Baby Cuteness: The first week

It was wonderful to come home with our precious new bundle!  Our first week was full of learning and short on sleep, but fortunately we had Mom and the girls to help us out!


Eb had some belly issues the first couple nights he was home and we think it was the antibiotics working out of his system - aside from that you couldn't ask for a more snugly sweet little boy!

It was so fun to see my Mom with her first grandbaby, to say she was smitten is the understatement of the year!  I am so grateful she was able to be here his first week and can't wait for her next visit!

It was also very special for me to see Granddaddy with Eb.  While he was a bit hesitant at fist, baby wrangling skills came back quickly and he was soon handling Eb like a pro!

For some reason Eb likes to sleep with at least one arm over his head most of the time!

Daddy loved spending time with his boy, especially on the rare occasions he was able to get him away from Mom and me!

It is just as much fun to watch him sleep as he is to watch awake!  He looks like a determined little boxer here!

Sleeping was also when we caught his first smile!

Precious picture... 82 year old hands admiring brand new baby ones...

My sister and I as babies.  Both Mom and I feel like Eb looked like us as babies!

Coming Home

Because of the C-section and fever we needed to stay in the hospital longer than Mom's/babies who delivery naturally so we could finish up our antibiotics.  We didn't expect to get to come home until Monday or Tuesday, but after Eb's last round of antibiotics and a quick check-up he was declared good to go Sunday afternoon!  While he did NOT like the car-ride home, it sure was a relief for us to all be home together and for me to sleep in my own bed that night!

Bonding in the Hospital

 I just wanted to share a few snapshots from the rest of our hospital stay!


After such a long delivery Eb had a well earned nap!

 The good thing about hospital gowns is they are easy to nurse in!

 Quality time with Daddy!

Baby Toes!!!

It was lonely in the bassinet, so Eb snuggled with me part of the night!

My first birth story...

As I had mentioned in my previous post, we had a bit of a heads up that this delivery may not go as I had hoped.  Since Ebenezer had not made his appearance by the time of my scheduled induction we headed to the hospital Wednesday night.  While my heart was doing better, I was still very jittery entering the hospital.  I had hoped that even though I was needing to be induced I could avoid be hooked to monitors until I was in real labor - I was wrong.

After changing clothes, getting me into bed and squaring away a bit of paperwork, the poking and wiring up began!  I have inherited my mother's veins - good because she has a very strong heart and circulatory system - bad because it is very hard to hit her veins.  I was poked and dug around on twice by one nurse before the other more experienced nurse came along and got me the first try... why can't I get those ladies first?  Anyway, then came the cevadil - this was inserted into my cervix to apply the hormones directly where they needed to be - not fun but over quickly.  After that came the blood pressure cuff, heart tone monitor and contraction monitor.  By the time they were finished - of course - I had to go to the bathroom!  Unfortunately that had to wait about two hours to give the cevadil time to work in case it fell out!

All wired up (and feeling more than a little like a robot) we said good-bye to Mom and the girls and were told to sleep... hard to do with the bustle of the nurse checking on me and the blood pressure cuff, but we managed a little rest anyway.

At 7 the next morning (Thursday) we met our next nurse.  Her name was Genny and she was AWESOME!  She took out the cervadil, checked me and declared that I was 2 cm dilated, enough to start the pitocin.  Apparently I had been contracting through the night but I didn't really start feeling them until the pit. started.  When she started the pit. she also started a fluid drip to move the pit. along.  This meant I had another thing to take with me when I would get up to go to the bathroom or try to move through a contraction.  

Dancing with my hubby...

Genny was stellar because she had an awesome bedside manner, she was cheerful and upbeat and happy to answer all of my questions.  She explained what she was looking for on the monitors, what she wanted to see and what would be cause for concern and why.  All-in-all she was great and very encouraging.

I was able to handle the contractions pretty well sitting and walking until about 1 in the afternoon.  Then they started picking up and I could no longer sit or lie through one - the only way I could get through them was "dancing" with Chris.  He supported me while we swayed side-to-side, he also reminded me to breathe and relax.

  
At about 2 we decided I should go ahead and get the epidural.  I was getting tired and I was only dilated to about 4 cm, I really couldn't get much rest between contractions and I knew I had a long way to go.  Plus, the contractions were getting so intense I was worried I wouldn't be able to hold still for the epidural later.

At the time it was THE scariest thing I had ever done in my life.  I did a lot of research during the nine months of pregnancy, so I knew what they had to do and the risks involved.  I knew how vital it was for me to hold still and I was worried because I knew I would have to go through several contractions during the process.  It didn't hurt as bad as I though it was going to, although the popping noises were disconcerting.  Genny helped me to hold still and told me when/how to push my back out and stay calm.

Once that was finished I had another, skinny, tube to add to my growing collection!  And it meant I could no longer get out of bed so a catheter was also added to my tubular collection!

Relief from the contractions came quickly and, mostly, from then on out contractions were just lines on the monitor.  Chris went home for a rest while Mom stayed with me the rest of the afternoon.  After the epidural Eb started to have minor issues with his heart rate.  It wasn't responding well to the contractions, so Genny would come in and move me every now and then and his heart would start doing what it was supposed to again.  During this time my water broke on it's own!  I had wondered for a while if I had lost my mucous plug or if I had sprung an amniotic leak - everyone kept telling me I wouldn't miss something like that and after seeing the mess I understand what they meant!  Other than that the rest of that shift was pretty uneventful with me making slow but steady progress toward having a baby.

The night shift was not so good.  The nurse for that shift did not have a good bedside manner, she did not seem familiar with the equipment, checked me too often (every hour to two hours as compared to Genny's four), took forever entering information that the other nurses took minutes to do and pumped me full of liquid instead to try to help Eb's heartbeat instead of taking the time to help me move... the list goes on.  Knowing what I know now I would have demanded a different nurse - but I didn't know that was an option, it was my first baby and we all know how I am about confrontation.  Before my midwife finally came in and intervened I had spiked a fever, my legs were the size of small trees and I was completely exhausted and frustrated.  She told the nurse to slow down on trying to push me in labor and Chris asked her to be faster about entering her information and I finally got a little rest. The only good news was that by midnight I was 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced.

When the morning shift started (Friday) I hadn't progressed any further, however, and in fact went to 80% effaced.  Sadly, this meant it was time to think about a C-section, the thing we all know I did Not want.  At about 8 the midwife on call came in and explained that Eb being as big as he was and me having to be induced meant my body just wasn't progressing like it needed to.  Since I had spiked a fever after my water broke they were also concerned about infection, so she really thought it was time to have the c-section.  I knew she was right but that didn't keep me from crying anyway.

They quickly turned off the pitocin and got me some more pain killer while I waited for the surgeon (several times I would started felling the contractions again, but it was very localized, when this happened they would give me an extra dose of the epidural stuff).  We thought I was going to have to wait several hours because there was another patient ahead of me, but she ended up getting an epidural and they took me first since I had a fever.


So it was time to do the new scariest thing I've ever done!  Chris had to wait until I was all the way prepped before he could come back.  The operating room was smaller than I expected.  They started the spinal block and checked where I was numb, then they scrubbed down my belly with antiseptic and raised the sheet.  Then they let Chris in and started the operation.  I didn't keep close track of the time but it seemed really quick.  Unfortunately, I am one of the unlucky few people who still has some sensation during a spinal block... when they were getting Eb's head out (he was pretty wedged into the birth canal) it really hurt!  (Because of this they had to give me an IV pain killer which caused me to forget some later events once it kicked in.)  After his head was out I could feel them push on my upper abdomen and then I could hear Eb cry!!!  After they suctioned his nose they held him up for me to see and then took him to the side to check him out and clean him up some.

 Apparently, Chris was able to bring him over for me to see and touch, but I don't remember anything else until I was back in my room.  I do remember feeling better about the C-section after seeing how BIG he was!  Our baby boy was born at 9:21 am on Jan. 20th.  He weighed in at 9lb 12oz and was 21 inches long with a healthy set of lungs!

 I had to wait a couple of hours before I got to see and hold him after that.  He went to the special care nursery and I went to my room for recovery.  Chris stayed with Eb and Mom stayed with me.  While in the nursery Chris called me to tell me about Eb.  It was so bittersweet.  I wanted to be there with Chris while he met and bonded with our son, but I was so happy to get to at least hear him marvel and delight over our amazing miracle!

Eb did awesome on his APGAR! He got an 8/9!  I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering how wiggly he was in the womb!


When Chris was finally able to bring Eb to me I was so relieved to have all of us together finally!  Our perfect little ten fingered, ten toed miracle was finally in my arms!

I was amazed at how alert he was!

Snuggling with Great Granddaddy!

Aunts and Grandma!

While this birth didn't go anything like I planned, the result was just as beautiful of a blessing!  I couldn't ask for a sweeter, more wonderful son!

We are Parents!!!

 So this is obviously super behind, but I'm sure you'll understand why!


As of 9:21 January 20th we are now the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy!  Ebenezer Jude was delivered via C-section after almost 36 hours of labor.  He weighed 9 pounds and 12 ounces, was 21 inches long and had a healthy set of lungs!

 We are so in love with our new little man and can't believe the Lord has seen fit to bless us with such a precious life!

I look forward to filling you in on all the details and how much he has already grown!

Welcome to the world Eb, we have been anxiously waiting for you!  You are loved more than you can know!

Enjoying my Familia...

I was so fortunate to have part of my family down during the weeks before Eb was born!  Mom, the boys boys and Hannah were down first.  When it became obvious that Eb was going to be quite late, Dad drove down part way and traded the boys for Deborah so he would have more help to hold him over until Mom headed back.  Fortunately, this meant Mom was able to stay a week more than planned and be with me during Eb's first week.


During this time Mom helped me work on some of my research, we took the kids to the natural history museum, we spent some time walking outside and out and about - one of the main focuses for the kids though was working on school! 

Chris was able to help a lot while I continued work on my research and other work getting ready for Eb.


Pandora of course was a big attraction as well!

 Bubby had fun photographing her with my new camera.

Toys were frequently used in ways she was not accustomed to...

She found out how confusing two laser pointers at one time could be...

And she decided Hannah was a good cuddle buddy to watch birds with outside!


Sadly, I didn't get a lot of pictures while the boys were here - but we did get some more when Deborah made it down!

Here we are the day before I was induced - still waiting hopefully for spontaneous labor at 41 weeks and 3 days!


The day before we had to go to the hospital all of us girls went to a vintage jewelry shop in McIntosh.  Not only did they have jewelry, but they had lots of hats! Deborah pulled off every one she put on her head!

We had so much fun!  It was hard to get Deborah to leave!


I am so thankful to have had so much time with my family, both before and after Eb's birth!

41 weeks and 2 days!

 Here we are still waiting on our little man's arrival!  I am feeling much more at peace about what is to come however it works out.  I am still praying he can drop and come naturally, but the Lord has had it all under control the last nine months and I need to trust He still knows what is best!

 In the mean time Pandora has enjoyed my belly, she thinks it is the perfect perch!  At this point I really don't mind and am hoping it might even push Eb down a bit!

The birthing ball one of my friends loaned me has been really nice to hang out on - plus I feel like sitting on it encourages him to move down more than just a chair!

Hopefully we will have pictures of Mr. Eb in person soon!  Until then, just waiting...

Pregnancy's Dirty Little Sectrets: Part 5 - It's Not All Bad!

To finish off this series of the things I didn't expect during pregnancy I want to emphasis some of the awesome things that I didn't know were coming.  I don't think I need my disclaimer as much for this post, but just so you know where this is coming from I mention it anyway! 

While many of the things I've mentioned so far have been awkward, I still would have liked to know about them ahead of time so I could be a bit more prepared.  In the same way I wish I could have heard more about the cool things that accompany pregnancy, although I don't think they could have prepared me for some of these on my list!

1.)  You get to participate in a miracle!
       How crazy is it that you have been given the opportunity to create a whole new life with your husband, and then get to carry that new life as it grows and develops!?!?  Two little cells unite and form a whole new human being over nine months - and you are part of it!

2.)  Realization of how fearfully and wonderfully we are made!
      It has been so amazing for me to keep up with all the development that was happening so rapidly within my body!  From the joining of the chromosomes in those first two separate cells, to the precise multiplication and then differentiation of those resulting cells, to the weaving and developing of organs and bones and skin and heartbeat - oh, I just get so overwhelmed at it all!  Not only did all of these things have to be made and come together to form our new little man, but the timing and order of it all had to be just perfect.  Truly, our very form speaks of the glory of God and His powerful creative works!

3.)  Realization of how powerless you are in this whole process...
      Even though I can keep up with what has been happening in my body, I could not make any of this development happen on my own in any way - and in some ways I don't think I could handle being in charge of any of that development!  So many things were happening all at the same time and had to happen in perfect concert with each other in order for our perfect little boy to develop that I am regularly overwhelmed that he is here at all!  It is amazing that all of these things happened in my body without and conscious input or requirements from me except the consent to carry this miracle in process.

4.)  The 'weight' of carrying new life
       When its just you to care for and worry about, there is responsibility to make good decisions - but knowing you hold someone else's life within you and you are in charge of that life is a whole different matter entirely! It can be overwhelming to know that what I eat the baby eats, my heart rate affects his heart rate, if I fall it can seriously hurt him, if I don't sleep enough it can be bad for him and even my stress level can affect him!  While this can be very intimidating, it is also an honor to be entrusted with this new little person and his safety.

5.)  Dreaming about what kind of person he will be...
      The possibilities are endless! It is so neat to think that this new little person is starting from scratch and is born with his own unique set of talents and his own unique purpose in life!  Even in the womb I feel like that little personality is being formed and it can be so much fun to speculate how that will develop!

6.) Anticipation of what your new one will look like...
     Will he have Mom's eyes? What about Dad's hair? Or Grandpa's chin?  So many fun things to speculate about and the combinations are of course limitless!

Well, in case you were wondering about all those things you might never hear about pregnancy, I hope I've satisfied your curiosity!  I'm sure the list will be different next time around as every pregnancy is different - but if you ever have a question don't be afraid to ask - just remember these posts and be sure you really want to hear the answer!  I might tell you a bit more than you wanted to know!

A Very Big Baby

Things don't always go as planned - even when we have good plans and try to do everything right.  How do we react when our plans go awry?

Unfortunately, I don't react very well.

This last week we had an ultrasound for Eb since he is late.  At our last appointment I had expressed concern over his size and my midwife didn't think he was overly big, come to find out she was mistaken.  According to the ultrasound tech he was already 9 pounds and 6 ounces - huge for a first baby.  The news didn't get much better.  When the midwife checked me I was exactly where I'd been almost two weeks ago - with a soft cervix but no dilation and a still 'floating' baby (meaning he hadn't dropped yet).  Armed with this new information my midwife recommended that if nothing happens we induce sooner than planned, just because his size was going to make it much more challenging to come vaginally and if he gained any more weight it might not be possible at all.  She also recommended that I consider an epidural (something I had been hoping to avoid) because it could help me to relax and dilate sooner and it could slow down the desire to push which could reduce the severity of any tears experienced.

My Mom was with us and asked a lot of good questions... and also became very apprehensive for me.  She had a very hard labor with me and ended up needing an emergency c-section and doesn't want to see me have to go through the same thing.  We discussed options, pro's and con's all weekend... and I cried and cried because it was becoming clear that the delivery I so desperately wanted might not be what I get.  At the time we though an induction on Monday might still be an option (during my appointment we had scheduled for Wed.) and I was feeling a lot of pressure to make a choice.  It was hard because the longer we wait the more chances there are that I will go into spontaneous labor which is best for a vaginal delivery - but while we wait he continues to grow which could mean more need for a cesarean.  I am terrified of a C-section for lots of reasons, so it was a long couple days.  I spent a lot of time crying and praying that the Lord would help me make the right decision and that he would please make Eb drop and go into spontaneous labor so I didn't have to be induced.

Today we found out that inducing Monday is no longer an option and I am glad that decision is made for me.  Since then I have found a lot more peace that the Lord has this and that we will take it hour by hour, whether I have to be induced or not.  If I do have to be induced I am going to try to have him vaginally unless the midwife advises otherwise, even if I end up with a cesarean I will feel better mentally knowing that I was at least allowed to try and he really couldn't come that way. 

Why am I upset at my reaction?  It seems pretty normal considering I've spent the last 8-9 months thinking about what would be best for Eb and I, and trying to anticipate how things would go.  I think it was okay for me to be disappointed and mourn the loss of those ideas - but I think I crossed the line from what was acceptable to self-pity and a taste of despair.  During this weekend though, I was so distracted by my fear and disappointment about the possible changes to my delivery plans that it was hard for me to rejoice over the good things we found during the ultrasound, namely that Eben was moving well, his breathing movements looked great, he had plenty of amniotic fluid even though he's huge and that everything else looked 'normal' (I never thought such a small word could be so blessed!).  No matter how my delivery turns out God is going to bless Chris and I with a beautiful healthy son!  And with the medical experience surrounding this birth I will come out safely too.

So now I am trying to move forward the way I should have started - trusting the Lord for grace and strength to do what is best for my son, and trusting that the Lord has it all in His hands and that he wants mine and Eben's good, even if 'good' may not look like I think it should.

Pregnancy's Dirty Little Secrets: Part 4

A continuation of all the juicy tidbits I wish I'd known about pregnancy ahead of time!  If you are new to this series please read my Disclaimer in my first post so you are prepared for the likelihood that you will learn a little lot more about me than you ever wanted to!

1.) Your 'bubble' is much bigger!
      Again, this one seems pretty obvious - but in the latter part of your pregnancy your belly will hit things a lot sooner than you expected it to!  I cannot count the times I have reached for something on the counter and am surprised to find myself bumping the counter before I reach my intended target!  This makes a lot of activities I used to take for granted more comical (and sometimes impossible), like reaching across the bed to reach that pillow.

2.) I now can sympathize with the Michelin Man!
     Puffy, Puffy and Puffy!  Holding water is not a dangerous complication at all, but it can be uncomfortable.  Before I was pregnant and experienced this kind of swelling I only thought about the inconvenience of my shoes not fitting - come to find out it can be more uncomfortable than that.  When the swelling moved into my hands it caused me to get a temporary case of carpel tunnel.  While there isn't much that can help your hands right now, compression hose did wonders for my feet and legs!  I just got the knee highs because they were cheaper and I didn't need the full length ones at the time, but if you start experiencing swelling earlier in your pregnancy I highly recommend the investment!  They allowed me to stay on my feet/sitting much longer without me worrying that my feet were going to pop!  Fortunately, the swelling and all of its side effects will be sent packing not long after Eb makes his appearance!

3.) Sleep, oh sleep, why have you forsaken me?
     During the first trimester you often lose a lot of sleep due to the hormone changes which make you have to empty your bladder 24/7, that tends to go away during the second trimester and comes back with a vengeance during the third!  That combined with trying to stay comfortable at night as you get bigger and bigger, a full night's sleep becomes as rare as a unicorn!  During this time it is also best if you can sleep on your side.  This helps to keep your growing baby from putting too much pressure on you organs and helps your circulation.  Even with best intentions I can't count the number of times I've woken up on my back and quickly tried to reposition!

4.) Your skin can only handle so much.
      Stretch marks are common during pregnancy - but for some reason I thought I would be immune to them.  I was wrong!  I also thought that if I got them it would be on my sides, but apparently because of how I am carrying him, mine all occurred above my belly button.  What I was also surprised by was how quickly they appeared.  One morning I woke up and it almost looked like I had a big bruise above my belly button, upon closer inspection I realized there was a bit of a pattern and that I had finally succumbed to stretch marks.  The good news (or bad news) is they are hereditary, so if your Mom didn't have them you likely won't either!  If you do get them don't worry too much, I'm told they fade rather quickly.

5.)  Those wiggles, pokes and jabs become very comforting...
       While it really weirds some people out how much Eben moves (and how it looks and feels), I find it so reassuring!  Since I don't have a window into my belly where I can see how he's doing I have really come to depend on feeling his random movements throughout the day to know everything is okay.  I remember praying that I could feel him move earlier than normal just because I wanted so desperately to know all was well.  Even though the idea of someone moving inside of you, and independent of you, might sound weird at first, it has been such a sweet experience during this pregnancy!

Winter in Florida

It is amazing how many birds can congregate in the pasture!

There is a University beef unit near our home and during the winter months we have a bunch of sand hill cranes that like to hang out there!  They are so funny looking and sounding!  It is amazing that critters so tall can be so skinny!

Peach Update!

Last year I started part of my project with some mature trees that were already planted at the farm.  The second half of my project requires young trees and we finally got those planted this Fall.  In this part of the study we will be able to compare nitrogen rates and nitrogen application forms (granular versus fertigation), along with leaching potential of the different rates from a very early stage of growth.  We will eventually be able to compare production rates and quality on these trees but the biggest advantage of the young trees is the ability to measure leaching.  With measuring leaching we are observing how much nitrogen is actually being used by the tree and how much is being lost through the soil profile.  One of the concerns with increasing the nitrogen rate on peaches in Florida is that the tree may not use that extra nitrogen and that extra may end up in the water table as it filters through the soil.  Since we can't see the water table directly we can hopefully monitor the movement and estimate how much is being lost among the treatments.  We don't want to do this with the mature trees because we don't have a good way to apply fertigation and a big part of the study is comparing the two application types (granular and fertigation).  In order to accomplish this we have installed a whole new orchard, including irrigation and injectors for fertigation and then planted our young trees!  In order to do everything we felt necessary we have planted 200 trees total!

Baby trees all in a row.

These are the sprinklers for each tree.

Hard to see but here is all 200 new trees!

I will be starting the second year of research with our mature trees and when we went to check on them earlier this week I was really surprised to see some of them already blooming!  There weren't enough blooming to be concerned about the upcoming freeze (yep, we got down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit here for two nights!) but it was still crazy to see peaches bloom in January!

While it is still down time as far as production goes, there is a lot coming up to do for the project and hopefully I can do a better job keeping you all up to date!