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
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
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).
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:
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
Monday, July 16, 2012
No More Tears
Owen is one tough little guy.
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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
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We have one of the calmest babies that the hospital has ever seen. We are truly blessed, excited about this adventure.
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.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
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.
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(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.)
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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.
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.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
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:
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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.)
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.)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
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:
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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.
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