No more snake tongue!

If you missed the back story, you can read it here.

We got up bright and early this morning to get to Kaiser by 6:30 am.  Andrew was a happy camper like normal and smiled at everyone he saw.  We started in admitting, then went immediately to pre-op where they weighed him, took his pulse ox, temp, etc and gave him some medicine to help him relax (Tylenol with codeine and a two others I didn't recognize).  In the 20 minutes this was happening, he'd already "met" about 15 nurses and doctors charming them with smiles, high fives, and bumps.  There were several seniors around us having out patient surgery done and I'm sure they were probably annoyed at the amount of attention Andrew was getting.  He was given a doctor teddy bear that he held on to tightly. 

Anyway, he was happy and being fun.  Dave and I were calm.  After talking to the surgeon and anesthesiologist, Andrew was just barely getting tired looking but it was time to go.  He willingly went with the RN without tears (I have just a brave boy) and we went back to the waiting room at 7:30 am.

A very long 15 minutes later, we were taken to recovery.  When we walked in Andrew was up and wiggling around in the RN's arms trying to get down.  He was happy to see us, but irritated that the pulse ox thing was still on his toe.  We did our best to distract him (dog app on Dave's phone, apple juice, the iPad) and keep he calm.  It was clear that the "drugged" sensation was completely worn off because he honestly just wanted off my lap to walk/run/climb. 

We talked to both doctors about his surgery.  They reported he was perfect, only needed the mask (vs. the IV) to go to sleep, and now has three stitches in his tongue to put it back together.  As much as he may find the snake look cool as a seventh grader, this mommy is glad it is back together! We were given discharge instructions (liquids only today, soft diet for Thursday, soft diet/normal food if he'll take it after that, Tylenol every 4 hours for pain, don't let him play with it) and out the door by 8:30. 

As he was getting in the car seat, he saw a baggie of Cheerios and quickly let us know he was hungry NOW.  He polished off a baby food pouch within 30 seconds and then finished an apple sauce packet, but really wanted the Cheerios and was mad at me that I wouldn't let him have them.

When we got home, he was still wobbly, but showed no signs of slowing down and was climbing onto furniture within two minutes of walking in the door.   This video of Andrew and Reese is from 10 am (2.5 hours after surgery) just so it's clear that he's "good."

First major owie!

FYI: there are some nasty pictures of Andrew's tongue at the end of this post (in the second collage)--if you don't like to see it, stop at the end!

It was bound to happen with the crazy shenanigans that Andrew pulls on a daily basis, but I wasn't prepare for it.  On Sunday, after Disneyland, Dave and Melissa were napping, Andrew was playing calmly with his toys, and I blogged about our trip.  Andrew was getting bored so we had a snack, watched Yo Gabba Gabba and tried to relax in the air conditioning.  Andrew kept climbing into the low, squishy recliner and leaning towards the entertainment center and either Melissa or I would tell him to sit on his bottom (we probably say this 1,000 times a day) and he would.  All of a sudden, an ear piercing scream and cry have Melissa and I up immediately and grabbing Andrew.  Although we were both there, neither of us saw exactly what he did, but I'm assuming he tried to reach the X Box stuff and went head first into the corner of the entertainment center. 

When Melissa picked him up, there was a lot of blood immediately.  It was literally pouring out of his mouth.  We ran into the kitchen with him, sitting him on the counter and tried to stop/clean up some of the blood with a wet paper towel.  It was flowing (so much that Melissa's hand was covered, running down her arms, splattered on the floor and counter) and he'd let us no where near his mouth.  His chin was clearly cut too, but the blood was from inside.

Dave gave him some Tylenol, we bribed him with a otter pop, he continued to scream and bleed.  Finally, he opened his mouth enough so that I could see his tongue and it was pretty clear that it was severed.  I panicked a little bit, but Melissa kept me calm.  Dave called the Kaiser nurse line and left a message. After 45 minutes it was still bleeding and he was still crying; I decided we were going in without waiting for the nurse to call back.  As we pulled into the parking lot at Kaiser, she called back and told us to come immediately and they were waiting for us.  I'm not sure if Andrew was overwhelmed, tired, drugged, or a combination, but he slept in the car and in the waiting room at urgent care.  He was covered in blood and stunk to high heavens.

When we went in, it was pretty clean immediately to the nurses and doctor that he needed stitches/glue on his chin, but they were a bit stumped on his tongue.  The policy is basically "do nothing" because it heals on its own, but they'd never seen one quite as bad as Andrew's. They came in and out of the room several times; thankfully Andrew was relatively calm and happy to play with daddy and his toys that I had the piece of mind to grab on our way out the door.  He still didn't want anyone to touch his mouth and bloody drool was flowing; when he cried, it really flowed.  They told us that they were going to call "plastics at Fontana" to figure out what to do, but thankfully, Dr. Perez, one of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Doctors, was close by and was willing to stop in and check it out.  He got there about 10 minutes later and examined Andrew.  At that point, we realized he also had two indents on the top pallet of his mouth.  Dr. Perez was reassuring that it should close on its own and that it was okay to bleed (and could continue for up to 24 hours).  He scheduled a follow up for us to see him today (Tuesday morning) so he could make sure it was healing and decide if it needed stitches.
We had a rough night.  On Monday, Dave stayed home with Andrew (he was supposed to go to daycare) so I could get my classroom moved.  Andrew was pretty normal, just a bit more whiny and less willing to eat than normal.  He napped poorly and slept poorly last night too.  I ended up sleeping with him from 2-6:30 am.

This morning, Dr. Perez checked Andrew out and decided that Andrew does need to have some stitches to reattach the flap on his tongue.  He mentioned several times that would probably heal on its own in several weeks, but because it was healing "slower than he expected" stitches would probably be the best bet.  He also said that most likely Andrew was "playing" with it in his mouth causing the slow healing and random blood we're still seeing.
His surgery will be tomorrow at 7:30 am (we check in at 6:30) and will be preformed by the chief of ENT.  Depending on how Andrew cooperates, the surgery could last anywhere from 10-30 minutes, but they do have to put him to sleep with anesthesia (can you imagine trying to sew the tongue of a 16 month old while they are awake?!?).  There is a bunch of very gross medical stuff the doctor started to explain to me today, but I totally couldn't handle it so I asked him to stop (he started with, "so we'll go in and re-cut his tongue...), but basically the surgeon wants to "get in and get out" and his dissoluble stitches will be gone in 7-10 days and his tongue should be back to normal.

STOP HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THE ACTUAL INJURY

which I totally would not want to see!

Dave took these about 24 hours after it happened.  The white part you see is actually a good thing according to the ENT and identifies that healing is occurring.  You can tell on the left (Andrew's right) side it is detached flap.  The right is healing from a puncture type bite.

Well Baby Visit

We were supposed to have a 14 month well baby visit, but I didn't know that.  I called to schedule a 15 month visit (I figured every three months), but with Dr. Ghabriel on vacation, we ended up going today at almost 16 months.  Our kiddo hasn't grown all that much, but Dr. Ghabriel wasn't concerned.  Andrew entertained the doctor with his spasticness, climbing, and high five/bumps. 

Length:

• 16 Months, 30.75, 68th percentile
• 12 Months, 30.5, 76th percentile
• 9 Months: 28.5, 71st percentile
• 6 Months: 27.5, 84th percentile
• 4 Months: 25 inches, 51st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 24 inches, 89th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58th percentile
• Birth: 20.5 inches

Weight:

• 16 months: 24 lbs, 3.2 ounces, 38th percentile (gained exactly one pound in 4 months!)
• 12 months: 23 lbs, 3.2 ounces, 50th percentile
• 9 months: 20 lbs, 8 ounces, 47th percentile
• 6 Months: 18 lbs, 11.2 ounces, 71st percentile
• 4 Months: 16 lbs, 4.8 ounces, 78th percentile
• 9 Weeks: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile
• 3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24th percentile
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Head Circumference:

• 16 Months: 20 inches, 99.9th percentile
• 12 Months: 19.7 inches, 99th percentile
• 9 Months: 19.5 inches, 99th percentile
• 6 Months: 18.5 inches, 99th percentile
• 4 Months: 17.75 inches, 101st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84th percentile
• Birth: 13.5

Twelve Month Well Baby Check-up

Someone should have warned me that this appointment was going to be slightly traumatic for mommy.  Andrew enjoyed playing, running, and climbing all over the exam room and enjoyed Dr. Ghebriel.  He got his teeth painted (fluoride treatment) and then the pain came... he had six shots in his legs and his blood drawn.  The first two shots were okay, but by the fifth and sixth ones he was shaking with anger, bright red, and shrieking.  It took him over ten minutes to calm down.  Mommy is still not calm.  The blood draw (to check to make sure our old house isn't giving him lead poisoning) was much easier and only produced a baby cry and no tears. 

Andrew's crazy amount of food intake has finally produced some weight gain.  He's over the 23 pound mark and a "tall" boy!

Length:

• 12 Months, 30.5, 76th percentile
• 9 Months: 28.5, 71st percentile
• 6 Months: 27.5, 84th percentile
• 4 Months: 25 inches, 51st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 24 inches, 89th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58th percentile
• Birth: 20.5 inches

Weight:

• 12 months: 23 lbs, 3.2 ounces, 50th percentile (Dr. Ghebriel's exact words, "he's tall and has a huge head, I'd expect his weight to now start catching up)
• 9 months: 20 lbs, 8 ounces, 47th percentile
• 6 Months: 18 lbs, 11.2 ounces, 71st percentile
• 4 Months: 16 lbs, 4.8 ounces, 78th percentile
• 9 Weeks: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile
• 3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24th percentile
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Head Circumference:

• 12 Months: 19.7 inches, 99th percentile
• 9 Months: 19.5 inches, 99th percentile (corrected number) 
• 6 Months: 18.5 inches, 99th percentile
• 4 Months: 17.75 inches, 101st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84th percentile
• Birth: 13.5

9 Month WELL Baby Appointment

Andrew went to the doctor today and left WITHOUT any medications and any diagnosis! 

He's been waking up screaming in the middle of the night and pulling at his ear, so I wanted to rule out ear infection before I just blamed teething or separation anxiety.  Thankfully, it is one of those two things and nothing is wrong with his ears.  Dr. Ghebrial confirmed that his four top teeth are working their way out.  We went over everything that he should be doing (and like always I was told that he is physically advanced) and which new foods he should be trying out.  Because we delayed some of his six month shots, he also got two vaccines today.

 

We also celebrated 22 days of total wellness!

 

Length:

• 9 Months: 28.5, 71st percentile
• 6 Months: 27.5, 84th percentile
• 4 Months: 25 inches, 51st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 24 inches, 89th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58th percentile
• Birth: 20.5 inches

Weight:

• 9 months: 20 lbs, 8 ounces, 47th percentile (major drop, but Dr. Ghebrial isn't concerned)
• 6 Months: 18 lbs, 11.2 ounces, 71st percentile
• 4 Months: 16 lbs, 4.8 ounces, 78th percentile
• 9 Weeks: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile
• 3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24th percentile
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Head Circumference:

• 9 Months: 20.5 inches, 99th percentile
• 6 Months: 18.5 inches, 99th percentile (back on the charts!)
• 4 Months: 17.75 inches, 101st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84th percentile
• Birth: 13.5

Sick

I've tried not to whine about Andrew being sick on the blog and try only to mention it in his monthly updates, but it is seriously the most time consuming part of our lives.  I can't go places without getting dirty/concerned looks as Andrew coughs up a lung.  We haven't been to church since early October, but no church nursey will let him him.  In December, Andrew only attended 6 days of school (each of those days ended up costing $102.35 because you still pay for sick days).

I feel like by not writing about it, I am keeping it a secret, which isn't the intention.  He's one sick baby and I'm one frustrated/tired/scared mommy.  When one thing goes away, another thing takes its space. 

Our pediatrician clearly knows us, but the receptionist and CNAs in the pediatric area and the pharmacy techs at Kaiser also know us (for those you of you don't have/never been to Kaiser, this is a HUGE deal because they probably see 5,000 people a day).  They know our names, our illnesses, Andrew's happy personality, his normal temperature and oxygen levels, etc.

As sick as he is, he is still usually pretty happy during the day.  He turns into a giant MESS at night.  Coughing, crying, screaming, coughing, throwing up, coughing, crying, screaming, coughing... you get the point.  Our happy sleeper isn't a sleeper.  You can tell he wants to sleep; sometimes he cries with his eyes squeezed shut. He wants to be held, yet his won't hold still.  He needs to be sitting/propped up, but he won't stay there and heaven forbid you strap him into something to keep him propped up.

We've tried everything everyone has suggested.  I've cried.  I've cried a lot.  I've screamed and yelled.  I've been a holy terror to Dave.  I've gone to work with no patience and yelled at my students when they only kind of deserved it. 

The worst part?!?  There really is no end in sight.  Every time we go to the doctors or he starts a new medicine, I have a small hope that this will be the 'one' to make a change.  It's hard to have that hope still.

His rundown of diagnoses from the many doctor's visits:
Aug. 27: Croup (prednisolone, round 1)
Sept. 6: GERD re-evaluation (upped Zantac)
Sept 10: Bronchiolitis (Albuterol breathing treatments start)
Sept. 19: Bronchiolitis, Croup, Sinus Infection (prednisoline, round 2 and amoxicillin)
Oct. 13: Broncholitis (albuterol continues)
Oct. 17: Broncholitis with wheezing (prednisoline, round 3 and more albuterol)
Nov. 9-Nov. 22: Home treating Broncholitis and wheezing (more albuterol)
Nov. 22: Pedi confirms Broncholitis still going on
Dec. 2: STILL broncholitis, Asthma discussed (Flovent inhaler added to albuterol)
Dec. 7: Pneumonia, Asthma (prednisoline, round 4, Cefdinir-antibiotic, continuing Flovent and albuterol)
Dec. 21: Ear Infection and possible Whooping Cough, waiting for test results (Augmentin for his ear and Zithromax for Whooping Cough)

Also, we've spent $305 on Kaiser co-pays and over $400 in prescription co-pays.  Thank goodness, we have excellent coverage!

Doctor's trip-6 Month Well Baby

Feels like the 1,000th time we've gone, but this one was his official six month appointment.  We killed two birds with one stone--got all the "check up" done and confirmed that Andrew has croup again... at least we only had to pay $5 for this trip (vs. $15 if it was just a sick visit).

Because of his major reaction to his shots last time, I requested (and Dr. G completely agreed) that we should spread them out over the next six weeks.  We did two today, will do one more in two weeks, a flu booster two weeks after that, and one more in six weeks.  Hopefully the fever won't come.  Just in case, we're dosing with baby tylenol already.

Everything (other than croup) else looks good.  Dr. G was SUPER impressed by his physical strength and called him 'advanced.'  He told me not to worry about Andrew's limited sounds, that they would come (if he doesn't start making more sounds by nine months, we're suppose to call).

For the croup, we're going to try breathing treatments before we go to the predisone route.  Hopefully we can get it cleared up quickly.

Length:

• Six Months: 27..5, 84th percentile
• Four Months: 25 inches, 51st percentile
• 9 Weeks: 24 inches, 89th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58th percentile
• Birth: 20.5 inches

Weight:

• 6 Months: 18 lbs, 11.2 ounces, 71st percentile
• 4 Months: 16 lbs, 4.8 ounces, 78th percentile
• 9 Weeks: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile
• 3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24th percentile
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Head Circumference:

• 6 Months: 18.5 inches, 99th percentile (back on the charts!)
• 4 Months: 17.75 inches, 101 percentile
• 9 Weeks: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84 percentile
• Birth: 13.5

So Many Doctor's Visits...

I'm super behind in posts and even more behind in photos.  Our lives have been a bit chaotic with work for Dave, school/work for me, Andrew being sick, and just live in general.  The next few days, I'm going to try to catch up.  Here a few photos from one of our doctor's trips the last month.  Our little trooper LOVES the paper off the exam table.

Let the push-ups commence--1, 2, 3,

GO

He's finally asleep... Well-baby Check up, 4 Months

Yesterday, Andrew went to his four month appointment.  According to the doctor, Andrew is a healthy baby boy who is a bit "advanced" in his physically abilities and size.  He showed off his skills by pushing his head/torso up with his arms, standing up, and sitting in a tripod. 

We discussed his reflux and the need for a higher dosage of Zantac (increased from 1.0 ml to 1.5 ml twice a day) and she recommended that if the Zantac does not continue to help or the symptoms start appearing sooner, he should go to a GI specialist.  That is on hold for now because the Zantac appears to help.

When we talked about Andrew's eating habits and the amount of formula he eats (30-34 oz), she brought up that babies aren't really designed to have more than 32 oz a day because they have a hard time getting enough calories. The statistic that was on the appointment paper said "Four month old babies usually eat 5-6 oz every four hours" and Andrew eats 8.  She wasn't telling me that I was feeding him too much (based on his weight he "needs" between 33-49 oz), but suggesting that based on his size and activity, he needs to start on solids.  I had planned to wait until six months, but because I'm not breastfeeding, I don't feel as strict about it.  Look forward to "eating" posts coming soon.

He had more shots and did not like them at all. He screamed much more than last time, but calmed down pretty quickly when I picked him up.  He did whimper at the nurse when she walked back in afterwards (smart baby remembered who she was).  I cried more than him.  He did pretty well after the appointment until about 7 pm last night when his fever started.

Andrew's fever has gone on all night and today.  He's super clingy and doesn't want to be put down, so much so that he won't sleep without me (gone is my super independent sleeper).  I'm tired.  Thankfully he was SO tired that he finally fell into a deep sleep and I was able to put him down (and why you have this post) and he stayed asleep.

Length: 25 inches, 51st percentile (the nurse didn't even straighten his legs? Not very accurate)

• 9 Weeks: 24 inches, 89th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58th percentile
• Birth: 20.5 inches

Weight: 16 lbs, 4.8 ounces, 78th percentile

• 9 Weeks: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile
• 3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24th percentile 
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz

Head Circumference: 17.75 inches, off the charts! 101 percentile

• 9 Weeks: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile
• 3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84 percentile
• Birth: 13.5

Well Baby Check-up, Week 9

Andrew went to his two month appointment today with Dr. Ghebrial.   Everything looks good and the doctor was super impressed with his head control and back strength.  He commended mommy on obviously having lots of tummy time (yeaaa Mommy!). 
As I thought, Andrew does indeed have reflux and will start taking baby Zantac tonight.  The doctor suggested adding rice cereal to his bottle after a week of Zantac if the spit up quantity does not decrease (it probably will never go away).

He also had to get three shots.  After the first one, he turned bright red, scrunched up his face (it looked like he was holding his breath), and let out the biggest, longest scream ever.  I cried.  After about 30 seconds of being held, Andrew was perfectly fine.  We'll see how the next 24 hours go.

Here are his new stats: 

Length: 24 inches, 89th percentile

• 3 Weeks: 21.5 inches, 58 percentile (grown 2.5 inches, 31 percentile jump!)
• Birth: 20.5 (grown 3.5 inches)

Weight: 12lbs, 3.8 ounces, 51st percentile

•  3 Weeks: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24 percentile (gained 3 lbs, 2.6 ounces, doubled percentile )
• Birth: 7 lbs, 5 oz (gained 4 lbs, 15 oz)

Head Circumference: 16.73 inches, 95th percentile

•  3 Weeks: 15.5 inches, 84 percentile (grown 1.5 inches)
• Birth: 13.5 (grown 3.2 inches)

The most interesting thing that Dr. Ghebrial printed for me was the "weight-for-length" percentiles.  Andrew is in the 10th percentile for this--meaning that only 10% of babies his length weigh less than him, 90% weigh more!  He is one "skinny" baby!!

The day I became a Mommy

In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd finally get around to posting Andrew's birth story. For those of you who don't want the nitty-gritty, you may just want to move on now :)

On Friday April 8th, my water began leaking about 10:45 am, but I didn’t realize anything possibly strange was going on until 2:15 pm. After checking with Dr. Google, conferring with Robyn, and calling Kaiser, I called Dave about 3:15 and told him he better finish up at work and come home before 5 so we could go to Kaiser “just in case.” At this point I was still pretty sure I’d lose bladder control and was positive I wasn’t in labor.

He got home about 4:15; while I took a shower, did my hair and make-up, he set up his new BluRay DVD player. The plan was to go confirm I’d peed myself and go buy our deep freezer; however, once we got to Kaiser, they were able to confirm that we were indeed going to have a baby within 24 hours! With an ultrasound the midwife on call told me that I still had “plenty of fluid” and told us that “by the size of that head, this is going to be one big baby.”

I was having very mild, inconsistent contractions (I could actually feel them, but I could talk through them). I was 4 cm, 70% effaced, and he was -2 station when they checked me at 7:45 pm. They started me on pitocin at a very low dose because my contractions still weren’t consistent enough to make; the pitocin drip stayed on the entire labor process, but was constantly adjusted up and down based on my progress.

Melissa showed up about 8:30 pm after calling in “baby day” to work (best decision ever—having an RN as a labor coach was spectacular!!), Dave went to get dinner, and we sort of just hung out. Melissa and I played a half of game of Skipbo and my parents came and talked for awhile. It took a few hours for the pain to really start in and I begged for the epi about midnight. This is when I started telling Melissa that Robyn was CRAZY for doing this without medicine. It took another hour to get it and when it finally took effect (1:45 am) it was stellar. I slept on and off and tried to stay relaxed.

At 6:00 am, the pain started to return to my back, left leg, and I could feel every contraction. Contractions were about a minute apart and lasting 60-90 seconds. I cried. A lot. I was slightly freaking out because I knew that I was going to have to do “this” without pain relief and my biggest fear is that I’m a major wuss.

Dave and sister were both pretty calm and tried to reassure me and I was trying to do all of our breathing techniques with Dave. At 7:15 am, I was checked the second midwife on duty and was 9.5 cm, 100% effaced, but Drew was only at +1 station. The pain kept increasing and I started to beg (well, to be honest, cry and whimper) for some relief. At 7:55, I was given another type of pain medicine through my epi catheter which took the edge off and I was able to calm down.

At 8 am, I was checked again and was complete, but the midwife thought that it would be best because I was calm for me to “labor down” to get Drew to drop more. I was comfortable enough to breathe through the contractions for another hour and a half. At 9:30 am, the pain and pressure was unbearable again and I was given the okay to start pushing.

According to my RN, I pushed like a champ and almost as effectively as I had no epi (maybe this was because by this point I had 100% feeling in my left leg?!). I struggled through the stupid three set of 10 second pushes and was told many times by the RN to stop talking. My OB and midwife kept checking on me and praised me over and over again that I was doing a good job. My temp went up to 100.2, my OB said that we have to pay very close attention and may have to “expedite this,” and then I heard him mention possible c-section to someone on his way out.

Two hours later, I was still being told I was doing a good job and got flat out mad at the nurse and Dave for telling me so. I used my teacher voice and said, “Do not tell me that I am doing a good job when that is not the case. If I was doing a good job, the baby would be here by now.”

Finally about 11:35 am, I told the nurse that I wasn’t putting my legs down between contractions and a second wind came. There were four other people in the wing delivering at the exact same time as me and my RN couldn’t find a doctor/resident/midwife, but I didn’t stop. Dave saw Andrew’s head coming out fast and yelled to get someone in there as the RN was at the door yelling for a doctor. A resident from the clinic ran in the door and started to introduce herself and I yelled “I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE!” One push later at 11:47 am, everything went from relatively normal, painful labor, to scary.

The cord was wrapped around his neck and he did not breathe right away. DH said that as he was coming out the resident was rotating him around trying to release the tightness. He was put on my chest for about 10 seconds and then taken to the warmer for about 15 nurses/doctor’s to figure out what was going on—it was the worst moment of the entire process—and I kept sending Dave over to see/report what was going on to me and told him to “take pictures!” His one minute Apgar score was a 3 (on a scale of 1-10, 3 is a horrible score).

It seemed like an eternity, but after five minutes, they had him breathing, kind of crying, and wrapped. His five minute APGAR was taken at this point and he was up to an 8. The NICU charge nurse, Michelle, placed him on my chest to hold/see for about a minute and then he was whisked him away to NICU. Dave followed.

A very long four hours later, I was able to hold him for the first time in the NICU and we got to spend 2 hours of skin-to-skin contact. It was heart breaking to see him with an IV in his arm, cords attached all over, and have him stuck in the NICU, but we were reassured that he was doing fantastic and everything was right on track to have him released to us.

He was released from NICU to my post-partum room at 9 am on Sunday (4/10) when he passed the five different NICU tests. From then we started what I thought was going to happen 22 hours before… amazing, stellar, tear-filled baby moments!

He's Growing!

Yesterday, Andrew and I went to Kaiser for his first well baby check-up (3 weeks, 4 days old). Thankfully the appointment went better than the waiting room. The doctor checked him out, reviewed all the NICU information with me and followed up with the NICU issues (which were all now non-existent) and gave him a wonderful report that everything is super healthy. All of my first-time-mommy fears were put to rest as I asked my silly questions about congestion, knees clicking, and pealing. They did not assign Andrew to the pedi that I requested, but I really liked Dr. Ghebriel who he saw (I'm going to continue with him for now).

My almost one month old baby is growing fast! I'm not sure why this surprised me so much, but it did!

Here are his new stats:
Length: 21.5 inches, 58 percentile (born at 20.5, grew one inch)
Weight: 8 lbs, 14.9 ounces, 24 percentile (born at 7 lbs, 5 oz, gained 1 lbs, 9.9 oz)
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches, 84 percentile (born at 13.5, grew 2 inches)

Out of the house!

Life with a baby is just a bit (okay, a LOT) different and everyone here is figuring out how to deal with it. I totally cannot keep up with anything on the computer and am sort of having with drawls, so as Drew sleeps on Daddy's chest, Daddy and Grandma nap, I'm actually going to show you some pictures of that adorable son of mine.

As an adorable 4 day old... Just for the fun of it, one of him sleeping yesterday morning with protector Reese. A very content baby wide awake!

As Drew slept yesterday I did my hair and make-up and put on real (well, maternity) clothes. It felt great to feel a bit more "normal." Drew's first doctor's visit was at 2:30, so we began getting ready to leave at 11 am. It didn't end up taking that long and we left the house shortly after one.

I really wanted to put him in an outfit for the doctors. He was "wild about mommy" with his lion butt and matching shoes. Aunt Melissa helped dress him and he looked so cute, like a little man :) As we prepared to go, Dave make sure the stroller and car seat were perfectly clean and ready to go. Daddy got the job of strapping Drew in--which little man didn't like so much.

At Kaiser again :)

The happy parents who look pretty normal thanks to the extraordinary work of Grandma Bennett. She has taken such good care of us over the past five days.

The nurse loved his outfit and commented on the fact that he had shoes on (come on, he is MY son, would you expect any less). He stretched out for her!

After a long wait, we had our first baby check up. Andrew is doing well, but has lost a bit too much weight and will be getting more formula through the supplemental nursing system (SNS) that we've been using since his stay in NICU. Everything else was "normal" and Mommy felt better after the possibilities of infection and his NICU stay. He was super fussy because he was hungry and amazingly enough, the rooms do not have chairs with arms, so we nursed in the car in the parking lot. I have a feeling, this won't be the last time.

After Kaiser we went on our first shopping trip as a family to Target! Drew was the center of attention as people walked by--so fun!

He slept the entire time!

Photos of Andrew's Arrival

A sneak peek of the literal 1,000s of pictures we have of the past three days!

God's in Charge!

My entire pregnancy has been filled with doctor's telling me something will/may be wrong, but they are the ones that have been wrong. Obviously, without a shadow of a doubt, Andrew is a blessing from God, meant to be here on this Earth from God, and protected by God. There is no other way to look at it.

Psalm 139:13-16 (Message):

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

And the verse that is above Andrew's crib, James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

38 week appointment

My doctor's appointment today went well. My midwife checked out my swelling (she says it is so minor that she wouldn't even notice it if I hadn't pointed it out), blood pressure (119/76), and weight (um, we won't go there). Everything looks good.

I also had my first internal check to see how things are progressing "down there." I was a bit nervous because I had heard that it was extremely painful. It wasn't that bad; maybe I'm not as much as a wimp as I think I am. The good news was that my body is actually making progress. I am 50% effaced and 3 cm dilated. Andrew's head is at -3 station has has a way to drop before he is ready to come out. As you can see from the illustration below 0 is the "crowning" stage of labor.

My midwife didn't seem to think that he'd be making his appearance anytime before his due date, but you never know.

I also got my official "off work" letter to start off this Friday! I go back next Tuesday.

Week 24 (and 2 days)

I LOOK: Pregnant! I've "popped" within the last two weeks. Sitting, standing, walking, there is no denying that there is a happy baby boy growing in there! I am carrying the baby pretty high as evident from the high belly and confirmed by Dr. Jebelli on Monday. My hair has been changing pretty rapidly over the past few weeks as well. It isn't falling out anymore, but the individual strands seem to be thinner and the fly aways are going crazy.

• Total Weight Gain: +24 lbs. The Thanksgiving weight gain never balanced itself out and the cookies I made the day before my appointment didn't help. The weight is 100% in my stomach.
• Maternity Clothes: 100% everything. I LOVE maternity jeans!

I FEEL: Great! After last Monday's trip to L&D, I've slowed down... made myself sit a lot more and drank more water. It's paid off without anymore contractions! This is a wonderful time of the year to have a lot of energy--there is a lot to do!

• Baby Movement: Active baby boy here! His kicks have gotten more intense and usually located on my right side. I can tell he's still flipping around because the kicks range from really low in the pubic region to pretty high above my belly button.
• Weird Pregnancy Symptom: On Friday at the Barona Ranch All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, I couldn't eat anything and felt extremely nauseous and light headed because of the smell. The combo of the Chinese, steak, sushi, and Mexican was enough to make me waste the $16 we paid to walk in the door. I did enjoy my sugar free, fat free strawberry ice cream on the way out... and I kid you not, the moment I was outside, I felt FINE!

I CRAVE: normal food? Haven't had many cravings food wise. I am craving attention when I want it (and alone time when I want it).

I THINK: The next few weeks will be exciting as my body keeps changing and the baby is getting bigger. I'm a bit scared of the reality of how much we have to get done with the house, the baby stuff, and work before the baby is here. It seems like I just found out I was pregnant and now we only have 15ish weeks left... I think we better get busy working at the Pfeffer house.

I HOPE/I'M EXCITED: for Christmas time with family and friends! I'm looking forward to spending a few relaxing days at home during my break. Selfishly, I'd really like for Dave and I to agree to a name for our baby boy so I can start referring to him by name.

DOCs SAY: I've gained too much weight and if I continue gaining, I'll have to see a nutritionist. I almost laughed out loud when he said this considering with three years of Weight Watchers under my belt, I'm pretty darn informed about weight loss and nutrition. I asked if this meant that I'd get to go and meet with the nutritionist for support once a week, he said no. From my perspective, there is no point then... obviously the reason I was successful at WW and am not being successful now is because of the lack of weekly/constant support. I am not eating junk and I am still following my WW eating pretty closely. Oh well, this part make me a combination of sad/mad/angry.

On a happier note, he did go over all the blood tests and the ultrasound from weeks ago and everything is normal with the baby. The risk of down syndrome is a 1 out of 100,000 (he said he's never seen it that low). My first and second glucose test were normal (next one is next week) so my PCOS doesn't seem to be effecting my pregnancy in this form. My uterus is measuring big (25-26 weeks) and high, which could indicate that my due date is slightly off OR that I have a short torso (which is probably the case, because duh, have you seen my torso). He rechecked my cervix just in case and I'm still "long and closed" with no evident dilation (thank God!). Baby's heart rate was 141.

12w1d

I LOOK:

Tired. Pimply. A bit fat.

I FEEL:

Pretty good from about 9 am to 6 pm. Before that or after that I've exhaused and I want to sleep! The nausea stopped about week eleven (thank goodness) as suddenly as it started. I got a cold last week and it has been hanging on (in the snot phrase) for a bit too long. So much snot...

I CRAVE:

Kraft mac and cheese! All the time and without ceasing :)

I THINK:

• I am so glad to be done with the nausea! Overjoyed that the "good feeling" trimester is starting.
• I'd rather look pregnant than fat, but I don't see that happening.
• I'm ready for the world to know and it is killing me not to shout from the rooftop!
• Sleep is good (repeated from 8w).

I HOPE: God keeps knitting together a perfect baby for our family. All the screening tests and doctor's vivists over the next two weeks go smoothly and I am able to manage them with work.

DOCs SAY:

A week ago, we have a wonderful visit for Dr. Jebilli, our funny ObGyn. My mom was able to come with us and see Baby Pixie moving around. In the above u/s picture the balls of white above the baby's tummy are arms and legs. On the actual u/s you could see the seperation of fingers and toes. Pixie measured a few days bigger than before, so our official due date has been moved to April 3, 2011!

Friday the 17th I went to turn in papers and give blood. Sept. 23rd I go back to get the results and complete a physical, and the 24th I have another ultrasound for an NT scan and to see the baby again!!

Nov. 14th is the date set for the big, gender reveal ultrasound!

1st Doctor's Appointment

Our first doctor's appointment was today. I was originally marked as 9 weeks, 0 days for today, but that was quickly changed to 6 weeks, 6 days.

The doctor was pretty funny, made several comments about my preparedness (I had my temp charts with me) and called Dave the culprit.

We were able to see the heart beating and were able to hear it!
He said the baby's back was to us (how in the world can he see that?!?) and set me tentatively for a due date of April 6th, but wants me to come back in 2-3 weeks for another ultrasound to get a more accurate due date. Because of his busy schedule and not wanting to call a sub, I will actually not be there until September 13th (four weeks).