First Christmas

Just sharing a few pics from Christmas... Here is Corbin sleeping in on Christmas morning. It's one of my favorite photos because it looks like he is so angelic and peaceful.





Checking out the Christmas tree...



Just hangin' out



Meeting Uncle Mike



Meeting Great Grandma & Grandpa
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We had a great couple of days. Corbin got so many nice outfits and toys. I already don't know what to do with all the toys already (and I'm sure it's just beginning!) We also get to celebrate Christmas with his other great grandma & grandpa tomorrow, so I betcha there are more clothes & toys to come! I enjoyed opening his presents much more than I enjoyed opening mine (although I got some wonderful wonderful gifts this year!)

We took a bunch of photos this morning that I still need to edit. I think they will be very cool once we add some special effects to them. The raw versions I have uploaded to my Picasa album over on the sidebar.

Will update soon (I think!)

Still Here

Sorry I haven't updated in a while.

Corbin is 4 weeks old today. He has officially flipped over twice now, and DH has yet to catch him in the act. His head is strong & he can hold it up fairly well. Yesterday, he scooted (from kicking his legs out like a frog) from the center of the activity mat to @ 12 inches outside of the mat in a matter of 30 minutes. Tummy time pays off!

I had my postpartum appointment today & have lost 16#. Ugh. 20# to go! Thank goodness we have the new treadmill, so I can work on my exercise routine. Unfortunately, all of the holiday food is yet to come, so maybe I start the big diet on Jan. 1st? Anyway, I talked with the doctor about me having more children ASAP, and started to get excited to get pregnant again. I can't believe I miss being pregnant. It was just so exciting, desdpite all the physical downsides...

My friend is going to be induced tonight! We were originally 3 weeks apart with our due dates, but I messed that all up when I gave birth 3 weeks early... But now, Corbin's first girlfriend will be born tomorrow (she goes in at 9 PM), and we can't wait to meet her.

Above are some Daddy photos- Corbin's feet in DH's hands, and spending some quality time on the blanket with Dad. We are working on photographing all of Corbin's little features (ears, belly button, etc.), but he was too squirmy last night. I plan to start looking into this digital photography thing a little more carefully so I can take soe good photos of the little milk-monster.

Day of Firsts

Today we slept in late & got up around 10 AM. Then DH noticed that Corbin's cord had finally fallen off in entirety, so we decided to give him a bath. He really liked it- he didn't cry or fuss & acted like he was getting a spa treatment. The photo above is in Daddy's arms after a successful first bath.

Then after we got him cleaned up & dried off, we did some tummy time on his activity mat. DH went downstairs for a minute & I was snapping some photos of him holding his little head up (he is so strong already) and all of a sudden, he flipped over! He flipped from his tummy to his back, & flipped from his left side. It may have been a fluke, because he couldn't repeat it for DH, but I was nonetheless very proud!


I just flipped over!

It was a very eventful first hour of the day!

Corbin Pics Uploaded

By request, I have uploaded come Corbin photos on to my Picasa site. Please check out the new sidebar item!

2 Weeks Old

Corbin is 2 weeks old tomorrow! We have a nurse coming for a home visit tomorrow- just a follow up service the hospital provides. I can't wait to see if he has gained weight again. We had an appointment with the lactation consultant on Friday & he was 6 lbs 11 oz. Yay for weight gain!

Above are a couple of photos we took late last week for his Christmas cards/birth announcement that we are sending out today. You can't see the blond in real life yet, but the flash from the camera picked it up.

1 Week Old

Corbin is a week old today! He had his first doctor's appt yesterday. The good news is that he is still 6 lbs 9 oz. Most babies lose 10% of their birthweight, and he has seemed to already regain his. Everything else checked out well, except that the pediatrician felt he looked a little yellow, so she ordered a bilirubin level. When we had left the hospital last week, his level was 3.3. The doctor was surprised when his level came back at 19.1. We upped his feedings & noted he was going to the bathroom regularly still.
Today, she rechecked his levels & it went down to 18. So no further interventions are needed now. It seems to just be because he is exclusively breastfed & therefore I guess at higher risk. Levels peak usually 4-5 days postpartum & he seems to have passed that point now.
It's been a crazy week with the sleep schedule, but I think we are getting smarter about it. I slept for 2 3-hour shifts in a row last night with the exception of a breastfeeding session & Jon slept for a 6 1/2 hour shift after that. We figured out that he needs to be completely swaddled tightly for him to tolerate sleeping on his back. We are going to try for his to sleep in our room again tonight, instead of doing shifts & see how that goes.
I leave you with a few pics. Here he is meeting the cat, in his swing & in daddy's arms/on daddy's belly;

He's Here!!

On Monday at work, I had started to notice very tiny spurts of fluid sporadically. Since I had had so many false alarms, I assumed I was getting more incontinent. After all, these were just tiny droplets- not soaking anything. Incidentally, I had told nobody. I work in a nursing home & one of the residents wheeled herself up to me that afternoon & said, "You are going to have that baby tomorrow morning & he will be 7 pounds."

I came home that night knowing that my husband and I had put off our weekly cleaning schedule & had both promised to do our cleaning that night. We had a meatloaf dinner & I told him about that resident's prediction and my "very tiny concern" that maybe my water had broken. I told him not to worry because I wasn't convinced at all because of the tiny amounts, and promised that I wouldn't take him back to labor & delivery for another false alarm. I said, "But hey, maybe after cleaning tonight my water WILL break from all the squatting & bending."

We finished cleaning at 9 PM & had just sat down to check our laptops & watch a TV show. All of a sudden, I felt a warm gush. I yelled to DH to bring a towel & the hospital bag. This was it! I logged on one last time to update my online pals at pregnancy.org. And off we went.

When I got there I was so happy. We took a last belly shot in the L & D waiting room. I had no doubt in my mind that I would soon be a mommy! When we got back to the testing room, the nurse asked me if I was wearing a pad. I was, so I gave it to her to sample. She mixed something with it & said "Hmm, well, this is negative. If it was amniotic fluid, this would have turned ____ (whatever color it was supposed to turn)" But she told me to sit on this plastic pad & she would gather another sample. A couple of minutes later, I had another little pool under me & she took it. She gave it to the doctor on call & he looked at it. I heard him on the other side of the curtain saying, "It's negative. She's not in labor."



The nurse came back to us behind the curtain. We were so upset. Not only because we were disappointed, but we were so confused! I remained adamant about my water breaking. I knew there was no way I could have peed myself that much & not realized! But she told me that the baby had probably just been kicking my bladder, etc.... The nurse & I bantered a little bit about it because I was obviously very upset. My DH started to get pissed & pulled off all the monitors from me. "We're going home. If we leave now, we can get in bed by 11:30."

The nurse was a little jolted by his reaction. She said "Wait wait- I need doctor's orders to release you first." So she called my OB & he ordered a speculum sample.

That on-call doctor that I already resented for calling that second sample negative came back to do it. Not many words were spoken. I'm sure he was a little pissed that he was "wasting his time" on a false alarm.

About 2 minutes later, while my DH & I were discussing how mortifying this was going to be (we had already called all family members this time), the nurse comes back & says, "Good news- you're ruptured & you're getting a bed!" We were on such a roller coaster of emotions at this point, that we both were almost crying.

So we get to the room about midnight & i get checked. Still that blasted 1 cm. I told my DH, "This is going to be a long night." They started my IV & got some orders to start pitocin, which they did around 1:30 AM. DH & I thought we would try to sleep until it kicked in. Well, we never quite got to, because almost immediately, I started to have very bad menstrual-like cramps & back pain. At that point, I called it a 7 on the pain scale, but if I had only known what to compare it to!! After an hour or so, my nurse checked me again & I was still 1 cm. Damn. I had thought for sure those contractions were doing something because they hurt so badly.

Almost immediately after that second check, things turned very ugly. These "cramps" started to rip right through me. They felt like someone was taking a knife to my back & gutting me. I started to throw up. At some point, my previously "high leak" became a low leak & let loose. I remember when that happened, I was simultaneously having one of those torturous contractions & throwing up. I wanted to die!

Thankfully, I had told the nurse at around 3(?) that I needed my epidural. She assured me that he was coming because this floor had their own anaesthesiologist & this was not a busy labor wing. Turns out, he was sleeping, so it took a few pages to get him in there. Arg!! But I was so thankful to get that epi that I didn't mind that he was late once I had it. But when the contractions persisted & I was still throwing up after 30 minutes, I realized that I was only half numb. It hadn't worked on the left side. So they paged him again & around 4 or so, I got another bolus in my catheter & I was finally numb! I had about an hour of heaven...

I told the nurse at 5 AM that I felt like I needed to push. She was very surprised & decided to check me. 10 cm!!! In less than 2 1/2 hours! No wonder it bloody hurt like that! Well, no one was ready. They paged my OB, but he was in the shower apparently. He called back & said he was on his way & get ready to push.

My mom had arrived around 5. Fortunately, I told her, she had missed the bad part. Well, that was not entirely true, because sometime between when they had paged the doctor & when he arrived, we had a very scary incident. My contractions were very strong on the graph & they started to stress Corbin. At some point, his heart rate was reading in the 40's. It was a long enough period of time for 8 people to come racing into the room, including on call doctors & even the anaesthesiologist again. They had my doctor and the operating room on the phone at the same time. I heard them say to get ready for a stat c-section. I was screaming "Is my baby okay??" and no one was answering me. It was my worst nightmare.

My OB, who was en route, ordered them to give me terbutalline to stop the contractions. My pitocin had been stopped of course when I had been determined fully dilated. They had me switch positions a lot. Finally, we had a position that worked & his heartrate went back in the 120's.

Doc arrived around 7 & I could finally push. Can you imagine sitting around fully dilated for 2 hours? It sucks. But I didn't realize just how sloooooooow of progress I would make anyway with my pushing. Since I had had an extra bolus of epidural, I would NOT feel any pushing movements, so they turned off my epi drip & hoped I would start to feel it. Thankfully, I did, and after 3 very long, stressful hours of pushing, our little boy was born & everyone was crying & happy & exhausted all at the same time.

Corbin Jonathan was born at 10:03 AM,
November 20, 2007
19 inches
6 lbs 9.5 oz
Apgar scores were 8 & 9









We left the hospital yesterday & he weighed 6 lbs 9.6 oz. We are sooooooo thankful to have him here finally. We think he is just the cutest baby in the world, but what parents wouldn't think that?!



A very happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Nope! False Alarm!

Yeah, boo. The title says it all. Now I am so confused about labor.

Went to the hospital at midnight with very frequent contractions. They hooked me up & my contractions are INDEED intense & every (get this) 30 seconds to 3 minutes apart at the most. Most of them last over 1 minute, too. I am also 100% effaced!

But cervix is still stuck at 1 cm, so I was sent home after 3 hours monitoring.

The first time she checked me (warning, Too Much Information ahead!!), she pulled out a gloved finger covered in a big red souvenir right in front of my husband's face & goes "Yes, you do have bloody show!" My DH, who is very squeamish anyway, almost lost it!

Who knows when it will be when I go into active labor! When discharged this morning, they gave me the standard "5 minutes apart, 1 minute, for 1 hour" instructions & DH & I were like, "well, apparently, this is not an exact science, because we are already there & we're going home!"

Well, I guess the good news is that since I am 100% effaced, I should go quickly when I do actually start to dilate more. I will tell you this- I am done with the castor oil!

Another Too Much Information Post

I took some castor oil today when the Buckeyes were deep into the 3rd quarter & sat on the birthing ball ever since. Went to the bathroom & noted that I have bloody show!! It's a sign that my cervix is dilating :)
It's amazing some of the things you get excited about during pregnancy!

Possibly Maybe Soon?

Weeeeellll...
It all started this morning at work. I had horrendous "gas pains" that I couldn't even concentrate through. They were horrible, debilitating pains in my lower abdomen & they would last anywhere from 10-15 min each & then let up for about a half an hour at a time. Whatever the heck it was, I knew it wasn't right. So I call the OB office again & see if I can get my Fri appointment switched to today. And I could....
The 20 minute drive from work to the office was so painful I was almost in tears. I almost went straight to the hospital instead.
So I get there & they started to hook me up to the NST monitors & I was already contracting & she said "Oh, wow- that's a big contraction!" As soon as I was hooked up, we could see it was a big contraction. The uterine activity monitor was up in the 70's. I sat in the recliner, hooked up to the machine & whimpered through the contractions. They were so painful, I couldn't believe it. They were every 7 minutes. The medical assistant and the nurse each came in at different times & said "You may go to labor & delivery today. You seem like you are in early labor stages." At the end of my monitoring, I was seriously sweating so badly that they commented on it. Then the doctor wanted to check my cervix. I really thought there was going to be some huge change in it, but there wasn't. I'm at 1 cm. So that was a little disappointing! HOWEVER, the doctor made some comments that made me very hopeful. I hope, hope, hope he knows what he is talking about. He said "I might see you tonight at the hospital, or I might see you tomorrow or even this weekend." I'm not sure how he can make that call, since I thought "labor" was defined as changes in the cervix. But he seemed fairly confident about it. He said "Make sure to labor at home as much as possible." And he also mentioned that I am probably not going back to work.... and he still had me make an appointment for next week. Arg!!! I'm confused! So what I gather from all of this is that I am not yet in labor, but probably soon???

Nesting & Nausea

Above is a picture of Lula. She has taken to the Pack N Play lately, I think because the dog cannot bug her when she's up there. Just wait until she finds out it isn't hers!

Today I did my normal cleaning rotation, but I added to it. I also cleaned the baseboards, alphabetized the DVD's & organized the tupp.erware cabinet. I just felt like I should get those things done, so I guess that qualifies as nesting.

Also, after I was done, I was soooo nauseated & haven't felt right since. I am not sure if I just overexerted myself or if the baby just changed positions or what, but I feel horrible tonight! I have really only wanted bland foods since. I don't really feel like eating, but I know I should, so I am.

I just feel very off today. My belly has been tight all day, too, so it is extremely difficult to tell if I am having contractions. It feels like the skin is being stretched over a drum. I huuuuuuuuuuurt (whine).

Too Much Information, I'm Sure

The doctor must have jostled things up a little bit. Last night, I lost a big chunk of my mucous plug! Yay! Of course, things could still look hopeful for weeks & I could still go until my due date, but I'm glad things are looking promising. He is welcome to come anytime after the OSU/Michigan game, which is also ironically the day I hit full term at 37 weeks!

36 Week Appointment

I started my internals today! Yay! We are near the end! The OB office seemed to be cheering me on, now. And I got free stuff! A diaper bag and a bottle tote filled with free samples of diapers, wipes, formula & coupons. I went down the checklist with the medical assistant, too: childcare taken care of, carseat is installed, etc.

I'm a fingertip dilated! This basically means nothing, but at least my cervix is not closed still. Effacement is extremely hard to judge for me because of my previous cervical surgery.

I started to drink raspberry tea and take evening primrose oil to help soften my cervix. This will not actually put me into labor, but it will help out what has already begun (so they say).

One week from tomorrow, I am officially full term! I am ready to go anytime after that. Especially after that because that is the day of the Michigan-Ohio State game and my husband will just die if I go into labor before that.

I FELL!

I took an unexpected spill this morning during my morning walk. I went down a poorly lit street & didn't notice the step in the sidewalk. I tumbled right over it & SMACK onto my belly. I also felt a small gush of fluid.

Called the doc & he sent me over to L & D. It's pretty sad when the staff starts to recognize you. Anyway, they did a blood test to see if the baby's blood mixed with mine. I am awaiting those results, but I expect everything to come out okay. They monitored me for about an hour and a half. I had some contractions, but nothing too strong, so they let me go. My cervical fluid check was negative for amniotic fluid.

This pregnancy has been eventful to say the least. Here's a picture for the old scrapbook!

Done Showering

We had our last shower yesterday at DH's great aunt's home. It went very well. The food was so good. We had a ham/egg/cheese souffle dish, this yummy fruit salad and french toast casserole. It was so delicious & the tables were beautiful! We got a lot of great gifts once again, and the company was great! It was fun to talk about the baby & what to expect during labor, etc.
Today, I am busy laundering and putting away his clothing and bedding. I'm organizing all that I can before he arrives. I am thinking I may consider packing my hospital bag, too, although we just live minutes from the hospital anyway. 6 & a half weeks or so until I get to meet our son!

Shower # 2!!

We had a great time at the shower yesterday! Because of the crazy week I had last week, DH was recruited to come & help out, too. So he has been to 2 of our showers already! It's nice that he could participate, too.

His grandma did a wonderful job of coordinating everything. We had chicken a la king & this really yummy lemony merigue dessert (it was a sit-down meal), and there were cute toys that we got to keep adorning all of the tables.

We were blessed with so much wonderful stuff & once again, the point of the shower was well taken- I felt very lucky, loved and supported!

3.1 cm

My cervix looked great via ultraosund today. No restrictions anymore. I can go back to work next week & I can go to my shower this weekend without worry. YAY!

FFN = Negative!

My fetal fibronectin test was negative, so I will take it easy the next couple of days and check back in with the doc on Friday to see if I am still restricted...

BEDREST :(

Well folks, I'm on bedrest. Hopefully, it's temporary. I had some contractions last week that settled down with lots of water & rest. The weekend was pretty quiet as far as premature labor symptoms, but yesterday at work I felt crampy & had back pain. So I called my doc & he sent me to labor & delivery. Turns out, I was contracting every 4-6 minutes. Cervix is closed but I am 60-70% effaced. So they gave me some terbutaline (sp?) and that slowed the contractions to once every 30 minutes. The doc allowed me to go to my labor & delivery class (ironically) which was also at the same hospital, but otherwise, I am on bedrest.

Tonight I have a fetal fibronectin test at L & D to let me know my chances of going into labor in the next couple of weeks. If it is positive, I will be admitted to the hospital & given steroids to help develop Corbin's lungs.

This morning at my OB's, we had a transabdominal ultrasound to see if we could see the cervix (we couldn't do it the other way because it will mess up the FFN test tonight.) We couldn't see it, but we could see his head already down in my pelvis. So he is definitely in position. I just hope he bakes a few weeks longer!

Belly Dancing

This video is from about 4 weeks ago or so, but DH just figured out for me how to post it to the web (I was having trouble uploading it due to the size of the video on other sites).
Click on the sidebar on the right, "Videos". It is filed under "Belly Dancing." Kicks start on the right side of the screen about 30 seconds into the clip.

First Shower

We had a very small family shower after a family reunion this weekend. It was fun & very informal. We had pizza & steak sandwiches & watched the OSU/Purdue game. At some point in the second quarter, we took a little break & Jon & I opened gifts. Everyone got us fantastic loot & we had a lot of fun playing with everything when we got home tonight. We sent gifts home for my cousin & his wife, too, as they are due to have a baby boy in the next couple of weeks (so she couldn't travel.) Most importantly, we felt very supported. It was so nice to see everyone!

Corbin's Cousin

We just found out that Corbin's first cousin (and my first nephew) will be a BOY! He is due in February. We were hoping for a boy so that Corbin & he would get to grow up together & be bosom buddies.... Congratulations to B & T & welcome to TEAM BLUE!

Me & E. Gordon Gee

"And buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and E. Gordon Gee..."

I met OSU president E. Gordon Gee on Saturday when he crashed our tailgate. Check out his cool pants! Not many people went up to him for an autograph or photo, but I didn't want to miss this awesome scrapbook-photo opp!

My Uncle Gary replied to my Dad's e-mail, "The old prenatal 'laying of the scarlet and gray hands'. Cool."

Welcome to My Blog, Family & Friends!

To see Corbin's new ultrasound photos, click on the link on the right sidebar that says, "Corbin's 29 Week Ultrasound."
To see our nursery, scroll down a few entries to peek at the wall paintings. I can't wait until it all comes together these next few weeks!
Sooo... WELCOME to my blog! This is where I have been keeping some random thoughts for the past couple of months regarding the pregnancy. I've kept it pretty private up until now, but now you can "follow along" in the pregnancy if you'd like. There are only 10 weeks and 5 days until Corbin's estimated due date now! I plan to post updates as they come, and eventually, we will tell his birth story here & you can still follow along & see how we are coping with being new parents, too!
We had our last scheduled ultrasound this morning at Ultrasona Columbus. It was nice- my in-laws came down to witness Corbin at 29 weeks, 2 days in utero. The ultrasound went well. He is measuring way ahead of schedule- like a baby who's due date would be around November 24th!! He is approx 3 1/2 pounds & approx 17-18" long already. He favored his left hand today, and the U/S technician said she read that that could mean he will be left-handed. I think he looks like DH (for those of you new to this, that is code for "Dear Husband"- he has his ears, nose & eyes. He mostly kept his eyes shut, but he peeked at us a couple of times. The cord is wrapped loosely around his neck at this point, but the tech said that this is very common & usually nothing to worry about. It would become worrisome if Corbin showed signs of distress during normal delivery, but usually it is okay.
Well, feel free to check back often! Thanks for checking it out!

I had the dreaded glucose tolerance test on Monday & had to drink the flat orange fruit drink. It wasn't too horrible, I guess. They said they would call me if it was abnormal. I never heard anything back from them, so I guess no news is good news.

Home-stretch

This is it- the third and final trimester has arrived. I can never again say that I have not experienced a first or second trimester. We're in the home-stretch! I can't believe there are already less than 12 weeks to go.
On a very positive note, we get to see Corbin again in a week. On the 24th, we have another 4D ultrasound scheduled & will get to see our little guy & his features. I am so curious to see if he has hair or not. Many of the 4D ultrasounds I have seen have the baby looking so distorted, with exaggerated features. Then again, if you were immersed in water, you'd look a heck of a lot different than you do otherwise, too. But I am sure that to DH and I, he will look perfect in every way.
I will finally be revealing this website to family and friends on the 24th, too. I wanted to wait until they had more photos to look at first. It's been pretty lonely out here in my own little cyberspace, so if you're reading this now (which will then be a week later), please leave me a comment :)
Yesterday, mom and I made my thank you cards for Corbin's gifts. I would scan one into the computer, but then it would ruin it for those of you who will soon be receiving one! I am very happy with them, though. Mom designed them, of course, but we both did all the cutting, I did the stamping & put on the ribbons, and mom and I both did the final assembly. I really can't wait to do the baby announcements/Christmas cards with her soon- that will mean he is truly almost here.

Nursery

We hired an artist off of cra*igslist to paint the nursery for us in the theme of Corbin's bedding. Didn't she do an awesome job?

McDon't

So, I decided I wanted a decaf coffee this morning for a mental pick-me-up. I stop by a drive-thru & order a medium coffee. I pulled up to the first window & paid the lady. Her nametag said "Cricket." I started to pull away, and I hear a "Hey" in a hushed voice. I stop the car & look back at the drive-thru lady. She hesitates for so long that I think I misheard her. I almost pulled away, but instead I looked puzzledly (new word) at her. She looks around for a moment & then continues, "Do you come by here often?"
Me: "Um, no, not really."
Cricket: "Well, you should come by here more. Just ask for Chris & I will give you a shot in your coffee."
Me:__________________
Bewildered & a little nervous, I drive up to the next window. Thank goodness they had my coffee in hand & waiting for me, because I was ready to book it. What did she mean by a shot? Of liquor? Espresso? Hazelnut syrup? Was she trying to get someone named Chris in trouble? Anyway, my coffee smelled fine, so I did drink it, but I don't think I will be going back again, for fear of secret ingredients...

I Need Some Support

... in a very literal sense. I tried tailgating this weekend, and I did NOT bode well. It was 8 hours of a very sore back. DH and I spent Labor Day weekend at his grandparents' cottage in Michigan & I tried to be a trooper; however, my back hurt like hell! I borrowed this back support/binder thingy from my step-father-in-law & I couldn't tell if it helped or not. It may have been a placebo effect, but at least I was able to smile for the picture!

OMG, You're Huge!!

I have been getting shocked faces when I tell people that I am due December 8th. People say "OMG, you're huge!" or "I thought you were ready to go soon" or my favorite, "It's twins!" I think after 3 ultrasounds we are pretty certain that there's only one baby in there! Unless I have a hidden uterus in here somewhere. Or maybe I am also growing a large abdominal tumor...