professional photography set up at home. She also taught me some really valuable things about Photoshop. This article shows you how to "turn blueberries into sapphires" with regard to brightening up blue eyes. I'm enjoying experimenting on brightening up William's eyes in recent photos of him. Here is one photo that shows the results of using the techniques from that article. The second photo has been Photoshopped.
This afternoon, I met up with my friend Beth and her 10 month old son for a 5 mile walk!! Half of the walk was uphill, half downhill. It was quite a work out that resulted in some mean blisters and William and I both fell fast asleep upon arriving home.
Tomorrow should be a fun day. We've got an afternoon playdate scheduled and I'm looking forward to a Mom's Night Out at a local Italian restaurant with some friends.
This afternoon, I met up with my friend Beth and her 10 month old son for a 5 mile walk!! Half of the walk was uphill, half downhill. It was quite a work out that resulted in some mean blisters and William and I both fell fast asleep upon arriving home.
Tomorrow should be a fun day. We've got an afternoon playdate scheduled and I'm looking forward to a Mom's Night Out at a local Italian restaurant with some friends.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Becoming socially secure...
Today I tried to see if William would take a long mid-morning nap, and he did. He slept from 9:30am until 12:45pm. That was after 11 hours of sleep last night. It seems that he is a good sleeper like his mama, at least for now. I hope that I don't have to kick myself later for saying that.
After his loooong nap, we went to Bellevue to get his social security number and a stretchy swaddle blanket at Merry Go Round. Afterwards, we rushed home because William was getting very hungry and needed a bottle. On the way home he was able to soothe himself by chewing on his fingers. He likes to gnaw on his thumb. I think it helps massage his sore gums. While he chews on his fingers, he likes to babble and make lots of sounds. He quiets down really quickly when I play Sarah McLachlan on the stereo. It's pretty cute.
I had a nice long chat with my sister-in-law, Jill, and made an appointment with the landscape designer she used last year. I'm so excited to see what she suggests. I hope it won't be too expensive...
That was about it for today. The sun came out for a while in the middle of the day and we had some showers in the afternoon. It's definitely getting more and more spring-like out here which does wonders for my mood/perspective. I love hearing the peepers out in the wetlands behind our house.
Tomorrow should be a busy day. In the morning we are going to meet with our neighbor, Devon, to discuss photography and how I can get myself set up to take professional-looking photos of William. Then, William and I have a date with Beth for a 2 hour power walk. She's in good shape, so I am thinking that I am going to be in for quite a workout.
After his loooong nap, we went to Bellevue to get his social security number and a stretchy swaddle blanket at Merry Go Round. Afterwards, we rushed home because William was getting very hungry and needed a bottle. On the way home he was able to soothe himself by chewing on his fingers. He likes to gnaw on his thumb. I think it helps massage his sore gums. While he chews on his fingers, he likes to babble and make lots of sounds. He quiets down really quickly when I play Sarah McLachlan on the stereo. It's pretty cute.
I had a nice long chat with my sister-in-law, Jill, and made an appointment with the landscape designer she used last year. I'm so excited to see what she suggests. I hope it won't be too expensive...
That was about it for today. The sun came out for a while in the middle of the day and we had some showers in the afternoon. It's definitely getting more and more spring-like out here which does wonders for my mood/perspective. I love hearing the peepers out in the wetlands behind our house.
Tomorrow should be a busy day. In the morning we are going to meet with our neighbor, Devon, to discuss photography and how I can get myself set up to take professional-looking photos of William. Then, William and I have a date with Beth for a 2 hour power walk. She's in good shape, so I am thinking that I am going to be in for quite a workout.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Rock band fiends
Today we had a visit from Andrew's high school friend, Keith. The guys got to rock out for hours playing Rock Band and I was even able to get in on the action for a little while.
Andrew and I just can't make up our minds on which car we'd like to buy to replace my Honda Element. It sounds lame, but it's tiring making decisions about spending large amounts of money. We both tend to keep our cars for 5-9 years, so we want to make sure that this car will be appropriate for our growing family and day to day needs. I'm currently leaning towards the Honda Pilot because of the roominess and excellent features and safety/reliability. Andrew is leaning towards the Acura RDX or the Honda CR-V. Decisions...decisions...
William had a good day. He still has a cough (that sounds phlegmy to me) and seems to have a small amount of teething discomfort, but overall he is bright eyed and smiley.
This evening we took Keith out to dinner at Mike's Cascade Grill. The guys have resumed their Rock Band practice and will likely be at it for a while longer.
This week is already proving to be a busy one. Tomorrow, I will meet up with the SnoValley moms group for coffee in the a.m. and then William and I will head into Bellevue for his Social Security number and a little shopping for baby gear.
William is very interested in food these days. He grabs the food on my plate and has even tasted some avocado/guacamole and seemed to like it. I need to find him a highchair/booster seat so that we can get started on solid foods. We'll probably start pretty slow with some rice cereal/formula mixture and then head into pureed vegetables and fruit. I'm going to try to make his food from organic produce and then put it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. We'll see how this works out.
Once I get him his Social Security number we will send out his passport application so that we can legally travel abroad with him. We are looking forward to visiting Northern Ireland and Germany this summer.
This week, William and I are considering flying out to Vermont to visit with friends and family. We will probably leave on Thursday or Friday and stay for a week or so. It will be quite an adventure to travel alone with William on his first flight, but I'm sure we'll figure it out somehow with some patience and good planning.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Another busy day
Friday was another busy day. William woke up at 8am in a great mood and was fed by Andrew while I got to take a shower. Ah the luxury that is a hot shower in the morning and a clean self in public. 
Then we went over to Vi's house and she cut my hair. 
Then we all (me, William, Vi, and Chloe) went to Crossroads Mall and had lunch and did a little shopping. Afterward, I rushed into Costco to pick up a birthday cake for Layla.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sick William
William woke up in a fabulous mood and played and cuddled with Andrew before he left for work.
In the morning I took William to see Dr. Ryan. She listened to his lungs and checked him out and said that he had nothing more than a head cold. She said she couldn't hear any congestion in his chest and that the wheezing sounds were from his stuffed nose. Hmm. She advised me to continue doing what I had already been doing. We are using nasal saline and his nose sucker bulb to clean out boogies and keeping him propped up while sleeping. She didn't have an answer for the green poop, other than it might contain bile or it could be due to his being a bit under the weather. Hmm.
After seeing Dr. Ryan, we went to Costco and William slept until I approached the check out line. As soon as it was time to pay he started to cry inconsolably. Poor little guy. He was very hungry and was not feeling patient about waiting.
We took off from Costco and met up with Vi and Chloe at Mike's Cascade Grill and had some lunch. I was starved because it was nearly 2 and I hadn't eaten yet.
After getting home we played for a long while and took a few more photos. Here is one taken of William listening to his Auntie Holly talking to him on the phone.
We just got back from Mike's Cascade Grill...yes, that is correct, this was my second visit today.
Yet another sunny day!
Today was gorgeous, albeit a bit cold in the shade. William and I met Layla and Astrid for lunch at the outlets and had a fun shopping day. The most adorable moment of the day was when Astrid held hands with William while I carried him in his Hip Hugger baby carrier. So cute!
We found a bunch of incredible deals on winter stuff for next year! One of the highlights was a three piece winter coat for 7.99, marked down from 49.99!! Gotta love the outlet winter clearance deals. We also found a fleece sweatshirt for 1.99!! Okay, enough bragging about my super savvy shopping savings.
After shopping, William and I went to the Honda dealership to check out the Honda Oddessy. I have to say that the amount of space and usable features were impressive. It drove pretty well, but not as well as the Acura RDX. Hmmm. Priorities. The dual side remote sliding doors was great as was the rearview camera in the rearview mirror. Too many choices....
William has developed a cough over the last couple of days. He's been eating and sleeping and having a grand old time during playtime. He's not had a fever or any behavior problems. I'm not sure what to make of it. He also had his second GREEN poop. Now what is that about?? I looked it up online and it says it could be bile or iron salts that pass through his system without being absorbed. Hmm. The doctor said that green poop is due to bile being present in the poop it is usually related to the food moving to quickly through his system to be fully digested and absorbed. This doesn't make sense to me because this is the second time that his green poop has come after a couple days of constipation. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow. We'll see what she says.
We found a bunch of incredible deals on winter stuff for next year! One of the highlights was a three piece winter coat for 7.99, marked down from 49.99!! Gotta love the outlet winter clearance deals. We also found a fleece sweatshirt for 1.99!! Okay, enough bragging about my super savvy shopping savings.After shopping, William and I went to the Honda dealership to check out the Honda Oddessy. I have to say that the amount of space and usable features were impressive. It drove pretty well, but not as well as the Acura RDX. Hmmm. Priorities. The dual side remote sliding doors was great as was the rearview camera in the rearview mirror. Too many choices....
William has developed a cough over the last couple of days. He's been eating and sleeping and having a grand old time during playtime. He's not had a fever or any behavior problems. I'm not sure what to make of it. He also had his second GREEN poop. Now what is that about?? I looked it up online and it says it could be bile or iron salts that pass through his system without being absorbed. Hmm. The doctor said that green poop is due to bile being present in the poop it is usually related to the food moving to quickly through his system to be fully digested and absorbed. This doesn't make sense to me because this is the second time that his green poop has come after a couple days of constipation. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow. We'll see what she says.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Another gorgeous day!
Today, we celebrated the third consecutive gorgeous day out here in the Pacific northwest. William and I went on a 2 hour walk with Steph and Ellie. We walked all over the neighborhood and took in a lot of bright sun. It was great.
William has had a challenging day due to some teething pain. After some Tylenol, he was able to enjoy a much needed two hour nap this afternoon. This caused us to be late for a playdate at Layla's house. We did manage to get over there to hang out for a half hour or so. Here are a few photos taken at Layla's house of William and Astrid and William and me.
Andrew is very excited about Obama's win in Wisconsin...
William has had a challenging day due to some teething pain. After some Tylenol, he was able to enjoy a much needed two hour nap this afternoon. This caused us to be late for a playdate at Layla's house. We did manage to get over there to hang out for a half hour or so. Here are a few photos taken at Layla's house of William and Astrid and William and me.
Andrew is very excited about Obama's win in Wisconsin...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Presidents Day
Today was Presidents Day. It was the second consecutive day of gorgeous warm, sunny weather after the worst, most dreary winter so far.
This past weekend we visited with Andrew's parents before they left for Belfast and went car shopping. We are looking for an SUV/CUV/wagon to replace my Honda Element. The clamshell doors have become too much of a hassle for getting William in and out of the car. We have either test driven or checked out the following cars:
We may still look at some more cars from the following brands: Honda, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti and BMW. I have my doubts about finding anything better than the Acura RDX. I don't think that it is possible to find another car in the price range of the Acura RDX with the same features/accessories, quality/luxury and awesome ride. For the first time in my life I didn't want to get out of this car. It was so much fun to drive; really peppy and comfortable. Plus, it has so many gadgets in the Tech package that I can geek out on it for a long time to come.
We also enjoyed spending time with our friends Autumn and Jason. It can be a challenge to have adult conversation when you bring two families together with small children, but we were able to make it work. Their 9 month old son went to bed at 7ish and William was pretty easy going for most of the night. We are still planning on going somewhere sunny and warm in the next month or two, not sure where yet.
I contacted a fellow Memming on Facebook from the only other Memming family in the US a few months ago to figure out how we were related. He contacted me today and the mystery has been solved. My great grandfather is the brother of his great, great grandfather. Cool eh?! I'm so excited. I've wondered about this for at least 10 years or more.
This is a photo of William with our PEPS group leader, Cate. This Thursday will be our first PEPS meeting on our own; without our PEPS leader. It is up to us, the members of this group, to continue getting together. This was taken a month ago and I really need to drag out the camera again tomorrow for some new shots of William.
This past weekend we visited with Andrew's parents before they left for Belfast and went car shopping. We are looking for an SUV/CUV/wagon to replace my Honda Element. The clamshell doors have become too much of a hassle for getting William in and out of the car. We have either test driven or checked out the following cars:
- 2008 Acura RDX (this is my favorite so far)
- Acura MDX
- Audi A4 (We were interested in the Avant for me, and the sedan for Andrew. It didn't seem worth the extra money to me. I liked the Acura RDX better and it costs less.)
- Audi Q7
- Audi A6 Avant
- Audi A3 (for Andrew)
- Volvo V70 (I like this car, Andrew thinks it won't drive well enough and might not be reliable. It has a ton of safety features.)
- Toyota Highlander (Close second to the Acura RDX)
- Toyota Rav 4 (Not luxurious enough; even at the highest trim level. It has lots of room though, and is priced really well.)
- Toyota Sienna
- Subaru Outback (I liked the Outback, Andrew didn't)
- Subaru Tribeca
- Mazda CX-7 (By the way, I will NEVER return to the Kirkland dealership. Every employee we encountered was severely lacking in politeness, professionalism and seemed to be unaware of how to treat a potential customer. It was awful. This experience has colored my opinion of the Mazda brand (maybe unfairly) and I have crossed these vehicles off the list without even a test drive.)
- Mazda CX-9
- Mazda Tribute
- Saturn Vue (The Eastside dealership was closed on Sunday and was very sketchy. I wouldn't want to have to go there to have my car serviced. The Vue and Outlook looked semi-okay from the outside peeking in, but I don't trust the reliability of this brand after having owned one a few years ago. My old Saturn was constantly in the shop being repaired. Never before have I taken such advantage of a bumper to bumper warranty!!)
- Saturn Outlook
- Honda CR-V
We may still look at some more cars from the following brands: Honda, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti and BMW. I have my doubts about finding anything better than the Acura RDX. I don't think that it is possible to find another car in the price range of the Acura RDX with the same features/accessories, quality/luxury and awesome ride. For the first time in my life I didn't want to get out of this car. It was so much fun to drive; really peppy and comfortable. Plus, it has so many gadgets in the Tech package that I can geek out on it for a long time to come.
We also enjoyed spending time with our friends Autumn and Jason. It can be a challenge to have adult conversation when you bring two families together with small children, but we were able to make it work. Their 9 month old son went to bed at 7ish and William was pretty easy going for most of the night. We are still planning on going somewhere sunny and warm in the next month or two, not sure where yet.
I contacted a fellow Memming on Facebook from the only other Memming family in the US a few months ago to figure out how we were related. He contacted me today and the mystery has been solved. My great grandfather is the brother of his great, great grandfather. Cool eh?! I'm so excited. I've wondered about this for at least 10 years or more.
This is a photo of William with our PEPS group leader, Cate. This Thursday will be our first PEPS meeting on our own; without our PEPS leader. It is up to us, the members of this group, to continue getting together. This was taken a month ago and I really need to drag out the camera again tomorrow for some new shots of William.
Friday, February 15, 2008
LOST is back
Andrew and I just finished watching the three most recent episodes of LOST. The new season has finally begun. So many questions...where to begin??Today we went to the Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue to meet up with friends. We met up with Vi and Chloe and her friend and baby. William fell asleep in his Ergo carrier while walking around a book store and was in a great mood for most of the day. He babbled during the entire drive home from Bellevue, much to my great delight. He is babbling very often throughout the day. I bought him a little ladybug puppet board book today and he babbles as I read it to him. He watches my mouth when I talk to him as though he is studying how I speak. He is using his tongue to experiment with new sounds.
Here are some photos I took this morning during William's bath:
I have begun speaking to him in German so that he is exposed to the language during this sensitive period. I am also going to start listening to the German Language course CDs with William so that he can hear the pronunciation by native speakers. We just found out that the Memmings are having a family reunion this September 20/21. It just so happens that it conflicts with Liam's wedding. Such a bummer. I have been wanting to go to a Memming family reunion since 2003 (5 years) and now that I am married with a baby, I want to go more than ever.
Andrew will likely have to fly over to Northern Ireland at some point in the next few weeks. Since William and I won't be able to join him, I am considering flying to Vermont to visit with family and friends while Andrew is away. I'd love for my sister and Holly to finally meet him.
Not much else to report...I will finish William's birth/first few weeks story soon. I need to get out my notes so that I can write down the details. It has taken me this long to have the strength to revisit the whole experience. Once he was born, I made a pact with myself to block out all the bad memories of the high risk pregnancy/delivery and to focus on loving him and making new happy memories.
Andrew and I are currently researching cars to figure out which we should buy to replace either my Honda Element or his Honda Civic...I read an awesome article on Edmunds.com last night that all car buyers should read before entering a car dealership. It really gives you a sense of what you are dealing with when you start negotiating with a car salesman. We are totally geeking out on this with spreadsheets and all kinds of other reference materials to help inform our decision.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day
This post will focus on recording things about William's birth that I should not forget.
Your EDC was 10/30/2007
My LMP was 1/23/2007
You were born Friday, October 5th at 4:56 am with Apgar scores of 6/8. You lost points for muscle tone and cry. You didn't really cry until much later that day, during your evaluation by the pediatric Nurse Practitioner. The nurses described the noise you made after birth as "singing". You also made piggy noises with your mouth because you were hungry.
During my pregnancy we were concerned about the following things:
1. Low amniotic fluid index, it ranged from 5 (when labor was induced at 36 weeks) to 11 cm.
2. Abnormal IRP, all quad screen values were low which indicated 1/45 risk of Trisomy 18. Your genotype came back as normal XY.
3. There was an echogenic foci seen in your heart at 18 weeks, but was never seen again in later ultrasounds. You had a normal Fetal Echocardiogram.
4. My anti-lupus antibody was abnormal in the first screening and normal in the second.
5. Your doctors were Dr. Bohmke and Dr. Gopalani.
6. Your delivery nurse was named Katie.
7. I was on bedrest for 4 months.
8. My GTT came back at 190 and it was assumed that I had Gestational Diabetes. I managed it with diet alone and your blood glucose levels were always normal after birth.
9. You were diagnosed with jaundice and spent a few days on a bilibed. We placed the bilibed in our bed between Daddy and me. We had visiting nurses come to our house to check your bilirubin levels. We supplemented with formula to help treat your jaundice.
10. You usually had your left hand by your face during your ultrasounds. You remained head down during the third trimester. Your back curled into my left side. Your bottom caused discomfort under my ribs on my right side.
Your Birth Story
I was induced on Tuesday, October 2nd at 10:30 pm with misoprostol at 1cm dilated after having an amniocentesis to check for lung maturity. Your lungs were mature and during the amnio, you kicked the needle with your left leg. I was already contracting at the time of the induction.
Wednesday, October 3rd
They gave me a total of 3 doses of misoprostol and were unable to give me cervadil because my contractions were too close together. My cervix didn't dilate or shorten with this augmentation of labor. Later that evening, they used a Foley bulb to manually dilate my cervix to 3cm and this caused me a great amount of pain until it was removed. At that time the doctor said I should be moved to Labor and Delivery and my water should be broken because I was having painful regular contractions. There weren't enough nurses on staff at the time so they told me to get into the jetted tub to help ease the labor pains. While in the tub, my labor began to stall and after returning to my room they attached the tocometer and fetal heart rate monitor for a while before letting me get up to walk. Walking did almost nothing to help bring on the contractions.
Thursday, October 4th.
I woke up at 4am and asked for my nurse to check and see if I could be sent to L&D since the doctor had said she had done several deliveries and room was opening up over there. She said that the charge nurse would not do an induction at 4am and I would have to wait until 7am to go over to L&D.
I was walked over by a nurse and her trainee at 7am. The nurse was very rude to me, and Andrew and I decided to ask for a different nurse. We spoke with the charge nurse and were given Billy Jo. She informed us that the previous nurse had a terrible reputation and is known for being a very rude and unpleasant person.
Pitocin was started and I tried to labor naturally using the birth ball and movement. My water was broken at noon and Dr. Bohmke inserted a internal uterine pressure monitor and attached a scalp clip to William's head to monitor fetal heart rate. The first scalp clip wasn't attached correctly and it gave us all a big scare until Dr. Bohmke placed a new one correctly. This stress put me over the edge and eventually, I could not take the pain anymore and I was given an intravenous narcotic and the anesthesiologist was called. The narcotic made me feel a rush of warmth and serenity. The first epidural failed to give relief. All it did was make my left leg completely numb. A second anesthesiologist was called and he performed a successful second epidural. I labored in bed for hours until midnight when I was declared to be fully dilated.
Friday, October 5th.
At midnight I was told to labor down because Dr. Bohmke was in the operating room dealing with a ruptured fallopian tube secondary to an ectopic pregnancy. After an hour of laboring down, I began to push. This was difficult because I was exhausted and unable to feel what I was doing. I pushed for almost 2 hours. I was in a ton of pain, so the anesthesiologist returned and put more medication in my epidural. This failed to give me relief and he returned again and this addition of medication knocked me out. I slept for about an hour until Dr. Bohmke arrived at around 4:40 am.
As soon as she was set up, I pushed as hard as I could for four pushes with each contraction. She used a vacuum and episiotomy to help deliver you promptly because you had been in my birth canal for over 4 hours and were starting to show signs of stress. You were delivered about 15 minutes after I resumed pushing and you were pink and limp. They rushed you over to the warmer and gave you oxygen and monitored your vital signs. You had a strong heart beat, great color and were breathing. The thing you were lacking for the first few minutes was good muscle tone and a cry. This scared both me and Andrew and we tried to remain calm. Dr. Bohmke worked on stitching me up and they gave you your Hepatitis B vaccine and Vitamin K shot and put ointment in your eyes. Finally, when Dr. Bohmke was done with me, the nurses bundled you up and handed you to me.
Your forehead was so soft to kiss and you were making the cutest peeping noises. You seemed to know who I was and at the sound of my voice you seemed to snuggle into my arms. I was concerned that you were grunting and having trouble breathing, but they reassured me that you were just "singing". Your Robinson grandparents had been waiting for several days for you to be born, so Andrew went out to get them. Your grandmother held you first and then your Papa held you second. You were very calm and alert.
Your grandparents headed home for some sleep and I ordered some food and started trying to breastfeed you. After my recovery period was over we were brought to our postpartum room.
Andrew and I were totally exhausted and I fell asleep with you in my arms. This really freaked me out and I was so nervous about SIDS that I didn't want to put you in your bassinet because I wanted to monitor you and make sure you were breathing. I tried to stay awake for a while and eventually got a short nap while Andrew watched you.
Your Aunt Jill, Uncle Mark, Misha, Uncle Liam and your Robinson grandparents came to visit you that afternoon. They all got to hold you and you were very calm and peaceful during their visit.
We continued to work on breastfeeding with the help of nurses and lactation consultants.
That evening, Andrew and I could not keep ourselves awake and you were getting restless with hunger. After much debate, we decided the best thing for us all was for you to go down to the nursery for a few hours. Andrew and I fell asleep instantly and you slept in the swing in the nursery. They gave you a pacifier and fed you some formula because you were hungry and unable to sleep. When you came back, I walked with you to the lab to get your PKU heel stick test done. I talked to you throughout the procedure and you hardly cried.
Saturday, October 6th.
I was eager to get out of the hospital after being in bed for so many days. We got a breast pump, a visit from the pediatrician, ob/gyn on call and the lactation consultant and had your hearing test and pictures taken and headed home a little after noon. You were quiet and content during the drive home and throughout our stop at Walgreens for various supplies.
When we got home, your grandma Jenny was there and she had done a ton of cleaning and cooking for us. During your first diaper change at home in the great room, you managed to pee straight up into the air and onto the carpet...
That is all for now. I promise to write more later. It is late and I need my sleep so that we can have a fun day tomorrow. I love you William. Happy Valentine's Day. You mean the world to Andrew and me.
Your EDC was 10/30/2007
My LMP was 1/23/2007
You were born Friday, October 5th at 4:56 am with Apgar scores of 6/8. You lost points for muscle tone and cry. You didn't really cry until much later that day, during your evaluation by the pediatric Nurse Practitioner. The nurses described the noise you made after birth as "singing". You also made piggy noises with your mouth because you were hungry.
During my pregnancy we were concerned about the following things:
1. Low amniotic fluid index, it ranged from 5 (when labor was induced at 36 weeks) to 11 cm.
2. Abnormal IRP, all quad screen values were low which indicated 1/45 risk of Trisomy 18. Your genotype came back as normal XY.
3. There was an echogenic foci seen in your heart at 18 weeks, but was never seen again in later ultrasounds. You had a normal Fetal Echocardiogram.
4. My anti-lupus antibody was abnormal in the first screening and normal in the second.
5. Your doctors were Dr. Bohmke and Dr. Gopalani.
6. Your delivery nurse was named Katie.
7. I was on bedrest for 4 months.
8. My GTT came back at 190 and it was assumed that I had Gestational Diabetes. I managed it with diet alone and your blood glucose levels were always normal after birth.
9. You were diagnosed with jaundice and spent a few days on a bilibed. We placed the bilibed in our bed between Daddy and me. We had visiting nurses come to our house to check your bilirubin levels. We supplemented with formula to help treat your jaundice.
10. You usually had your left hand by your face during your ultrasounds. You remained head down during the third trimester. Your back curled into my left side. Your bottom caused discomfort under my ribs on my right side.
Your Birth Story
I was induced on Tuesday, October 2nd at 10:30 pm with misoprostol at 1cm dilated after having an amniocentesis to check for lung maturity. Your lungs were mature and during the amnio, you kicked the needle with your left leg. I was already contracting at the time of the induction.
Wednesday, October 3rd
They gave me a total of 3 doses of misoprostol and were unable to give me cervadil because my contractions were too close together. My cervix didn't dilate or shorten with this augmentation of labor. Later that evening, they used a Foley bulb to manually dilate my cervix to 3cm and this caused me a great amount of pain until it was removed. At that time the doctor said I should be moved to Labor and Delivery and my water should be broken because I was having painful regular contractions. There weren't enough nurses on staff at the time so they told me to get into the jetted tub to help ease the labor pains. While in the tub, my labor began to stall and after returning to my room they attached the tocometer and fetal heart rate monitor for a while before letting me get up to walk. Walking did almost nothing to help bring on the contractions.
Thursday, October 4th.
I woke up at 4am and asked for my nurse to check and see if I could be sent to L&D since the doctor had said she had done several deliveries and room was opening up over there. She said that the charge nurse would not do an induction at 4am and I would have to wait until 7am to go over to L&D.
I was walked over by a nurse and her trainee at 7am. The nurse was very rude to me, and Andrew and I decided to ask for a different nurse. We spoke with the charge nurse and were given Billy Jo. She informed us that the previous nurse had a terrible reputation and is known for being a very rude and unpleasant person.
Pitocin was started and I tried to labor naturally using the birth ball and movement. My water was broken at noon and Dr. Bohmke inserted a internal uterine pressure monitor and attached a scalp clip to William's head to monitor fetal heart rate. The first scalp clip wasn't attached correctly and it gave us all a big scare until Dr. Bohmke placed a new one correctly. This stress put me over the edge and eventually, I could not take the pain anymore and I was given an intravenous narcotic and the anesthesiologist was called. The narcotic made me feel a rush of warmth and serenity. The first epidural failed to give relief. All it did was make my left leg completely numb. A second anesthesiologist was called and he performed a successful second epidural. I labored in bed for hours until midnight when I was declared to be fully dilated.
Friday, October 5th.
At midnight I was told to labor down because Dr. Bohmke was in the operating room dealing with a ruptured fallopian tube secondary to an ectopic pregnancy. After an hour of laboring down, I began to push. This was difficult because I was exhausted and unable to feel what I was doing. I pushed for almost 2 hours. I was in a ton of pain, so the anesthesiologist returned and put more medication in my epidural. This failed to give me relief and he returned again and this addition of medication knocked me out. I slept for about an hour until Dr. Bohmke arrived at around 4:40 am.
As soon as she was set up, I pushed as hard as I could for four pushes with each contraction. She used a vacuum and episiotomy to help deliver you promptly because you had been in my birth canal for over 4 hours and were starting to show signs of stress. You were delivered about 15 minutes after I resumed pushing and you were pink and limp. They rushed you over to the warmer and gave you oxygen and monitored your vital signs. You had a strong heart beat, great color and were breathing. The thing you were lacking for the first few minutes was good muscle tone and a cry. This scared both me and Andrew and we tried to remain calm. Dr. Bohmke worked on stitching me up and they gave you your Hepatitis B vaccine and Vitamin K shot and put ointment in your eyes. Finally, when Dr. Bohmke was done with me, the nurses bundled you up and handed you to me.
Your forehead was so soft to kiss and you were making the cutest peeping noises. You seemed to know who I was and at the sound of my voice you seemed to snuggle into my arms. I was concerned that you were grunting and having trouble breathing, but they reassured me that you were just "singing". Your Robinson grandparents had been waiting for several days for you to be born, so Andrew went out to get them. Your grandmother held you first and then your Papa held you second. You were very calm and alert.
Your grandparents headed home for some sleep and I ordered some food and started trying to breastfeed you. After my recovery period was over we were brought to our postpartum room.
Andrew and I were totally exhausted and I fell asleep with you in my arms. This really freaked me out and I was so nervous about SIDS that I didn't want to put you in your bassinet because I wanted to monitor you and make sure you were breathing. I tried to stay awake for a while and eventually got a short nap while Andrew watched you.
Your Aunt Jill, Uncle Mark, Misha, Uncle Liam and your Robinson grandparents came to visit you that afternoon. They all got to hold you and you were very calm and peaceful during their visit.
We continued to work on breastfeeding with the help of nurses and lactation consultants.
That evening, Andrew and I could not keep ourselves awake and you were getting restless with hunger. After much debate, we decided the best thing for us all was for you to go down to the nursery for a few hours. Andrew and I fell asleep instantly and you slept in the swing in the nursery. They gave you a pacifier and fed you some formula because you were hungry and unable to sleep. When you came back, I walked with you to the lab to get your PKU heel stick test done. I talked to you throughout the procedure and you hardly cried.
Saturday, October 6th.
I was eager to get out of the hospital after being in bed for so many days. We got a breast pump, a visit from the pediatrician, ob/gyn on call and the lactation consultant and had your hearing test and pictures taken and headed home a little after noon. You were quiet and content during the drive home and throughout our stop at Walgreens for various supplies.
When we got home, your grandma Jenny was there and she had done a ton of cleaning and cooking for us. During your first diaper change at home in the great room, you managed to pee straight up into the air and onto the carpet...
That is all for now. I promise to write more later. It is late and I need my sleep so that we can have a fun day tomorrow. I love you William. Happy Valentine's Day. You mean the world to Andrew and me.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The sun came out for a short while...
Today we got to see the sun for a short while and these days any little bit helps. This morning I was determined to make sure that William got a good solid nap after experiencing the aftermath of the naplessness of yesterday. After getting us all ready for our play date this morning, I went to get William only to find him in a deep sleep. When he woke up it was already too late to head over to play. The morning nap worked it's magic and William was in a great mood for the rest of the day.
We drove into Issaquah to have lunch and run some errands with my friend Layla. I think this was the first time in my entire life that I made it out of Costco with only the items I had intended to buy and no more!!! William enjoyed being toted around in his new Hip Hammock baby carrier and was even lulled to sleep while I shopped at Target. It's good to finally find a baby carrier that William enjoys spending time in.
Here is a photo I took of William this evening. I also took some video and will post it once I edit it down a bit. These days, he loves sitting up with the support of a Boppy pillow and is getting very proficient at grabbing and holding onto things. I've noticed his grip has gotten much stronger over the last few days.
We drove into Issaquah to have lunch and run some errands with my friend Layla. I think this was the first time in my entire life that I made it out of Costco with only the items I had intended to buy and no more!!! William enjoyed being toted around in his new Hip Hammock baby carrier and was even lulled to sleep while I shopped at Target. It's good to finally find a baby carrier that William enjoys spending time in.
Here is a photo I took of William this evening. I also took some video and will post it once I edit it down a bit. These days, he loves sitting up with the support of a Boppy pillow and is getting very proficient at grabbing and holding onto things. I've noticed his grip has gotten much stronger over the last few days.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Yes we can!
Today was a hard day for William and me. We had a million errands to run and poor William never really got the long nap that he so desperately needed until this evening. Normally I enjoy running errands but today we soon grew tired of being pelted by rain all day as we got in and out of the car at each stop.
On a brighter note, I heard my first frog peeping today and am trying to keep my mind focused on the fact that Spring 2008 is getting closer with each passing day. This is the time of year where the constant gray skies and rain really start to get to me. Soon, we will hear the deafening songs of the frogs in the wetlands behind our house in the evenings and tulips and daffodils will begin to spring out of the ground and the weather will start to change to more sun and blue skies. I can hardly wait.
Here are a few photos of William taken over the last four months. Thought these might brighten your day.
The early days...
8 week ultrasound
Just Born!
Getting weighed after birth. 6 lbs 14 oz!
William in his pumpkin hat at 2 weeks old.
Kisses from mom during bath time at 4 weeks old.
Photo session with Devon at 5 weeks old. 
At our favorite restaurant, Mike's Cascade Grill. 
William and our neighbor, Ellie, at 3 months old.
William almost 4 months old. 
William relaxing at a PEPS meeting.
Andrew showed me this video and I think it's worth sharing. Notice that the character, Michael, from LOST (my favorite TV show ever) and Scarlett Johannson both make appearances in support of Barack Obama. I have to admit it, Barack Obama is an exciting presidential candidate.
Here's to brighter skies and warmer weather!!
On a brighter note, I heard my first frog peeping today and am trying to keep my mind focused on the fact that Spring 2008 is getting closer with each passing day. This is the time of year where the constant gray skies and rain really start to get to me. Soon, we will hear the deafening songs of the frogs in the wetlands behind our house in the evenings and tulips and daffodils will begin to spring out of the ground and the weather will start to change to more sun and blue skies. I can hardly wait.
Here are a few photos of William taken over the last four months. Thought these might brighten your day.
The early days...
8 week ultrasound
Just Born!
Getting weighed after birth. 6 lbs 14 oz!
William in his pumpkin hat at 2 weeks old.
Kisses from mom during bath time at 4 weeks old.
Photo session with Devon at 5 weeks old. 
At our favorite restaurant, Mike's Cascade Grill. 
William and our neighbor, Ellie, at 3 months old.
William almost 4 months old. 
William relaxing at a PEPS meeting.Here's to brighter skies and warmer weather!!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Conversation with William
Here is a video of William "talking" after bath time. This was taken a few weeks ago.
Today we went to William's first Valentine's Day party. One of the moms from my PEPS group threw the party. She even had adorable party favors and ornaments made with each baby's photo. It was great to see everyone again. Afterward, William and I met up with Vi and Chloe at Target and had lunch at Panera.
Tonight I enjoyed a fun time with the moms from my SnoValley moms group. It was great to get out of the house to watch a movie and chat with the other moms.
I can't say enough about the importance of meeting other moms and getting out of the house for some mommy time. I feel like I have refilled my "tank" of emotional and mental energy after spending time with friends. This mommy time makes it so much easier to give William the patience and devotion that he so deserves and needs from me. I can't thank Andrew enough for his love and support and for selflessly encouraging me to get out of the house to socialize. He knows how important this time away is for me so that I can come back refreshed and ready for another few days.
You may have noticed from the photos that I am considerably heavier than ever before in my life. This week marks the first week of my weight loss/fitness initiative. Through calorie counting alone I have managed to lose 4 lbs so far. Only 67 more pounds to go. I'm giving myself several months before I expect to feel better about myself. I know I'll feel much better after losing the first 40 lbs. One step at a time.
Here are a couple of group photos of the babies in my PEPS group sitting together on a couch. If you click on the photo, you will be directed to a larger version of the image.
Today we went to William's first Valentine's Day party. One of the moms from my PEPS group threw the party. She even had adorable party favors and ornaments made with each baby's photo. It was great to see everyone again. Afterward, William and I met up with Vi and Chloe at Target and had lunch at Panera.
Tonight I enjoyed a fun time with the moms from my SnoValley moms group. It was great to get out of the house to watch a movie and chat with the other moms.
I can't say enough about the importance of meeting other moms and getting out of the house for some mommy time. I feel like I have refilled my "tank" of emotional and mental energy after spending time with friends. This mommy time makes it so much easier to give William the patience and devotion that he so deserves and needs from me. I can't thank Andrew enough for his love and support and for selflessly encouraging me to get out of the house to socialize. He knows how important this time away is for me so that I can come back refreshed and ready for another few days.
You may have noticed from the photos that I am considerably heavier than ever before in my life. This week marks the first week of my weight loss/fitness initiative. Through calorie counting alone I have managed to lose 4 lbs so far. Only 67 more pounds to go. I'm giving myself several months before I expect to feel better about myself. I know I'll feel much better after losing the first 40 lbs. One step at a time.
Here are a couple of group photos of the babies in my PEPS group sitting together on a couch. If you click on the photo, you will be directed to a larger version of the image.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
A lazy Sunday...
Today we did lots of chores that needed to be done after some much needed sleeping in...
Current events: Obama won majority in Maine caucus.
William kind of rolled over from tummy to back today! I'm not going to count it as his first official roll over quite yet. He was on our bed and I was working with him. He loves playing our roll over game.
He had his first bath in his big bath tub tonight. We filled the tub to about an inch or two of water and laid him on a foam bath pad. He loved being able to kick his legs straight out so that he could make huge splashes. Here is a video taken a couple of weeks ago during bath time.
Here is a photo taken a few weeks ago that I have cropped down to highlight William's adorable little feet. I can't help myself. Please notice the chub rolls at his ankles. Too cute!
He's getting better at holding onto things, but still gets frustrated when he can't figure out how to let go of something. When I carry him around he grabs on to my hair for balance. It's pretty cute.
Today wasn't a bad day for teething. Andrew was on nightime feeding duty last night and was awoken at 3am which is unusual for William with his normal waking time being 7 or 8 am. I think this aberration was due to William's unusually early bedtime last night. I hope tonight is better, since I'm back on normal duty...
I just received photos from a friend taken at the glass blowing studio the other night. Here they are. Gotta love the one of me with my head thrown back mid-cackle. So classy. Stacey must have been saying something pretty funny to get that reaction.
Current events: Obama won majority in Maine caucus.
William kind of rolled over from tummy to back today! I'm not going to count it as his first official roll over quite yet. He was on our bed and I was working with him. He loves playing our roll over game.
He had his first bath in his big bath tub tonight. We filled the tub to about an inch or two of water and laid him on a foam bath pad. He loved being able to kick his legs straight out so that he could make huge splashes. Here is a video taken a couple of weeks ago during bath time.
Here is a photo taken a few weeks ago that I have cropped down to highlight William's adorable little feet. I can't help myself. Please notice the chub rolls at his ankles. Too cute!
He's getting better at holding onto things, but still gets frustrated when he can't figure out how to let go of something. When I carry him around he grabs on to my hair for balance. It's pretty cute.
Today wasn't a bad day for teething. Andrew was on nightime feeding duty last night and was awoken at 3am which is unusual for William with his normal waking time being 7 or 8 am. I think this aberration was due to William's unusually early bedtime last night. I hope tonight is better, since I'm back on normal duty...
I just received photos from a friend taken at the glass blowing studio the other night. Here they are. Gotta love the one of me with my head thrown back mid-cackle. So classy. Stacey must have been saying something pretty funny to get that reaction.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Caucus day...
Today, I went to my first WA state caucus. Obama won 4 out of 5 delegates from my specific caucus. There were many different caucuses taking place at the same time. Each caucus had about 70 people standing around a table in the middle school lunch room. Obama was the clear winner in all of them. He was the favorite among young and old in that crowd. Here is a photo of tally of votes from my caucus. It's not a great photo, but is shows 58 votes for Obama and 15 for Clinton. I took this photo with my cell phone so that one day I can show William how this whole process works.
An older man standing next to me explained why he was voting for Obama. He said that Obama was the first democratic candidate that has really excited him since JFK and Bobby Kennedy. Everyone I spoke with shared this kind of excitement. Before the caucus, I didn't realize that delegates were chosen from each of the caucuses at this event. Anyone wanting to be a delegate could make a case for themselves and conceivably become one. Here I am at the caucus. You can see the huge crowd of people behind me.
A nice older woman gave me this Obama '08 pin.
Obama won the majority in all three states today-Washington, Nebraska, Lousiana in addition to the Virgin Islands. He gave a great speech in Virginia and we are hoping he will win that state on Tuesday.
Okay, enough politics. This evening we enjoyed the company of our friends and their 3 year old daughter. Andrew is convinced that she is a genius, based on her verbal, reading and math skills. She really is an amazing child; beautiful, playful and bright.
I'm not much of a cook or even a homemaker, but I have to say I pulled together a fine dinner for five, complete with appetizers, main meal and dessert/beverages. There is something especially gratifying about preparing a meal for your friends and family. It just feels good.
William is doing very well. He seems to have recovered from all of the various colds he has been fighting. Meals can still be long and uncomfortable due to his teething. For the most part, he is a very happy, playful and patient child. Tonight, we practiced rolling over as part of a fun game for him and this play elicited the most adorable giggles and squeals I have ever heard from the mouth of a child. William's laugh is the most beautiful sound to me and I almost cried with the joy of hearing it.
Here is a photo of William at our local pub, Finahty's, taken by Andrew's cell phone camera last weekend.
An older man standing next to me explained why he was voting for Obama. He said that Obama was the first democratic candidate that has really excited him since JFK and Bobby Kennedy. Everyone I spoke with shared this kind of excitement. Before the caucus, I didn't realize that delegates were chosen from each of the caucuses at this event. Anyone wanting to be a delegate could make a case for themselves and conceivably become one. Here I am at the caucus. You can see the huge crowd of people behind me.
A nice older woman gave me this Obama '08 pin.Obama won the majority in all three states today-Washington, Nebraska, Lousiana in addition to the Virgin Islands. He gave a great speech in Virginia and we are hoping he will win that state on Tuesday.
Okay, enough politics. This evening we enjoyed the company of our friends and their 3 year old daughter. Andrew is convinced that she is a genius, based on her verbal, reading and math skills. She really is an amazing child; beautiful, playful and bright.
I'm not much of a cook or even a homemaker, but I have to say I pulled together a fine dinner for five, complete with appetizers, main meal and dessert/beverages. There is something especially gratifying about preparing a meal for your friends and family. It just feels good.
William is doing very well. He seems to have recovered from all of the various colds he has been fighting. Meals can still be long and uncomfortable due to his teething. For the most part, he is a very happy, playful and patient child. Tonight, we practiced rolling over as part of a fun game for him and this play elicited the most adorable giggles and squeals I have ever heard from the mouth of a child. William's laugh is the most beautiful sound to me and I almost cried with the joy of hearing it.
Here is a photo of William at our local pub, Finahty's, taken by Andrew's cell phone camera last weekend.
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