Sleeping babies are the best babies

Ryder had just the one lone night in his own crib. The last two nights I just didnt want to get up and walk into his room every time he fussed. I was getting up numerous times to check on him, put his pacifier back in, rock him to sleep etc. So maybe I'll try again later...haha. It's really hard when he's sleeping so different every night. Two nights ago, he was up all night. So was his mom. But last night, (since he screamed bloody murder all evening till about 10) he slept all night with little fuss time and little time awake after he was done eating. So what's worse--> screaming all evening inconsolably in exchange for a good night sleep, or a nice evening with the baby but he's up all night?? That's a tough one. Either way, I have decided that sleeping babies are the best babies at this point! That sounds terrible. Obviously I love when he's awake, especially now that he's so much more alert and is looking at you when you talk to him etc, but I think the selfish, sleepy mom in me currently prefers him to be sleeping ;)

3 weeks--and the first night in his own room!

So i'm half way there to the apparently blessed "6 week" mark. It really does seem like a LOT longer than 3 weeks, but I'm taking it one day at a time. A friend told me that babies are all about trial and error. So far, I've learned that I cannot eat massive amounts of chocolate--because that makes him super fussy. I've also learned that I just need to give him his dang pacifier, because he LOVES it. Of course, I learned this a while ago, but I need to tuck his pee pee down otherwise we go through about 5 outfits a day. I've learned that gas drops sometimes can be a miracle worker. I have learned that I can no longer take a nap at night between 7 and 11 because that's the time he just wants to scream and I feel bad leaving joe alone with that :)

so last night I just randomly decided to try to put Ryder in his crib for the night. I dont know if I was paranoid or something, but I could NOT sleep last night even when he was sleeping--which he had one of those nights where after each feeding he wants to hang out for an hour and if you're not rocking him or holding his Nuk in his mouth, he's crying (or grunting like he's trying to push a huge crap out his little butt). so last night wasnt that great, but it's a start. I'd like to keep him in there, but I just think it might be easier to keep him in our room--that way I dont really have to leave my bed if I just need to stick his pacifier back in etc. we'll see, I'll keep you updated.

Ryder still is taking a bottle once a day and doing better all the time with it. and yes, I'm still nursing---I seriously consider quitting that on a daily basis, but I know I'm doing something so great for him so I keep going. Again: one day at a time. Anyways, is it sad that I basically forgot it was my birthday this weekend? funny how things just get away from you. I did manage to shower this am while ryder sat in his boppy pillow. fastest shower I have ever taken.

2 week appt

We had Ryder's 2 week appt yesterday. He now weighs 8lbs, so he surpassed what the pediatrition said he should be at by 2 weeks for weight. he's still a little munchkin though: 50th percentile for height and 25% for both head and weight. She said that's not abnormal for breastfed babies though at all. they dont get as chubby as fast as bottle fed.

If anyone has seen ryder in person, you probably know that he favors putting his head tilted way to the right side because that's how he was for 9 months inside of me. You also have probably noticed that he sucks his lip in on the right side as well. Well! his "cute little lip" that he sucks in on one side all the time isnt actually that cute anymore....it's actually due to his head tilting to the side and compressing on his facial nerve...yeah. not so cute anymore! so the pediatrition showed us some physical therapy type moves that Joe and I have to do throughout the day to work on lengthening that neck muscle so he doesnt have more problems in the future when it's harder to correct.

another thing we discussed with the MD was that he has been increasingly fussy after eatings, crying a lot more etc. the doctor was asking us to describe his body language during these fussy times and she said he has reflux, which she also said most babies have some varying degree of reflux but we're to watch him over the next 4-5 days to see if it's worse. Well, that's hard to tell because she also wanted us to start pumping once a day and giving him a bottle so that he can get used to it by t he time I go back to work. so we pumped and joe fed him his bottle, but the milk comes out so much faster from the nipple on the bottle compared to on me, so he chugged it down (no problem with latching on the bottle and sucking) in like five minutes and we even stopped him a bunch of times to burp him etc, but he was SOOOOOOOOOOO upset afterwards, screaming bloody murder for joe and I because I'm sure he was having pain from the reflux. not sure what to do next. suggestions?? are there such things as slower flowing nipples for bottles so it doesnt come out as fast?? I am off to google that and see what I can come up with....

Sleep!

So last night was night number 2 where Ryder went 3 and a half hours in between feedings and slept between the whole time too rather than stay wide awake! I once again got about 4 or so hours of sleep--a freaking miracle by my standards. I feel like a new woman :) I know it's because he was so tuckered out from the long photo session and being awake for so long in the afternoon. hopefully I can keep up this trend and force him to stay awake in the afternoon as much as possible and then he can repeat such good nights for mommy and daddy...we'll see.

Today is the first day that we don't have anyone scheduled to come over. Don't get me wrong, I love having family and friends come see him and I'm glad he's so loved but I am kinda looking forward to being alone all day and just doing nothing. Tomorrow Great Grandma and Grandpa Bartlett are coming down with Grandma Sharol and Grandpa Donn--it will be the first time that Great Grandma and Grandpa Bartlett will get to meet the little man!! Then Sunday we are going to see Great Grandma Cheris (joe's only grandparent still with us) and then we'll swing by Joe's parents to see those Grandparents! So it's a grandparent filled weekend-how fun for them and for Ryder :)

Here's a couple random pics that I like. I have them posted on facebook, but for those of you who aren't on it, here they are: pic #2 is his first time in his swing-he loved it!

Newborn photo session

We did our newborn photo session pictures today. Of course, why wouldnt this happen, ryder was WIDE awake and was ticked we were messing with him for so long. During the naked picture shots, there was one time where he was sitting on a white backdrop blanket thing and he was curled up on his stomach and he shot a huge fart/yellow poop all over the blanket and then proceeded to pee all over it. Later, he peed on Joe while joe was holding him--it was dripping all through joe's hands and on the floor. so funny! and THEN the best one was I was holding him while he was naked for some family shots and I was wearing a black tshirt---he pooped a big yellow mustard poop all down the front of my shirt. I think it was his way of telling us to bug off.

So we didnt get all the pictures I would have liked because he wouldnt cooperate, but the photographer did say she got some really cute ones though. As soon as I get them, I will post some of my favorites. Stay tuned!

Oh, ps--I got about 3 1/2 hours of scattered sleep last night because he was so tuckered out from all his great aunties and 2nd cousins who came over (this is the most sleep I've gotten at night since he was born!). He went 3 1/2 to 4 hours in between feedings last night and slept in between the whole time...maybe they should come down more often to wear him out some more!

Newborn appointment

Today we had Ryder's newborn doctor's appointment at his clinic. If you remember, when he was born he weighed 7lbs 13oz and when we left the hospital he had dropped his weight to 7lbs 2oz, which is within the normal range. At his appointment today, he weighed 7lbs 8oz and the doctor said this was a very good thing. She also said that it's a general rule that babies should get back to their birth weight by their two week appointment---which she said he will have, "NO problem doing at this rate!" so that was encouraging. (is she calling my baby fat?? Just kidding) The doctor also did a complete check of him: eyes, ears (he passed his hearing test at the hospital---good job, Ryder!) etc and she said he looks so wonderful and that she doesnt see anything that concerns her. So we were very excited about that good report on Ryder. We go back in two weeks again and then not again till 8 weeks, which is when he gets his first shots :(

Things have been going pretty well here at the Haskins household, considering us being brand new parents and the c section. Of course, it is overwhelming and there is no sleep to be had. Joe and I are learning as we go along and it's been entertaining to look back at each day and laugh at how funny it would be to be a fly on the wall in our house and try to watch us figure out this parenting thing :) It's been really hard for me with my surgery to NOT do the everyday stuff that you take for granted. I am such a type A when it comes to doing stuff around the house and I told Joe he needs to yell at me and remind me that I should not be overdoing it. I can definitely tell when I over do it-- I get really sore, but I move around better and better each day. I won't lie, I have had a couple break downs here and there due to lack of sleep, stress, and hormones--but that's normal. LIke I said, everything gets a little easier/a little better each day. And it's unreal how much love that both Joe and I feel for our little man, words seriously cannot describe it! I will continue to update the blog as I get a chance here and there.

Thank you to everyone for the well-wishes and phone calls over the last week-don't feel bad if I don't call you back right away as I am slightly busy (!) and also very forgetful in my lack of sleep ;)

the winner of the baby bet

And the winner of the baby bet is----CAMILLE!! She guess the date (the only one who did) and she guessed pretty dang close to his weight and length as well, only a half inch off on the height and a few ounces off on the weight. Way to go cam, you rock. You get the pride and you also get the other prize for being the winner---->free babysitting for Ryder :) (if anyone knows Cam, this is a funny statement and kind of ironic too that she would win. I LOVE it!)

Baby Ryder is HERE!!!!!!!!

As if you all didn't know that already ;) Ryder was born April 7, 2010 at 4:45pm. He weighed 7lbs 13 oz and was 20.5 inches long with a head that spanned almost 14 inches (maybe a good thing he was c-section???). So I'll tell our story below, in case you havent heard yet.

We got to the hospital at 730am and I was admitted to the hospital and was settled into our room. The nurse started the medication called Pitocin, which stimulates uterine contractions to get the labor going. My doctor came at 830 to break my water and around that time is when my contractions started being noticable, but I was still only at 2cm and 70% effaced. So Joe was by my side through every contraction--what an amazing guy he was that day, almost brings tears to my eyes (okay, it DOES bring tears to my eyes...). As the morning went on, my contractions got stronger and more painful and I was not having fun at all, if you can imagine. Around noon I decided it was ridiculous to be in so much pain if I could have the epidural at anytime I wanted, so we called anesthesia and I got my epidural---by the way, very weird sensation to be able to move your legs only a tiny bit but not be able to feel anything really. It's like the dentist x100000. Around this same time, Ryder's heart rate dropped into the 80's and stayed there. the nurse came in and put oxygen on me and was turning me side to side to try to get Ryder's heart rate to come back up, but it wouldnt so she shut off the pitocin drip and it did then. So she left it off for 45 min and then turned it back on at half strength from before. Ryder did okay for about an hour and then two nurses came back in the room--a little more panicked at this time, but trying not to show it---and they put the oxygen back on me and were turning me side to side while another nurse paged my doctor (who was across the street in the clinic). They turned the pitocin off and I knew it was bad when my doctor came running into our room breathless because she had sprinted over here. She monitored me for a little while and then told me this would be a long process because I was only dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced after being on the pitocin all morning and his heart rate was tolerating the pitocin. So after over an hour, they turned the pitocin on at 1ml and hour (which is basically NOTHING at all). At this time it is about 3pm. So I sat there doing nothing and joe and I were watching tv and I was dozing on and off. At 420pm, four nurses rush into the room all talking fast about what each one was doing. One nurse put oxygen on me, one nurse man handled me onto my other side while dropping the head of the bed lower than my feet to try to get Ryder's heart rate up (at this time, his heart rate was sustained in the 60's and not coming up--they wanted him 120s to 140s). One nurse was rushing in all these supplies which I could tell were sterile for surgery and one was calling the lab to get a "stat type and screen" which checks your blood type. Ryder's heart rate was still not coming up so the nurses gathered around the bed while we waited for Dr. Cremer to get to my room and they told me they wanted to get me on "all fours". ummmmm I HAVE AN EPIDURAL!!!!! and without hesitation, they literally flipped me over on one smooth motion and a big brute of a nurse got behind me and lifted at my hips so my butt was high in the air and put my face down into the pillow. Do you have the visual yet?? It's a good one, isn't it?

so my doctor comes storming into the room and says were going for an emergency cesarean section and that everything would be "okay". Yet another nurse sent joe to the bathroom to change into scrubs so he could come into the OR. The only funny moment of this whole process was when joe came out of the bathroom with a scrubs, a hat, a mask everything on but was holding on to the shoe covers. When the nurse asked him why he hadn't put them on, he responded that he didnt know what they were for and he thought they were elbow pads!!!!!!!!! I LOVE it :) I actually laughed through my big, scared tears at that time.

So it was like a tv show, where they were rushing me down the hall to the OR while I was signed the consent forms and joe was holding my hand telling me we'll be okay. I got to the OR and they put me on the table, prepped me for surgery, used my epidural to give me a higher spinal block (which I will get to in a moment....) and they brought Joe in while they were doing the surgery. It was such a whirlwind and the adrenaline was so high in the room. I was crying but joe was by my head the whole time talking to me and calming me down. it was the most intense and scary thing that's every happened to me, I'm sure Joe too. At one point during the c section, I heard a nurse ask Dr. Cremer if they needed to cut me wider because Ryder was so big, they couldnt get me out. I was literally bouncing on the table as they were trying to yank him out of me. Luckily they didnt have to cut wider...they just used the vacuum to get him out---see facebook for photos of his poor cone head :( So for a time line here--->the nurses rushed into our room at 420 when his heart rate was really low, I was on the OR table at 430, and Ryder was born at 4:45. It was amazing how fast they worked, the whole staff was great. Ryders apgar scores were 9's both time (scale of 9 out of 10), which is amazing.

I was so overwhelmed at this time because there was a big sheet infront of my face so I couldnt see anything obviously. so I could hear ryder crying and joe was taken from me to go take pictures since I couldnt see him and to cut his cord. It was so frustrating and upsetting to me because it was not how I pictured my first birth to be. Even though Joe was amazing through the process and I couldnt have asked for more, at that moment when they were stitching me up and I was behind the sheet while everyone else was doing their own thing, I never felt so alone. It was sad. But on a brighter note, I was also so happy and relieved that Ryder was healthy and everything went well in the end.

so back to the spinal block story. The anesthesiologist said I should be numb from the nipples down. Well I first started to feel my fingers go numb, then my hands and pretty soon I couldnt feel or move my arms at all. so the anesthesiologist said, "don't give her anymore block!!" well a few minutes later, they asked me a question and I opened my mouth to answer...and I COULDNT TALK!! nothing came out. It was pretty scary. at that time, they shut off the meds for the block completely and they looked a little freaked out. It ended up being fine, but I could tell they were nervous and when I mentioned later in the recovery room to the nurse that I couldn't feed Ryder when she asked me if I wanted to because I couldnt move my arms, her eyes got as big as tea saucers! Like I said, it all ended up to be fine, but yikes, huh?!?

Sorry this is getting so long...almost done! So after the recovery room, we went up to the postpartum floor where my parents, joe's parents, joe's brother and his wife and my brother were all waiting for us. It was very emotional, but I was feeling so blessed to have such a great support system and loving family. I couldnt have gotten through such an emotional time without them, especially my fantastic husband. It's now Sunday and we got home yesterday. I am still really sore and I have to have joe get mad at me and tell me to stop trying to do so much because I am hurting badly by the end of the day for sure. It's been quite the crazy process and joe and I still can't believe that this beautiful, perfect baby is ours and he's finally here!!! it's so fun, amazing, stressful but I am so glad we are at this point. Joe and I are learning every day so much about him and we are working as a team to get through this crazy time! But we love it :)

Here are a few pictures of our little Ryder:

Doctors Appt update

Very good news!!! (no, I'm not in labor...but the next best thing though...). So last week my cervix was still firm and not effaced (thinned) at all. My doctor thought I would have to do cervical ripening (a medication to soften the cervix and efface it) this week, which we couldnt do till a full 41 weeks per hospital policy. But today when we went in, I was effaced to 70% and my cervix was soft. This means I don't need to do the cervical ripening (or wait till thursday or friday) and we can just be induced. My doctor actually asked Joe and I, "Since we don't need to wait till the end of the week, would you like me to call the hospital to schedule an induction?" REALLY?!? No, no, please...let me go another week I'm really enjoying this...YES of course we wanted her to call!!!! So when she came back in the room, she said that we should come to the hospital tomorrow at 730am and then they would admit me and start an IV for the pitocin (which causes the contractions). My doctor will come by the room at 830 in the morning to break my water and then we'll go from there!!! Joe and I are so excited and anxious. We were just giddy afterward we left the clinic :)

So this will be my last post for a few days at least...or a while...who knows. But I'm sure you will all get the updates from our mothers or from each other!!!

FYI:

No baby yet. I am still pregnant. Here's how I feel: anxious, huge, frustrated, uncomfortable.

Thank you for not calling me today and asking me these questions.

Drs appt tomorrow, I'll write an update afterwards and let everyone know what's going on. (my wild guess: nothing).

And.....

still pregnant. Bummer. But last night I lost a little of my mucous plug (sorry, I know that's gross...but it is an update). Hopefully I will cont to lose it today and be on my way to labor rather than an induction!



Happy Easter everyone!! Enjoy your families and all the blessings you have been given in life :)

Stupid "baby counter"

So yesterday the Baby Countdown counter thing at the left of the blog said "zero" days left till the baby was due--because that was his due date (he must have lost his planner or something and forgot). So I was curious and went on today to see what it would say today now that I'm overdue. It's back to saying "one day" left till baby is due.

I won't lie, I was actually MAD at the counter when I saw it. Resentful is more like it....which is stupid. I think I'm just trying to take my frustration out on something :) haha.

Joe and I went to Lifetime AGAIN last night trying to walk this baby right out. Didn't work I guess.