Random Pics

My attempt at an artistic photograph

Pretty cute photo.....if I do say so myself.

2nd Grandma in 2 Weeks

My mom came to stay with us for a week and to meet Owen.  Here are a few of the pictures of her with Owen:

1st Bath

Yesterday, Owen's belly button was completely healed (i.e. the remaining part of the umbilical cord fell off), so tonight was his 1st official bath.  (I don't think he was excited about it as Emily was.)

As soon as his body hit that water...the crying started.

And it continued...

Did I mention that he didn't like his bath?

Completely relieved that it is over.

He is either A) completely relieved to be in his mom's arms,

or B) completely worn out from crying the entire time.  You decide.

From Pepsi Machine To Leg Holder

Enough time has passed where I feel a little more comfortable talking about my perspective of "the birth experience".  It'll be ok....I promise.  I won't get too graphic.  (Emily would throw my laptop out of the window if I did.)

Months ago, you all may remember, I (half jokingly/half serious) predicted that I would be out by the Pepsi machine while Em was delivering Owen. 

Some of you might think that was pretty insensitive of me, but if you knew my history at all....you might think differently.

I just didn't want to be the guy who passes out during the ordeal.  I have in the past gotten light-headed (but I've never passed out) in situations.  It doesn't happen often, and there is no rhyme or reason for it.  I can watch the goriest horror movie and not be bothered by it at all, or I can give blood 100 times...and 1 of those times get that feeling.  I couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen.....so I wanted to do the 100% sure thing and just not be in the room.  (Sidenote - my mom told me a story that my dad actually fainted during the birth of my oldest sister......and he wasn't even in the room.)

But I didn't push the issue, and Em insisted on me being in the room....which was fine.  I just wrapped my head around the fact that I would be on the "north end" of the action.  I was prepared to help Emily with her breathing and to hold her hand, etc...  (Not much else a dude can do in that situation.)

So imagine my horror when Emily was 9 cm dilated and the nurse looked me square in the eyes and asked me to "Grab her other leg.  We're going to start pushing."  To be fair, she must've seen the look on my face because she asked if she should bring in another nurse instead.  (I never thought such a simple question would be such a question on my masculinity.  The way I heard it in my head was more like this:  "Do you want to grab her leg, or would you rather go in the bathroom and put on your pink skirt and pantyhose?")

Obviously, I couldn't let that nurse get the best of my masculinity so I stayed in there and grabbed her leg like a champ. 

I told myself that I wouldn't look south.  (That didn't last long....because it was near impossible not to see anything from the front row seat that I had.)

Before I give some of the final thoughts to this whole birth experience I want to share that not only did I NOT pass out, but I never got light-headed and I made it through with no problems at all.  (Em might disagree, I'm not sure.)

Final Thoughts:

1. Birth is nothing like it is shown on TV or the movies.  Women push much longer than I realized.  Emily started pushing at around noon and Owen was born at 2:15pm.  (Emily was pushing for less time than the average birth, I guess.) 
2. Emily went into the birth with the following "wishes":  A) To have a mirror positioned so that she could watch it for herself, B) To touch his head before he came out, and C) To assist the doctor in pulling him out.  She had the mirror there for a while...and then told me to take it away.  She did ask the nurse several times if she could tell if he had hair or not, but she didn't feel it.  About the time for Owen to be delivered (about 2 or so more pushes) the nurse told her that she wasn't sure that the doctor would let her help deliver him.  Emily's response:  "I'm pretty much over that."
3. My one regret was that I wish I could see the expression on my face when Owen's head came out.  It had to have been hilarious.  I can play that back in my head, and I was amazed.  My face had to have been one of befuddled amazement.
4. I did have one comment that I said after he was born and when Owen was being cleaned up by the nurses.  I looked back at Emily, who had a big smile on her face and was just plain worn out, and said (in a loud enough voice for the whole room to hear.), "Em, he's.......a girl!!"  As soon as I said that, the whole room erupted in a unified voice, "No, he's not!!"  Then everyone kinda laughed.  I thought it was funny, and no matter what Emily says in the comment section.....she laughed too.

No Manicures for Owen

I caught Emily red handed.  Let the picture speak for itself.



She said that she was just trimming his nails so he didn't accidentally cut himself.  Likely story.

That seems like a plausible excuse.......except.....why is there an emory board in her hand?  (And why do I know the term "emory board"?)  Can she answer that?  I should have looked closer for nail polish.  Believe me when I tell you that "I'm on it." 



One Good Looking Dude

His "go home from the hospital" outfit

Practicing swaddle techniques

This "Rock Star" is "passed out" more than Keith Richards

Doesn't get much cuter than this

Is this kid ever awake?

Family Visitors

Emily's mom (Nancy) flew into Wisconsin the day that Owen was born.  Em's father (Gerry) and her 2 sisters came up this weekend to be introduced to Owen as well.

It's been great having them here.  They all think that Owen is very cute (despite my genetics being involved as well). 

Here are a few pictures of Owen's Grandparents and Aunts holding him:

Hands....Touching Hands

When my niece, Alicia, was born my mom and sister wanted to get a picture of her little hand next to my hand (because, supposedly, I have freakishly big hands).  That picture is still brought up quite a bit.  Alicia has even talked to me about it.  It seemed to be a pretty special picture for years. 

I thought I would try to recreate that picture in different ways.  (The last photo is not my hand.  I hope that was obvious to all.)

New Parents......Obviously!

On Tuesday, July 17th, we took Owen to his first pediatrician appointment.  His visit went very well, but that isn't the point of this blog entry.

On that day, it was about 97 degrees out.  It was very hot, and not a cloud in the sky.  When we were getting Owen ready for the pediatrician we put him in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and we covered him a little with a mini-blanket.  It was the perfect ensemble for such a hot day for such a little guy.

When we got to the Dr.'s office building, we entered the doors and were hit in the face by freezing cold air.  The building was not only air conditioned, but I think they thought Wisconsin was a tad closer to the equator than it really is.  I don't normally get cold, but it gave me a little bit of goose bumps.

When we got in the actual Dr.'s office room (or as Seinfeld would say..."the 2nd waiting area"), our little guy was shivering a little.  It had to have been a shock on his system going from Death Valley to Siberia in less than a second. 

The Dr. came in and started to take his jeans and shirt off to give him an examination, and commented to get his blanket ready so we could just wrap him up quickly in that when he was done.  Em and I looked at each other and sheepishly told him that the only blanket we had with us was no bigger than a cocktail napkin.  He laughed and said, "well as long as you have a diaper bag with you, then you are ahead of the game."

We didn't have a diaper bag with us. 

I guess we are still learning the process and how to be completely ready when traveling with a baby.  We'll do better next time.

We aren't quite that bad.

Quotes & Antics from Em

This post is not meant to make fun of Em, but rather to share with all of you some of the more humorous insights that I had this past weekend.  I think those of you who know Em well will not be surprised at all. 

- As I was packing up the Jeep with Em & I's overnight bags and inbetween her contractions (which were coming about every 3 minutes at that time, Em says to me, "Please water the flowers in the front yard before we leave."  (Really?  Plants are on your mind at this exact time?  I guess we'll delay those ultra-painful contractions and risk delivering the baby in the Jeep....so I can water the flowers for you.)

-"Try not to hit any bumps, I'm doing my make-up & hair."  (Obviously, this was said on the way to the hospital.  The funny part is that after the delivery and during one of our first times with Owen, we were reflecting on our experience and I asked her if she would demand to have make-up on with the next one.  She said, "No".  (I'm glad that she had that response, because I had a similar reaction when I was wiping her sweaty head during labor with a wet wash cloth and had to change it frequently due to all the make-up that was coming off onto it.)

-As I stated in a previous post, Em was having very painful contractions.  These contractions were dropping her to her hands & knees in pain.  She said that she wanted to wait until she was dilated somewhere around 4 or 5 centimeters, but she told the nurse that she wanted the epidural at the 3 cm time frame.  (It was 4 cm by the time the epidural was administered.)  The anesthesiologist was so great that we found out that he was literally running down the halls to get to Emily as fast as he possibly could.  We knew we were in good hands when we found that out.

-After the epidural was given to Em, she found out that it usually takes 2 or 3 more contractions before the epidural kicks in.  It took Em 3 more contractions and then........after she was informed by the nurse that she just had one (and she didn't feel it), with a huge smile on her face, she said, "This is so much fun now."  (I thought the nurse was going to lose it with that one.)

-Em's response to the nurse on what she thought of the epidural, "life-saver, God send, Amazing"!)

-After Owen was born, it took a while for him to be weighed because they were focused on the fluid in his lungs.  After his official weigh in, the doctor told us that he was 7 lbs 14 oz.  Emily was visibly upset (not bad) at this news and told the nurse, "I was really hoping for a baby that was over 8 lbs."  The nurse did a double take and responded back, "I've never heard a woman wish for a bigger baby." 

Em was absolutely fantastic during this process.  She was so excited about having Owen and it was evident for anyone who talked with her.  She's going to be a great Mom (and already is showing that).

Being Held

More Pictures:

Sleeping on Mom

Being held by Mom

Grandma holding Owen

Owen alert and waving (kind of)

Dad finally gets a turn

Feels pretty dang good



Birthing Gift

A few months ago, we were having dinner at our friend's house, and I was asked "What birth gift are you getting Emily?  I had never heard of that before. 

So, I have to get a gift for my wife above all of the baby stuff we bought....not to mention the little gift we both would be bringing home from the hospital?  When did this start?

Well, I buckled under pressure and got her a little something to represent our new family:

She liked it (at least she acted like she did).

Birth to 1 Hour Pics

I wrestled with myself on whether I would post pictures of Owen in the Special Infant Unit.  Sometimes some people might not like to see little babies being hooked up to all of those sensors and IVs, but I ended up deciding to post pictures of our whole experience as it is his whole story. 

As I alluded to before, Owen inhaled some ambiotic fluid with his first breath, and because he was a baby that didn't cry it stayed in his lungs instead of being cried out.  He was in great shape except for that.  They kept him in that unit for the better part of his stay at the hospital as they just wanted to be extra cautious and monitoring his breathing, heart rate, etc...  He was in great shape, and I appreciate the hospital being on the cautious side. 

So, here they are.....a bunch of Owen pics:

Cutting the umbilical cord

One of the 1st pics of Owen in the special infant unit

Little Closer Pic

Mom holding Owen for the 1st time

No More Tears

Owen is one tough little guy.

For about the 1st 48 hours of his life, he never cried.  Never.

I asked the doctor if it was something we should be worried about, and he told me that he isn't worried about it.  He said sometimes you'll see a baby have the face like he is crying but nothing comes out....in those cases they investigate to see if the baby has vocal paralysis.  Owen never made a face like he was crying.

The doctor told me that he gave him a shot in the heel, and instead of crying Owen just opened up his eyes and looked at the doctor straight in his eyes as if to say, "What in the world are you doing?". 

Here are things he went through without crying:
-Birth
-Shots
-IV in his hand (which he accidentally pulled out.....which led to.....)
-IV in his foot
-Circumcision (yes, no tears during even that ordeal)

This is what finally got him to cry:
-Bath

We have one of the calmest babies that the hospital has ever seen.  We are truly blessed, excited about this adventure.

Contractions

It all started on Monday (July 9th). 

Emily texted me while I was working that she was experiencing contractions.  She said that they didn't hurt but that she was definitely getting contractions and she started timing them.  2 hours later, she called me to tell me that they were 5 minutes apart or sooner.  She called the hospital and they told her to come into the clinic to get looked at by the on-call doctor and we would either go to the hospital or back home depending on what they found. 

They hooked her up and she was having contractions, but they weren't the type of contractions that started labor, I guess.  (They were very small, and didn't hurt Emily at all.  She thought that if these were the contractions she heard so much about that she was pretty tough.)

Fast forward to 2:00am Saturday (the 14th) morning.  She woke me up saying that she is definitely gettitng the real contractions now and that they were hurting.  By the time, Em & I got to the hospital her contractions were bad enough for her to drop to her hands & knees to deal with the pain. 

(Side bar to the story that you need to know to appreciate the story later on -- Earlier in the week Em told me that she didn't want me cracking jokes while she was in labor because she read in a book that I needed to be serious at that time. I told her that it was my job to distract her from the pain, and if she was annoyed with me....then I'm doing my job.)

As we roamed the halls of the birthing clinic, I was helping her with breathing exercises.  Instead of just breathing, I would have her breathe in patterns.  I would hold up 1 finger, and she would know to inhale deeply and then exhale like, "Heeeee" "Whooooo".  Then I would hold up 2 fingers, and she would inhale, and then exhale "Heeee, Heeee" "Whooo, Whoooo".  We did this up to 5 and back down depending on how long the contraction lasted.  She told me that that was really helping her and thanked me for helping her take her mind off the pain.

Until, one fateful time that during a contraction, I plainly suggested that we try what we had been trying each time up to that point.  (The conversation went something like this:)

Em - OOOOhhhhhhh!!!!!  I'm having another contraction!!!   OOOOOHHHHHHH!  (Moaning loudly in pain)

Me - Ok.  Let's start with a 1 (holding 1 finger up). 

I start to inhale to do it with her and do the "Heeee"  Whooooo" by myself.  Ignoring the fact that I just did it by myself, I keep going and say, now let's do a 2.

Em - "I'M NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE"  "AND YOU BEING ANNOYING IS NOT HELPING ME TAKE MY MIND OFF THE PAIN!!!!!"

Needless to say, I was pretty tight lipped after that.  I couldn't even tell her that I wasn't actually trying to be annoying, I was simply doing what ACTUALLY WORKED earlier and what she had THANKED me for doing previously. 

Tonight, we ordered a couple pizzas and her mother, Em, and I were eating it and talking about the experience.  I was teasing Em about yelling at me during her contractions and she wanted me to tell the story because she didn't remember it.  I told it.  She said, "I vaguely remember that." 

Don't mess with a pregnant woman in labor.  All in all, it went very smoothly.  I have no comlaints, and Em was an absolute trooper.

Owen Anthony

He is here!

He was born around 2:15pm today (July 14, 2012).  He was 21 inches long and weighed 7 lbs 14 oz.  (Which, by the way, someone pointed out on my Facebook wall that the date he was born was the same numbers as his birth weight.)

Emily and Owen are doing great.  They are keeping Owen in the infant special unit for observation tonight.  (He inhaled a bunch of junk as he was being born so they are just keeping to make sure his lungs don't have any fluid left in them.)

Here is one (I took MANY) of the pics:

I have many stories from this experience.  I'll probably be updating the blog a lot in the next week or so, so check back often.  (I had to e-mail myself funny things that happened so that I would remember them.) 

Friday the 13th

10 days or less.

Owen will be born in 10 days or less.

Emily went to the doctor yesterday, and her doctor told her that they would meet again on Monday the 16th, and if things haven't progressed more by that point she would schedule a day to induce.  The induction would take place sometime that week.  So the little guy won't stay in there forever.  (Although it's starting to feel that way.)  He will be born sometime in the next 10 days.  (July 12th - July 21st).

While we passed by the largest obstacle, in terms of birthdays (having him born on his mother's birthday), there are still a few days that would carry meaning if he were born on them.

July 15th is Emily's father's birthday.  When we were texting last week, he predicted that Owen would be born on his birthday.  And if Owen were born on his birthday, I'm sure that would have a lot of meaning for the family.

But my prediction weeks ago was that he would be born on Friday the 13th.  Now that isn't an omen, of sorts, that Emily will have a rough delivery.  (I would never wish that on anyone.)  It doesn't look like he will be born on that day, but there's a chance. 

Maybe I just make that prediction to tease Emily (because she hates scary movies), or maybe it's because secretly I'm hoping for a buddy to watch scary movies with me (when he's much older, obviously).  But the fact remains, that if he is born on Friday the 13th, I reserve the right to change his name to one of the following:

Jason

Freddy

Pinhead

OK, maybe not the last one.