Firsts

We have had a lot of firsts lately.  First car ride, first bath, first doctor's appointment, first visits with friends, first cousin visit,  first hockey game, and first snow.  Here are a few of those firsts...

[caption id="attachment_2723" align="aligncenter" width="225"] First car ride[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2724" align="alignleft" width="225"] Mathew's visit[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2726" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Elizabeth Visit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2728" align="aligncenter" width="225"] First Hockey Night[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2729" align="aligncenter" width="225"] First Doctor's Appointment[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2730" align="aligncenter" width="225"] First Snow (10 Days old)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2731" align="aligncenter" width="225"] First Snow[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2732" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Meeting my cousin Hannah[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="225"] My cousin Austin[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2734" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Enjoying snuggle time with Reily[/caption]

Doctor visit

Gabriel had his first doctor appointment the Friday after he was born. We bundled him up and drove down to Sunset Hills to see his doctor. We first had to get him weighed, he had lost weight, which is normal, and was down to 6lbs, 11oz (20%).

When he left the hospital he was at 7lbs 3oz, so we knew he was losing weight and waiting my milk to come in.


We went back 5 days later for a weight check up. He weighed in at a healthy 7lbs 6oz! The kid gained 10oz in just 5 days! Since he was looking very healthy the doctor said we didn't have to come back for his 2 week check up.

Way to go Gabe! Gain that weight!

Gabriel Scott

I figured I'd let this be a picture blog.  Enjoy!

[caption id="attachment_2702" align="aligncenter" width="225"] On our way to the hospital[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2703" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Proud Dad[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_2708" align="alignleft" width="300"] It's tough being cute[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2709" align="alignright" width="300"] Going home[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2711" align="alignleft" width="225"] I'm home[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2712" align="alignright" width="225"] Let's Go Blues[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_2714" align="alignright" width="225"] My little Italian boy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2715" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snow day[/caption]

It's a....

BOY!   Gabriel Scott was born on February 11, 2013 at 11:05 PM.  After months of debating boy or girl we finally have a beautiful, healthy baby boy.  He is perfect!



We woke up around 4:30am and were unable to go back to sleep.  So we decided to watch a new episodes of New Girl while we waited for the hospital to call and tell us it was time to come in.  We didn't have to wait too long, by 5:30am we received the call.  We quickly showered and packed up the car and were off.

We checked in to the hospital and were taken up the new Labor and Delivery rooms.  They were really nice and we had our nurses in the room in a matter of minutes.  Once we were settled in there was a nurse shift change and I got a new IV and then they started the Pitocen.  Since I tested Strep B positive, I had to have 2 bags of  antibiotics in me before they would break my water.  So by 1PM, a doctor and my nurse were in the room breaking my water.

Before that, I had some contractions.  Still nothing to write home about.  I even was able to talk to my SIL via google video phone during a contraction.  However, they started to get a little uncomfortable about 3PM, so I asked for the epidural.

As the evening progressed my contractions were getting closer together but still not too painful.  I had let the epidural start to wear off.  So they had to bring me some more medicine and tell me to push the button every 10 minutes.  And that was much needed advice.  Because around 8 the contractions started to hurt.

For most of the day I was at 1cm, then by early evening I was finally 4cm and then around 8pm I was 7cm.  Things started to move very fast.  My nurse told me that my doctor wanted me checked at 10PM, but since things moved fast, I started to push at 10PM.

When my doctor arrived I was ready for Gabe to be born.  The only issue we had was that he did not want to come out face up or face down.  He had his head turned to the side.  After trying to get him to turn his head un-sucessfully, we ended up delivering him at 11:05PM.

Last weekend without children

Our last weekend as a couple was very uneventful.  We stayed close to home for most of it just in case anything should happen.  I took off work on Thursday and Friday after my due date.  My temp had already started working and I helped train her for a couple extra days but I was not needed there.  And it was really nice to be home and relax, even get a pedicure (it did not work for inducing labor).

Fo We watched a lot of Homeland and hockey.  We even managed a trip down to Soulard to get a few last things that we knew we would be needing.

My parents arrived on Sunday afternoon and we visited for a while.  As Scott's parents arrived shortly after.  Then we were off to one last childless dinner.  We had a nice dinner, just the 6 of us.  And then it was back home for one last quiet night.

I don't think it really hit me that in the morning I was going to the hospital to be induced.  We got home and Scott's parents took Reily home with them.  Then it started to get real.  I was so tired that getting to sleep did not seem to bother me one bit.

40 weeks

We made it to the due date and beyond.  I still haven't had real contractions.  The movements are a stronger but nothing has been painful.  We have been trying to see if we induce labor on our own, but this kid is stubborn (not sure where that comes from).  We have been mall walking and walking around the neighborhood and even trying spicy foods.

Hopefully it's not much longer till the baby arrives, but for sure I will be induced on the 11th.

How your baby's growing:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

How your life's changing:

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.

You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby's overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it's a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).

Fetal heart rate monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what's known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.

If the fetal testing isn't reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you'll be induced. If there's a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.

Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it's "ripening." Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don't go into labor on your own, you'll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

 

Snow

We finally got some substantial snow.  We received about 3-4 inches of snow Sunday morning.  It was nice to wake up to and nice to know that it would be mostly gone by the afternoon.  Of course the forecasters predicted just a dusting of snow and the street crews weren't out until after the snow started to really stick.  That made for some interesting accidents on the news Sunday morning.

Reily on the other hand loved the snow.  She was a happy pup running throughout the yard and even out of the yard.

We're Ready

It's official, there is nothing more we can or need to do to get ready for this kid to make its arrival. This past weekend we added the final pieces to the baby's room as well as reorganized the living room yet again.

On Friday after work, I ended up getting the onset of a migraine.  The fun part of the migraine was the whole drive home from work.  I had the vision blind spots and numbness on my left side, which was followed by nausea.  Thankfully I made it home ok and straight to bed.  I slept for just under and hour when Scott got home and then it was off to run errands.  We headed to Wal-mart to pick up a glider chair for the baby's room and then dinner.

We got home in time to watch the Blues game while Scott assembled the chair and removed the big leather chair.



Everything was put together fairly easily and then it was time to really organize the living room, again.  I think we are finally happy with the furniture arrangement.  We know we need to get another end table and lamp in the room but for now, it works.



The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging out.  We did make it down to Soulard to get some groceries and see some of the craziness that is Taste of Soulard.  Funny how just a year ago we were going from bar to bar trying food and drinks.

From now on it's a waiting game with us and the baby.  But I will for sure have a baby here no later than the 11th and we can't wait!