Hey Buddy,
Wow, it’s been over a year since we wrote anything in your blog. Sorry dude. There had been a lot we could have witten but guess we didn’t think to do it.
So today you got a splinter (3/4 inch long) in your heel (unsure how) and you wouldn’t let us take it out until bed time (after a long bath). I was able to convince you the splinter would bug you all night because part of it was sticking out and would snag your sock or sheets. You seemed to understand that and and reluctantly decided to let me try to pull it out when I offered you a piggyback ride upstairs to get the tweezers. I was able to pull it out in one try fortunately! You had a few tears but Eleanor was right right beside you comforting you and parroting what I was saying trying to be helpful. She’s an amazing big sister to you. She loves you truly!
Oh. Today mom and I were working on planning a camping trip to Arches National Park in Utah and while we were trying to decide if we really should make the long drive she got a little teary when thinking about the time we have left with Nanna and Pappa and you noticed it and immediately came over and said sorry and gave her hugs. You are so amazingly aware of people’s emotions and very empathetic for a 4 yr old! We love you dearly little guy!
Oh and you’ve just about mastered head stands now. You’ve been trying to copy me for a while and lately have been able to keep your feet up for 5-10 seconds! You are always entertaining!
That’s about all I can think of right now. I’ll try to write more this year.
Love,
Dad
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Friday, September 2, 2016
Having "Daddy Cereal"
You guys typically have cereal before bed due to that being one of my habits and you like the cereal I eat and call it "daddy cereal" instead of Kashi or shredded wheat. :). It's cute!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Shut up and dance with me...
Love you bunches!
Daddy
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Cute sleeping pose
You couldn't make it through Charlotte's web tonight while listening in Eleanor's room. It was too cute not to take a picture.
Daddy
Friday, January 1, 2016
Reading numbers
The last few nights you've been reading 1 to 10 in one of your books. It's pretty cool to see you learning and expressing more interest in numbers and letters.
Love you little man!
Monday, December 7, 2015
Bowling and bed time
Hey buddy,
We found some mini bowling pins that we had had a while and you've taken to wanting to "roll them down" a lot lately. The pins are barely an inch long and you have found a soft baseball to roll at them. You'll do it for as long as I'll set them up. It's very cute!
And bed times are a complete joy with you. There are a couple things you like to do that make me chuckle. First you like to hold the books in a pile and hand them to me as we finish them. This is something new but cute! On top of that you like to lay down and pick up the books with your feet and crane them to me. You get mad if I just pick them up. :)
Also I lay on the bed near the bookshelf and when I lean in to put a book away you will roll into my spot and want me to "squish me" as you say. It's funny!
You also only want me to sing twinkle twinkle Little Star for going to sleep. I'm not sure why you like that one but it definitely calms you and you go to sleep pretty quickly. Sometimes I fall asleep too.
Lastly sometimes you ask me to rock you to sleep which I never say no to as it's something I love doing.
You've been growing like a weed lately too. You've grown nearly two inches since your second birthday and It's been less than 6 months!
I love you more than I can express in words. Thanks for being in my life!!
Love,
Daddy
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
"Look at that big mint!"
I was very confused until we walked closer to the entrance and you pointed and said "Mint up there" :)
I love the way you make me laugh - every day!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Emmett-isms
Age 2 is pretty fun so far. You potty trained yourself just a week and a half after you turned 2. You decided you didn't want to sleep in diapers anymore so Daddy and I tried it and didn't put them on the next week either.
We assumed it was just a lucky phase, but that we would eventually return to diapers. It's been over a month so I think you are proving us wrong.
My favorite Emmett-isms right now:
"Trucks, I luuuuvvve it." I played no part in encouraging a love of trucks, but your love for construction toys and spotting tractors is undeniable!
"Promise the train" instead of Thomas. :)
"eyebrowns" instead of eyebrows
You are a nonstop chatterbox, mima bird (sp?) right now and while fun it can be exhausting! Eleanor and I get tired of your chatter in the car, but you never quit despite us asking! Today is Eleanor's first day away at camp and she is really looking forward to a break from her brother ;). She and I both love you more than words however!
Love you little dude!
Mom
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Colors, numbers and many words...
Hey Buddy,
Just wanted to let you know you've really started recongnizing your numbers and letters and saying all types of words. You don't know a 1 from a 3 yet, but you know they are numbers. You don't know an A from a B, but you seem to know they are numbers. You get your basic colors right most of the time. You really seem to like the word Yellow, which seems to be your go to color when you are trying to point out a color. :)
Every night when I read to you, you always point out colors or if there is a number you say "2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3".
You've also started saying "thank you" which sounds more like "tink you momma" it's adorable.
You've also started saying "Sophie" pretty clearly now too.
I love seeing you grow up little guy! You give me great big hugs when I come home these days and it completely wipes away my stresses. Thanks!!
Love you!
Daddy
Just wanted to let you know you've really started recongnizing your numbers and letters and saying all types of words. You don't know a 1 from a 3 yet, but you know they are numbers. You don't know an A from a B, but you seem to know they are numbers. You get your basic colors right most of the time. You really seem to like the word Yellow, which seems to be your go to color when you are trying to point out a color. :)
Every night when I read to you, you always point out colors or if there is a number you say "2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3".
You've also started saying "thank you" which sounds more like "tink you momma" it's adorable.
You've also started saying "Sophie" pretty clearly now too.
I love seeing you grow up little guy! You give me great big hugs when I come home these days and it completely wipes away my stresses. Thanks!!
Love you!
Daddy
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Trucks...
Hey Little Guy,
Lately you've taken to Eleanor's School bus and any other truck you can find and are "vrooming" it loudly around the house. I remember Eleanor playing with the cars a truck a bit, but I don't recall it being the magnitude at which you are. It's fun to see you grow and show more and more of your personality.
Additionally, your hair right now is a bundle of curls that your mom and I just can't get the nerve to cut off yet. You've got a bit of a mullet going on, but we love it!
Love you!
Scott
Lately you've taken to Eleanor's School bus and any other truck you can find and are "vrooming" it loudly around the house. I remember Eleanor playing with the cars a truck a bit, but I don't recall it being the magnitude at which you are. It's fun to see you grow and show more and more of your personality.
Additionally, your hair right now is a bundle of curls that your mom and I just can't get the nerve to cut off yet. You've got a bit of a mullet going on, but we love it!
Love you!
Scott
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Becoming a little person
Hey Buddy,
You're definitely becoming a little person these days. It's fun because I can converse with you like a regular person and you pretty much know what I'm saying and will act or respond accordingly.
I've been putting you to bed at night for the past couple weeks because you won't fall asleep with mom anymore. Because of this we've formed a pretty good routine of reading books and learning more signs for things. Over the past few days you've learned Giraffe and Gorilla (which is hilarious to watch you do as you bang your chest). You try to turn the pages really fast so you can do the next sign it seems.
After 3-4 books, I'll turn down the lights and try to sing you "hand, hand, fingers thumb" or just "twinkle, twinkle, little star" and try to get you to fall asleep without being rocked. It works more times than not, but some nights regardless of how tired you are you still fight it and roll around and kick but you seem to relax immediately if I pick you up and rock you. thank you! :)
This past weekend you let Eleanor tie you up in scarves. It was pretty funny, and you really enjoyed it as well. Here are a few pics. You two really do play well together often. Sometimes you annoy her and destroy her buildings, but mostly you guys do well together.
Love you big guy!
Dad
You're definitely becoming a little person these days. It's fun because I can converse with you like a regular person and you pretty much know what I'm saying and will act or respond accordingly.
I've been putting you to bed at night for the past couple weeks because you won't fall asleep with mom anymore. Because of this we've formed a pretty good routine of reading books and learning more signs for things. Over the past few days you've learned Giraffe and Gorilla (which is hilarious to watch you do as you bang your chest). You try to turn the pages really fast so you can do the next sign it seems.
After 3-4 books, I'll turn down the lights and try to sing you "hand, hand, fingers thumb" or just "twinkle, twinkle, little star" and try to get you to fall asleep without being rocked. It works more times than not, but some nights regardless of how tired you are you still fight it and roll around and kick but you seem to relax immediately if I pick you up and rock you. thank you! :)
This past weekend you let Eleanor tie you up in scarves. It was pretty funny, and you really enjoyed it as well. Here are a few pics. You two really do play well together often. Sometimes you annoy her and destroy her buildings, but mostly you guys do well together.
Love you big guy!
Dad
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Your love for the upside down world
You crack me up with your silly almost 18-month antics!
Tossing your head and sometimes your whole body backward because you love the feeling of being upside down.
You also love to stand on my legs or on my belly or even on the 4-wheeler or edge of the couch and practice your balance. I must say you're pretty good at it, too!
You are showing great acceptance and maybe even enjoy being in the water. Dad has been taking you to swim lessons for a couple of sessions now and you'll dip under without much fuss. Hooray!
We also play a game in the car every day after we drop Eleanor at school which you ask me "Eleanor?" and point and we talk about Eleanor not being in the trees or in the house (as we pass them on the way home). I say, noooo... Eleanor is at school. I'm glad I get to spend time with you independent of Eleanor.
I miss her while she is at school, too - but I feel so lucky to get to stay at home and be just your mom, too.
Blowing us over has been a new thing you find hysterical, we do, too!
Love you dude!
Mom
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Maaaa vs Daaa
Hey Emmett,
Defying the typical path, you seem to have found it easier to call me maaaa, instead of daa or da da. It took me a while to figure out you were actually calling for me sometimes, but now that I know it's fine. However, that hasn't stopped me from trying to teach you da da each time you say maaaa (yes, you say it loud and long - it's cute!). However, the past couple days you seem to be catching on to the da da thing and this morning while I was in the bathroom showering and you were hanging with your mom and sister in our bed, I heard "da. da." and I was like "did he say da da?" and they all said yep and you said it again and I said, "I'm in the bathroom" and you came running into the bathroom. VERY AWESOME! Made my heart so warm.
Thanks little guy for being such an amazing addition to our lives. You fill me with joy every day and I look forward to the many many moments like this we will share together throughout our lives.
Love you!
Dad
Defying the typical path, you seem to have found it easier to call me maaaa, instead of daa or da da. It took me a while to figure out you were actually calling for me sometimes, but now that I know it's fine. However, that hasn't stopped me from trying to teach you da da each time you say maaaa (yes, you say it loud and long - it's cute!). However, the past couple days you seem to be catching on to the da da thing and this morning while I was in the bathroom showering and you were hanging with your mom and sister in our bed, I heard "da. da." and I was like "did he say da da?" and they all said yep and you said it again and I said, "I'm in the bathroom" and you came running into the bathroom. VERY AWESOME! Made my heart so warm.
Thanks little guy for being such an amazing addition to our lives. You fill me with joy every day and I look forward to the many many moments like this we will share together throughout our lives.
Love you!
Dad
Monday, August 25, 2014
Bedtime Hugs and Kisses...
Hey Buddy, (I seem to call you that more than your name, but you seem to know your real name so that's good).
Anyway, last night I had the pleasure of putting you and Eleanor down by myself as your mom and Pappa went to a Ziggy Marley concert. Eleanor was nice enough to hang out in her bed until I put you down (and she actually fell asleep all by herself which was awesome - hopefully we can start a trend). Anyway, after I fed you a bottle you rubbed your eyes and popped up from laying in my arms to your normal sitting facing me in my arms position. You looked me in the eyes then leaned in and gave me a kiss followed by a big hug. You then leaned back again (I thought you were going to push away and want to get down as you often fight going to sleep - think that's me in you.) looked at me and then leaned back in and gave me a kiss followed by a big hug. After that you just slid down a bit and laid your head on my chest and promptly went to sleep.
That nearly made me cry little guy. It was definitely one of the first unprompted signs of affection you've given me. Sure, you'll hug me now and then when I instigate it, but this was all you and so awesome!
Before we chose to have a 2nd kid, I know your mom and I both wondered how we could love another child as much as we did Eleanor, but we humans are amazing and I've definitely found every bit of love for you that I have for Eleanor. Thanks for coming into our lives and for being such an amazing kid!
I love you bunches!
Love,
Dad
Anyway, last night I had the pleasure of putting you and Eleanor down by myself as your mom and Pappa went to a Ziggy Marley concert. Eleanor was nice enough to hang out in her bed until I put you down (and she actually fell asleep all by herself which was awesome - hopefully we can start a trend). Anyway, after I fed you a bottle you rubbed your eyes and popped up from laying in my arms to your normal sitting facing me in my arms position. You looked me in the eyes then leaned in and gave me a kiss followed by a big hug. You then leaned back again (I thought you were going to push away and want to get down as you often fight going to sleep - think that's me in you.) looked at me and then leaned back in and gave me a kiss followed by a big hug. After that you just slid down a bit and laid your head on my chest and promptly went to sleep.
That nearly made me cry little guy. It was definitely one of the first unprompted signs of affection you've given me. Sure, you'll hug me now and then when I instigate it, but this was all you and so awesome!
Before we chose to have a 2nd kid, I know your mom and I both wondered how we could love another child as much as we did Eleanor, but we humans are amazing and I've definitely found every bit of love for you that I have for Eleanor. Thanks for coming into our lives and for being such an amazing kid!
I love you bunches!
Love,
Dad
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Away We Go!
I never could imagine life with two kids... and now I definitely can't imagine life without two kids!
You are so impressive in so many ways and you bring a smile to nearly everyone who sees you. Strangers just can't help but tell me how cute or handsome you are. You're a baby now, so that's all you should be, but I hope as you get older, you develop into a deep thinking, caring, intelligent boy who is so much more than just "cute"!
You turned 1 year old and about a week before that, you started walking, officially. You've been able to walk for quite a while, but lacked the confidence to let go. You would hold onto us with one hand and march all over the place, but as soon as you felt our finger wiggle out from your hand, you would drop to the floor almost immediately. You tried a couple of steps back and forth to Daddy and I on the deck about a month prior to turning one and we thought you were there... but you just weren't quite ready... and we were okay with that!
The catalyst that finally set you on your way was camping. Touching and crawling on all of those dirt and sticks is enough to fuel anyone to stand upright and try! It is always so thrilling to me to see a baby gain the confidence to walk. It was inspiring and invigorating with Eleanor and I felt the same rush with you. Beaming from ear to ear, I was, as I watched you toddle over precarious ground covered with obstacles such as rocks and tiny mounds. There's no stopping now!
At 1 year, you are already a climbing machine, too. You climb on the kiddie chairs and even on the table when I'm not looking! You have fallen quite a few times, but are starting to get the hang of it. My parenting philosophy involves natural consequences within reason... so falling off a kiddie chair is one thing... falling down the stairs, I just won't let you do -- despite your efforts!
Other amazing things... you have all of your teeth, including canines, already. I'm sure you still have 2 year molars and I haven't been able to count them all yet... you chomp down HARD when I try to get my fingers in there, but you have gotten all of your teeth before nearly all of the babies I know who are anywhere close to your age. We just went on vacation to Pacific City, OR last weekend with some friends who had a 2 year old (Nik) and he was just getting his canines! You're 1!!!
You are also well on your way to signing. Current signs include: milk (sometimes, but you often try to lift up or pull down my shirt, stinker!), dog, hot, sit. I need to work on teaching you more because I know you're thirsty to learn!
You crack me up these days when you nod your head "yes" or shake it "no", when you pretend to spit in the sink after "brushing" your teeth like you see your sister do, and dive bomb into my chest to nurse.
Today, you also started giving me kisses. Open mouthed ram your face into my cheek style, of course! So precious, though. You're also quite a good hugger!
I love you more than any words little one!
Love,
Mom
Monday, April 7, 2014
Pbbbt
Funniest thing that you do right now is make the pbbbt sound with your mouth after I toot. (Ok, fart).
Other adorable things at 9 months:
-clap your hands when others do or when we say "yay"!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
7 Months Old - Laughing, Rolling Front to Back, and Almost Crawling
Hey Little Man,
You bring me so much joy on a daily basis. Everyone who meets you (strangers at the grocery store, your grandparents, our music teacher) all say you are the "happiest baby". And I must agree. You smile a lot, you rarely cry. You only cry when you are really, really tired just before I give you milk in bed, normally. Sometimes you cry when your big sister harrasses you a bit more than you'd like. But the vast majority of the time you smile and show us your squinty eyed grin whenever any of us come into the room. Your sister can make you belly laugh by doing a screech or playing a crazy game of peek-a-boo with you and it's one of the greatest things for me to watch!
You've been rolling from your back to your tummy for quite a while now, my notes say since around October 15th. And a couple of months after that, you started scooting backwards. But still no crawling. You are starting to do "planks". Straight arms and pushing all the way up, but you haven't figured out how to get your knees underneath you and start moving forward. Consequently, tummy time leads to frustration. You do LOVE to stand and are so proud when you hold my fingers and take wobbly steps.
This month my goal is to try to get you more interested in solid foods. The "new" thing in parenting is called Baby Led Weaning. It's essentially giving you super steamed foods as opposed to purees. So far, you aren't a lover of food. A butternut squash pureed packet (Happy Baby Organics) was your favorite so far. The pureed green beans, the carrots, the apples, not so much. And the tiny banana chunks we have tried you sort of chew, but then give me a gag face when you get ready to swallow. Last night I tried a little tortellini from my bowl and you actually seemed to enjoy that. This week, it's steamed butternut squash and maybe carrots and whatever else is on our plates!).
I can't wait to see who you grow up to be. I'm so excited about our future as a family and am so pleased we decided to add you to our family. We thought long and hard about it and I wasn't initially sure I could love a second baby the way I loved Eleanor, but it's true what they say... my heart only grew. I love you every bit as much as I love your sister!
Love you little man!
Mom
You bring me so much joy on a daily basis. Everyone who meets you (strangers at the grocery store, your grandparents, our music teacher) all say you are the "happiest baby". And I must agree. You smile a lot, you rarely cry. You only cry when you are really, really tired just before I give you milk in bed, normally. Sometimes you cry when your big sister harrasses you a bit more than you'd like. But the vast majority of the time you smile and show us your squinty eyed grin whenever any of us come into the room. Your sister can make you belly laugh by doing a screech or playing a crazy game of peek-a-boo with you and it's one of the greatest things for me to watch!
This month my goal is to try to get you more interested in solid foods. The "new" thing in parenting is called Baby Led Weaning. It's essentially giving you super steamed foods as opposed to purees. So far, you aren't a lover of food. A butternut squash pureed packet (Happy Baby Organics) was your favorite so far. The pureed green beans, the carrots, the apples, not so much. And the tiny banana chunks we have tried you sort of chew, but then give me a gag face when you get ready to swallow. Last night I tried a little tortellini from my bowl and you actually seemed to enjoy that. This week, it's steamed butternut squash and maybe carrots and whatever else is on our plates!).
I can't wait to see who you grow up to be. I'm so excited about our future as a family and am so pleased we decided to add you to our family. We thought long and hard about it and I wasn't initially sure I could love a second baby the way I loved Eleanor, but it's true what they say... my heart only grew. I love you every bit as much as I love your sister!
Love you little man!
Mom
Saturday, August 24, 2013
First Laugh Today
We were on our way dinner with Gramma Wendy when she coughed and you laughed. We all enjoyed it immensely!
Love you little guy!
Dad
Friday, July 5, 2013
Welcome to the family Baby 2!
So even naming this blog, I need to reconsider. I don't want you to ever feel that you are second to Eleanor in anyway other than birth order. This title was simply a way to differentiate the blogs. :)
I think the last picture I have of me with you inside. Eleanor couldn't wait to meet you!
Your birth story:
Let's start with the due date scenario. Given the date of my last menstural period (LMP), your due date was calculated as June 25th. When we did your ultrasound at 20 weeks, they revised it and said your due date was more likely June 19th. So the midwives split the difference and decided that they would use a date of June 22nd.
All of those dates had come and gone and at my regularly scheduled midwife appointment on June 26th (at 10am), I expected to talk about options of how long we would wait for you, what I could do to stimulate labor, etc. Instead, I took the urine test and discovered protein in my urine. The midwives took my blood pressure and it was higher than they liked, so they also decided to draw blood. After checking my cervix, the midwife, Ali, said that I had already dilated to about a 3 (I had been having some contractions over the previous week, but nothing regular) and she opened the cervix a bit more to measure around a 4. With the blood pressure being as high as it was... something over 93... Ali said that typically, these numbers indicated I should go to the hospital for monitoring. She stated that I should go home, rest, and then take my blood pressure again later in the evening and that they would put a rush on blood test results.
After leaving the appointment, my contractions were growing stronger and more regular. I was trying to relax on the couch while Granny was playing with Eleanor. The contractions weren't as strong as I guessed they would be for labor, but I was feeling uncertain about things including my blood pressure and the concern over protein in my urine and bloodwork, so I called your Dad to come home from work. He took a bus home. By the time he got home, I had heard from the midwife that the blood work results did not look great, either. A final sign that I was heading toward preeclampsia. The good news, was that according to Ali, it was fairly easy to send my body into labor since I was dilated to a 4 and a second time mom.
Your Dad got home around 4pm and Ali said I had 2 options... to come to the birth center to have my water broken and drink a "labor cocktail" or to wait until she finished her clinic appointments and she would be here around 7pm to do those things. Driving in rush hour didn't sound appealing, but since your Dad was driving and since Ali was doing her best to keep us out of the hospital... we decided to go down.
Your big sister took a late nap and I remember going into her room and watching her lay on her sheepkin rug (not in her bed where she normally takes her nap!) and cried a bit because I knew this would be her last time as the only baby, but was also happy knowing that we would soon be a complete family. I thought for sure your sister would come with us, but she chose to go to her swim lessons with Granny instead. I'm so glad she did because she had a great time and I got to spend time with your Dad for a bit.
So around 5:30 we got to the Birth Center in Kirkland and I was given the labor cocktail to drink -- something with lemon verbena they order from Germany, apricot juice, and 2 tbsp of castor oil. It wasn't great, but wasn't as horrible as I expected and I would always recommend it to other moms, because it helped clean out my system, but in a fairly easy way. After that, I had to lie on the bed and the student midwife (Alyssa) tried to break my water. She wasn't able to do it, so after a couple of attempts, Ali stepped in and finished breaking it. Apparently Alyssa had broken it a bit, but not all the way.
On the way home, my contractions intensified considerably and I knew you were on your way. I really dislike having contractions in the car, it's so uncomfortable, but luckily, we didn't have to fight too much traffic. By the time I got home around 6:30, I had your Dad read if getting in the tub would slow things down or speed them up. I wanted to slow them down a bit so that the midwives would have a chance to get there before you were born! After reading, I decided it would be fine to get in the tub and filled it about half way and had several more strong and very uncomfortable contractions in there. After about 20-30 minutes, I told Dad that he needed to call the midwives back and let them know that I couldn't talk through the contractions anymore and that they were about 2 minutes apart. They said they would leave right away.
Eleanor and Granny stopped at Fred Meyer after their swim lessons to buy you a cake to make for your birthday and when they got home, put some balloons out at the end of the driveway to let the midwives know where to turn.
Around 7:15pm, I was feeling like pushing was not too far away and asked your Dad to find out where the midwives were! Not long after that, they were in our room and were checking on me and you in the tub... listening to your heart rate slow down on the contractions and speed up when they were done.
Not much longer after that, I was pushing and remembering how much it hurt and questioning again why I didn't do an epidural! Thankfully, it was only about 10 minutes of pushing before the student, Eve, asked if she should pull my cervix out of the way and I could push you out. The first time she tried it hurt a lot, so I said no. Then I finally got to a place where it hurt so much that I asked her to hold it out of the way and pushed and your head came out. One more push later and a big loud scream by me and you came shooting out into the water and Eve pulled you up and placed you on my chest. At that time, I didn't know if you were a boy or a girl (though I had been feeling all along that you were a boy... and both Dad and I thought we saw a penis at the ultrasound), but I was too tired to turn you over and look, so I just sat with you on my chest while Granny brought Eleanor upstairs. I was so relieved to have the labor part over, but I knew I still had to deliver the placenta as well.
We all learned that you were a boy. We didn't have a name for you yet and I told everyone I was too tired to worry about it that night. I sat in the tub while Eleanor and Daddy held you. I delivered the placenta and then got out of the tub and made my way to the bed and got cleaned up and dressed and you were getting the gunk out of your airways and then you got to nurse for the first time. Man, I forgot how painful that was!! I couldn't believe you were ours. So clean and perfect just out of the womb.
I can't wait to get to know your personality. So far, you are pretty good at sleeping through noise. Last night was the 4th of July and you barely flinched at even the loudest booms. We stayed outside for a bit, but then came inside to get your ears out of that loud noise!! You have slept a 5 hour stretch and seem to be nursing well. I bet your weight will surpass your birth weight at your follow-up visit on Monday (July 8th).
Love you little man!
Sabrina
I think the last picture I have of me with you inside. Eleanor couldn't wait to meet you!
Your birth story:
Let's start with the due date scenario. Given the date of my last menstural period (LMP), your due date was calculated as June 25th. When we did your ultrasound at 20 weeks, they revised it and said your due date was more likely June 19th. So the midwives split the difference and decided that they would use a date of June 22nd.
All of those dates had come and gone and at my regularly scheduled midwife appointment on June 26th (at 10am), I expected to talk about options of how long we would wait for you, what I could do to stimulate labor, etc. Instead, I took the urine test and discovered protein in my urine. The midwives took my blood pressure and it was higher than they liked, so they also decided to draw blood. After checking my cervix, the midwife, Ali, said that I had already dilated to about a 3 (I had been having some contractions over the previous week, but nothing regular) and she opened the cervix a bit more to measure around a 4. With the blood pressure being as high as it was... something over 93... Ali said that typically, these numbers indicated I should go to the hospital for monitoring. She stated that I should go home, rest, and then take my blood pressure again later in the evening and that they would put a rush on blood test results.
After leaving the appointment, my contractions were growing stronger and more regular. I was trying to relax on the couch while Granny was playing with Eleanor. The contractions weren't as strong as I guessed they would be for labor, but I was feeling uncertain about things including my blood pressure and the concern over protein in my urine and bloodwork, so I called your Dad to come home from work. He took a bus home. By the time he got home, I had heard from the midwife that the blood work results did not look great, either. A final sign that I was heading toward preeclampsia. The good news, was that according to Ali, it was fairly easy to send my body into labor since I was dilated to a 4 and a second time mom.
Your Dad got home around 4pm and Ali said I had 2 options... to come to the birth center to have my water broken and drink a "labor cocktail" or to wait until she finished her clinic appointments and she would be here around 7pm to do those things. Driving in rush hour didn't sound appealing, but since your Dad was driving and since Ali was doing her best to keep us out of the hospital... we decided to go down.
Your big sister took a late nap and I remember going into her room and watching her lay on her sheepkin rug (not in her bed where she normally takes her nap!) and cried a bit because I knew this would be her last time as the only baby, but was also happy knowing that we would soon be a complete family. I thought for sure your sister would come with us, but she chose to go to her swim lessons with Granny instead. I'm so glad she did because she had a great time and I got to spend time with your Dad for a bit.
So around 5:30 we got to the Birth Center in Kirkland and I was given the labor cocktail to drink -- something with lemon verbena they order from Germany, apricot juice, and 2 tbsp of castor oil. It wasn't great, but wasn't as horrible as I expected and I would always recommend it to other moms, because it helped clean out my system, but in a fairly easy way. After that, I had to lie on the bed and the student midwife (Alyssa) tried to break my water. She wasn't able to do it, so after a couple of attempts, Ali stepped in and finished breaking it. Apparently Alyssa had broken it a bit, but not all the way.
On the way home, my contractions intensified considerably and I knew you were on your way. I really dislike having contractions in the car, it's so uncomfortable, but luckily, we didn't have to fight too much traffic. By the time I got home around 6:30, I had your Dad read if getting in the tub would slow things down or speed them up. I wanted to slow them down a bit so that the midwives would have a chance to get there before you were born! After reading, I decided it would be fine to get in the tub and filled it about half way and had several more strong and very uncomfortable contractions in there. After about 20-30 minutes, I told Dad that he needed to call the midwives back and let them know that I couldn't talk through the contractions anymore and that they were about 2 minutes apart. They said they would leave right away.
Eleanor and Granny stopped at Fred Meyer after their swim lessons to buy you a cake to make for your birthday and when they got home, put some balloons out at the end of the driveway to let the midwives know where to turn.
Around 7:15pm, I was feeling like pushing was not too far away and asked your Dad to find out where the midwives were! Not long after that, they were in our room and were checking on me and you in the tub... listening to your heart rate slow down on the contractions and speed up when they were done.
Not much longer after that, I was pushing and remembering how much it hurt and questioning again why I didn't do an epidural! Thankfully, it was only about 10 minutes of pushing before the student, Eve, asked if she should pull my cervix out of the way and I could push you out. The first time she tried it hurt a lot, so I said no. Then I finally got to a place where it hurt so much that I asked her to hold it out of the way and pushed and your head came out. One more push later and a big loud scream by me and you came shooting out into the water and Eve pulled you up and placed you on my chest. At that time, I didn't know if you were a boy or a girl (though I had been feeling all along that you were a boy... and both Dad and I thought we saw a penis at the ultrasound), but I was too tired to turn you over and look, so I just sat with you on my chest while Granny brought Eleanor upstairs. I was so relieved to have the labor part over, but I knew I still had to deliver the placenta as well.
We all learned that you were a boy. We didn't have a name for you yet and I told everyone I was too tired to worry about it that night. I sat in the tub while Eleanor and Daddy held you. I delivered the placenta and then got out of the tub and made my way to the bed and got cleaned up and dressed and you were getting the gunk out of your airways and then you got to nurse for the first time. Man, I forgot how painful that was!! I couldn't believe you were ours. So clean and perfect just out of the womb.
 |
| Eleanor holding your hand for the very first time. |
 |
| Fearless Eleanor helping to cut your umbilical cord. |
 |
| Daddy and Eleanor holding you for the first time. I was still in the tub delivering the placenta! |
 |
| Your sister was such a rockstar. She stayed with me through some really painful contractions and was there right after you were born. Told me it was okay and to push! |
 |
| Ali, the midwife, talking to me about what to expect for recovery. |
 | |
| Oh yeah, that's right... nursing hurts |
 |
| The birthday cake Eleanor and Granny made for you! Happy Birthday Emmett! |
 |
| Day 2: We still didn't know your name the next morning. We asked for input from friends and family, but your Dad really liked Emmett and I thought you were Emmett when I was delivering you. Later in the day, we decided you were Emmett Marvin Klein. Marvin was your Opie, Daddy's Dad, who died when your Daddy was in college. |
 |
| Eleanor making a monster claw at you. And so it begins! |
 |
| Daddy reading you and Eleanor a book. |
 |
| Day 3, look how perfect you are! Wrinkly with great skin. It was pretty hot the days following your birth. Well, hot for Seattle. Probably mid 80s to lower 90s and a bit humid. |
I can't wait to get to know your personality. So far, you are pretty good at sleeping through noise. Last night was the 4th of July and you barely flinched at even the loudest booms. We stayed outside for a bit, but then came inside to get your ears out of that loud noise!! You have slept a 5 hour stretch and seem to be nursing well. I bet your weight will surpass your birth weight at your follow-up visit on Monday (July 8th).
Love you little man!
Sabrina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)