One Week

Happy one week little man!

You have had an eventful first week of life. You spent the first five mornings at the doctors office having your bilirubin checked. It was 6.1 at hospital, 10.2 Sunday, 12 Monday, 14.4 Tuesday, 14.6 wednesday and 15.4 Thursday :( each time they told us to keep doing what we were doing and on Tuesday they said you needed to get home and sun bathe:) they are giving us today off and we go back Saturday morning for another blood test. Prayers that it is on the decline. The doctor isn't worried but momma sure is. 

you have been such a good baby. I have to wake you and feed you every 3 hours while your Bili is still high, but you would sleep longer if we let you. (Looking forward to that!)

You hate having your diaper changed. Or clothes changed. Or being messed with in any way really. You just sort of want to chill and are very vocal when we are doing something to you you don't like. 

Tuesday night you had your first sponge off. I really just wanted to wash your hair before your pictures:) 

Your sister doesn't like it when you cry and says "I have to close my ears". She says " he don't want to" every time we change your diaper. She has started carrying around her baby doll, changing her diaper, burping her and putting her to mommy to eat:) She told us "Parker is my best friend" which melted our hearts. 

You got your newborn pictures taken and literally first pose, you peed all over me. Anxious to get them back and see how adorable we already know you are :) 

You have peed all over me , daddy and yourself countless number of times. Your belly seems to hurt you some but hoping you get that worked out soon.

The best pic from this week is you smiling for the first time. Kim was holding you and it seemed to correspond with Ainsley talking to you (whether it was or wasn't we like to think it was).

You also lost your umbilical cord:) Ainsley thought that was pretty cool. You however weren't impressed. 

And here are some pics from this first week :

Welcome to the world Parker

Our sweet baby boy has made his grand entrance and we are so in love. 

I never really told Ainsley's birth story - but it was a long process that kept lots of family just hanging out waiting all day long. This time around could not have been more opposite. 

We checked in to the hospital Friday morning (5am) to start the induction. Mom spent the night so she could take care of A and be close by. They got my IV in and the Pitocin started by 6am. I was having contractions but they were manageable (I can say that now looking back because I had no idea how bad it was about to get). Philip asked the nurse several times about when was a good time to get my epidural and she said to wait until my OB rounded. Mistake #1. I should have just said lets go on and get it please. 

Anyway- Dr Greene came around about 845 and broke my water. Almost immediately, I started having intense intense contractions. They took me by such surprise that I was crying and then apologizing to the nurse for the tears. Well they were right on top of each other with no break in between. And they couldn't give me epidural bc I hadn't gotten a liter of IV fluid yet. So my sweet husband is squeezing the fluid into my iv trying to speed things along while I was just praying that I don't die. The nurse offered me a drug called Stadol- aka poison. I got it (mistake # 2) and while it took the edge off I could still feel contractions. I could not, however, stay awake during contractions. It knocked me out in a serious way. Like I don't even remember getting my epidural. P said they had to hold me up and keep waking me up. And of course it made me sick so I was dry heaving as well. 

Anyway- I got the epidural and was napping when all of a sudden I snapped up bc I swore the epidural had come out. The awful intensity and pressure was back. The nurse called the anesthesiologist and he came back in trying to give some more meds to take the pain away. She checked me and quickly said I was fully dilated and she was calling my doctor. I was telling myself "ok come out of this fog you have to push this baby out."  People were rushing in and getting set up and I'm just trying to keep my eyes open. 

Dr Greene shows up, comments I went much faster than he thought I would, and says to push through the pain. So I pushed through 4-5 contractions and he was out! So fast! 

Parker Henry was born at 10:54am weighing in at 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. He came out pissed (which we had predicted). He continued to cry for the next two hours of his life until he got something to eat then he went to sleep. Philip got to cut the cord this time:) 

We asked the pediatrician and OB if we could go on home Saturday afternoon and they both said they were fine with that (as long as Parker could keep his temperature up, he was having trouble regulating it but then did fine). 

We were home by 4pm Saturday afternoon and driving home I was thinking "what just happened?!". The delivery happened so fast then we got to go home earlier than normal - i hadn't really processed everything. Last time, we checked in at 9pm thursday night, labored until 6:31 pm on Friday night, and didn't go home until Sunday afternoon. This time we were there less than 36 hours and labor was less than 6 hours. But,  I did know I wanted to get home and see Ainsley and spend time with both of my babies. 

Now we are settling in and loving being a family of 4. Ainsley has been so so sweet to him. She "pets him" and covers him up in blankets. She makes sure he has animals and when he cries she tries to bring him things to make him feel better. She has asked us "can you hold me" a lot more than she ever used to but of course we welcome the chance to cuddle her. 

Thank you so much to our family and friends who have already spoiled sweet Parker with love and gifts. and ainsley has racked up some fun gifts as well, which she loved very much:) We are enjoying Philip being off work and just spending time together. Looking forward to our lives with Parker and all the joy he is bringing into our home:) 

39 weeks

this pic makes me cringe. but oh well, what can you do. 

Parker this week: you tricked me several times this week into thinking you were ready to make your grand entrance, but then you decided that you weren't, in fact, ready. Saturday morning, Sunday morning and again Monday morning, for at least a good hour, I had consistent contractions. but then they puttered out and didn't come back consistently that day.  Tuesday you decided to drop a little and I was able to eat a full sandwich for the first time in a week or so (chicken salad, of course).  You have got to be cramped in there, but you continue to shove your little butt out as hard as you can making me have to hold my stomach to keep you from ripping it open:)  You are weighing in at 7-8 lbs (no one can really be accurate at this point) and measuring 19-21 inches long. Your little brain continues to grow rapidly. 
me this week: I went to the OB on wednesday morning and had my membranes stripped.  He said you were settling into my pelvis. I celebrated my OB appointment with a #1 from McD ( hey, I've earned it).  Braxton Hicks contractions haven't been the most fun the past 3 days. More than anything they just made me super tired and sore. Tuesday morning they were mostly in my back which was pretty uncomfortable. Philip woke up at one point and asked what was happening. I told him I was having more contractions, and literally 45 seconds later he was back asleep. Part of me wanted to kick him but I let him sleep :) which he did return the favor and let me take a nap while he watched A that day, so i'm not complaining. 
Donielle and I tried pressure points on my feet tuesday night to try to induce labor. I drank pineapple juice. bounced on my yoga ball (which ainsley thinks is so fun to join on). I ate spicy food. went on walks (short ones). attempting all the 'home remedies' that probably worked for one person and then was claimed to be a labor inducer. so far, no dice. 
cravings: chips still. juices. chicken n a biskit crackers (again) 

letter for Parker

Dear Parker, I can't believe you are almost here. My time with you has gone so fast. You have already been so different from your sister that I can't wait to see what you are like outside the womb.  We are anxiously awaiting you to enter this world. I say anxious because we are much more apprehensive with you coming than we were last time. Ignorance really is bliss I think;) but we are also so so excited. You will be the piece that completes our family. You are going to turn our little family of 3 into a family of 4.  I can't wait for your Daddy to get to meet you and hold you. Because it's hard for him, not getting to know you like I get to know you for 9 months. You are a stranger to him until the moment he sees your face for the first time. I have gotten to form a bond with you that no one else will ever be able to (take that future wife! just kidding).  My heart is happy just thinking about how much your sister is going to love you. How she is going to become a Big Sister and learn so much from you. And while my heart aches for her and how her world is about to change, it also swells at knowing she is going to have a brother to grow up with. Because I had a brother almost as old as she will be, and I wouldn't change it for the world. He took (takes) care of me, and Ainsley will do the same for you, no matter what.  I can not wait to see your sweet little face and hold you for the first time. I can't wait to see your little fingers and toes and kiss those cheeks.  You have so many people who already love you. They are also anxiously awaiting you to come out.  You've been working on taking steps into this world, but aren't quite sure you are ready yet. It's ok little man, we feel the same way:) But I promise you once you decide to come out, we will love you more than you ever thought possible:)  Love,  Mommy (and Daddy) 

38 weeks!

Yikes we are so so close ! It's exciting and terrifying at the same time. 

last shift before he comes! 

Parker this week: he is weighing in around 6.5-7lbs and 19-22 inches long. I saw a different OB this week who said he was "proportionate" as opposed to the one last week who told me he was pretty big. We will choose to believe he's not huge in there:) 

He is rolling around in there and pushes out with his butt so hard I'm afraid my stomach might pop sometimes. 

He's continuing to fine tune in there and fatten up:) 

Me this week: I've been pretty nauseas this week. Only threw up once but just feeling sort of crummy. 

My ankles have been swollen several nights this week. My eyes are swollen , or they feel like they are. People keep telling me I look tired so not sure if I'm swollen or just exhausted. 

I am 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. So at least we are making some progress! If my dr had told me there was nothing happening I would have for sure cried at my appointment yesterday. 

I'm pretty uncomfortable and sleep is almost nonexistent. 

I have gained less weight this time around but I also started out weighing more :)

Cravings: chocolate. Chips. Philip said he feels like he is living with a pot head because he comes home to empty chip bags and wrappers left on his side of the bed from my 2am snack:) 

Nursery

I feel that there is a huge weight off my shoulders having the nursery done.  almost 38 weeks, cutting it just a little close:)  We were going to have a painter paint his room, but he kept pushing us back and waiting for a 'rainy day' to do it, and I gave him more than one (ok three) chances to give us a date it would be painted by. When he wouldn't give us an exact date, I decided we were doing it ourselves. So the first day Philip had off, he went to Lowes, Mom came up to watch A, and Philip and I got to work painting. It took about 4 hours to get the room painted gray. Then P painted the ceiling because my back couldn't handle any more. We picked up the crib that evening and he assembled it.  The next day, I had to work as did Philip that night, he was going to simply tape off the stripes on the accent wall. In true husband fashion, I get this picture at work that afternoon: 

The next (next) day he had off, him and my dad went and picked up all the furniture and put it together. Meanwhile, my mom was busy making curtains and my friend Kari was busy making bedding of an unbelievable quality ( you should definitely check out her business- Bedding by One Crazy Lady).  After this weekend I got all the goodies and we put everything together and- hallelujah! it is complete! all we need now is baby Parker to really complete it. 

amazing curtains by mom

blankets by donielle! 

We are so happy with how it turned out. And that there is so much love from so many people in this one little room for our new baby. Can't wait to see how much love it is filled with in just a few short weeks!