Aaden 3-4 Weeks

9/20-9/26
Aaden is staying awake longer and seems to be more alert.  He is going through a major growth spurt and is hungry all the time.  He cluster feeds in the evening and it's really tiring so we've been giving him a bottle of formula at night to give me a little break. 
He is starting to make more noises, especially grunting noises when he's stretching.  He also makes baa-ing noises like a sheep when he stretches too, it is so cute!  And Aaron and I say that when he really gets crying hard, he sounds like a pterodactyl!
I finally took Aaden in to meet everyone at my work on the 24th.  They all loved him of course :)

Professional Pics - Newborn - Erin Balbas

We got professional pictures of Aaden done by Erin Balbas.  He was super fussy but thanks to Erin and her awesome work she was able to capture a lot of great photos of our sweet boy!

Most of the time for newborn photo shoots - it's best to have the baby asleep so you can position them and get those oh-so adorable photos.  Aaden was not having it.  After many times of trying to get him to sleep by nursing, bottle feeding, etc - he was still wide-awake!  I got peed and pooped on by him several times - I think he was punishing me! ;-)

Erin is AMAZING!  Here are some of my favorites:

 

 

 
 
And the Birth Announcement that we sent out. 

Thank you, Erin, for letting us use the pictures from his photo shoot! 

Aaden 2-3 Weeks

I realize these posts may be a little long and boring to read, but they are more for my and Aaden's benefit.  I just want to have everything written down for him so he has something to look back on when he's older.  I won't be offended if you don't read them and you just want to look at the pics and move on.
9/13/10-9/19/10
Anyway,

• Aaden had a Dr appt on the 13th, he weighed 7lbs, 7oz!  He passed his birthweight!  He has a little eye infection which is common for newborns since their ducts aren't fully functional yet.  But he got his first prescription because of it...antibiotic eye drops.  Dr. Yager is not concerned about jaundice anymore, Aaden is nice and pink! 
• I am still feeling overwhelmed at home.  It's hard to find time to eat, shower, brush my teeth, anything.  Holy cow...it has to get easier! 
• On the 14th we had newborn pictures taken with Erin Balbas.  Aaden was super fussy and never went into a deep sleep like photographers like for newborns to do.  He also peed and pooped all over me during the photoshoot because he was naked most of the time.
• Aaden's first trip out of town was to Gilroy and it was for Aaron to take a drug test for HSBC.  Not an exciting first trip but Aaden did great in the car.  We also got to go to Carters :)
• Aaden went to Emmy's work for the first time on the 16th.  He also did his first tummy time...not a fan!
• On the 17th was my first time away from Aaden.  It was my cousin Jan's 50th birthday at Paine's.  I just went for 2 hours...I think I called or texted Aaron about 4 times. 
• The 18th was Aaden's first long outing, me, my Mom, and Aaden went to Salinas to go shopping for Gam's bday party.  Aaden did great, it was his first time in his stroller.  I had to feed him in the dressing room.  We pretty much took over the handicap dressing room for about 2 hours!
• Aaden has started focusing on objects and loves black and white contrast.  He loves to stare up at our pictures we have hanging on the wall in the living room because they are black frames on white walls.  He also like the brown monkey decal on his wall by his changing table.

Baby's Best Friend

The dogs have been great with Aaden so far.  They don't really bother him too much and they don't seem to wake up when he's crying at night.  We were blessed to have dogs that are so great with children/babies.  The only problem is that they can be a little rambunctious.  85lbs and rambunctiousness is not always a good combo!  But they seem to be adjusting just fine although I'm sure they are missing all the attention they used to get.

Aaden hanging out on Kona

Aaden 1-2 Weeks Old

9/6/10-9/12/10
The time is already going by so fast!  It was weird when Sept 6th rolled around because it was my original due date and here we are with a baby that's 1 week old.  It made me feel relieved that the labor, delivery, and the hospital, and those first few days were over instead of still in front of me.  It was almost like I gained extra time if that makes sense?
Anyway, Aaden smiles a lot in his sleep...it makes me wonder, what are they dreaming about?  I would think boobs at this point! ;)  He makes so many funny expressions and faces.  I just sit in awe of him and look at all the little things I love about him...like the little fine blond hair on his arms and shoulders and his little lips and his long eyelashes and of course the little baby feet.  It's amazing what a baby brings to families - joys, fears, love.  Aaden has definitely brought Aaron and I closer together, I love him more than ever now.  He has been so great, he has been my rock through this anxiety (which is getting better).  He's such an awesome dad, better than I could have ever hoped for!  Although my anxiety is getting better, the feeling of being overwhelmed is kind of consuming me.  I feel like there's so much I want to and have to do that I don't have time for.  And most of it is related to memory things like taking and printing pictures, filling out his baby book,  journaling and videoing.  I want to remember everything because every moment is so special which is why I'm glad I started this blog - it has taken place of the journal (it's easier/faster for me to type than to write)
Breastfeeding is still hard but I have some tools to make it better and easier.  Aaden takes anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour to eat and he eats every 2-4 hours. 
On Sept 8th, Aaron went back to work (subbing).  It was my first full day alone with Aaden (aahhhh!)  I had to take him to the doctor all by myself which was really nerve-racking...getting out of the house on my own and driving him by myself...but I did it!
Aaden's cord fell off on 9/10 and he got his first real bath on 9/12  (he peed all over me right before the bath)
He met Alivia this week.  He met Uncle Bub and Gam both on 9/11.  And he met all of his 3rd cousin's on my side on 9/12...what a big week!

First Weekend

   So, I have some MAJOR baby blues going on.  I cry at the drop of a hat.  I think it's due to my frustrations with breastfeeding, being exhausted, and the hormones that are probably going crazy in my body.  I'm having big time anxiety when it starts getting dark.  I don't like the nights for some reason.  I think I get worried about how Aaden is going to be that night, whether or not we're going to sleep and things like that.  Plus, breastfeeding in the middle of the night is kind of lonely.  I did see a lactation consultant in our pediatrician's office on the 4th, she has helped a little but I seriously never knew how hard and frustrating BFing would be!
   My Mom and Kenny had a BBQ over the weekend and had the Griffins over.  It was nice and Aunt Sis is in town so she got to meet Aaden and hang out.  It's so nice having so much family around.  I don't know what I would do if we didn't...I know my anxiety would probably be much worse!  When I'm feeling anxious, all I want to do is cry on my Mom's shoulder and have her hug me.  (It's weird to me that I am that person to someone now, I'm a mom, someone that no one can replace)
   Aaden finally got his first bath - at 5 days old - between lack of sleep, feedings all day and night and just getting used to being a new mom, I kind of forgot about the whole bath thing...whoops!! 
   We can't get over how cute our son is!  So many people are just amazed by him, especially Uncle Brother, and us, of course!
Here are some pics from the weekend...

Thursday, 3rd Day

The title of the post is actually a reference to our (Me, Mom, & Christopher) all-time favorite show, Friends, but it works out actually because today is Thursday and it's Aaden's 3rd day of life too!  Well, we had our first check up with Dr. Yager.  Aaden weighs 6lbs 13oz right now, he's down a little from birth but that's normal.  Dr. Yager is a little concerned about Aaden's color and thinks he's a little jaundice.  He suggested some photo-therapy by putting him in a sunny window 4 times a day for about 20 minutes at a time. 

Here's Aaden basking in the sun.

1st Night at Home

Wow, they don't prepare you for this...last night was absolutely one of the hardest nights of my life.  I think Aaron would concur...Aaden was VERY, VERY fussy throughout the entire night.  Aaron and I took turns walking around with him, feeding him, and trying to comfort him while the other one tried to sleep.  I am so exhausted still.  Aaden finally fell asleep around 6am!  And even then he only slept for about an hour.  Obviously this is all new to him and hard on him too. 
I just remember thinking to myself last night, "I'm never going to sleep again and my milk is never going to come in."  Things have to get better otherwise, I'm jumping off a cliff.

Going Home

We got discharged from the hospital today!  Aaden did great on his first car ride, I rode in the back with him.
It was ridiculously hot today, probably one of the hottest days we've had all year!  It was probably about 101 F.  But we were happy to get to come home. 
After we got home, my Mom went to the store for us.  And she made dinner for us (chicken divan, yum!!).  Sean and Andrea came down from San Jose to visit for a little bit.  Dad stopped by.  Ann, Allan, Aunt Krissie, Uncle Danny, Mom, and Kenny were all here for dinner.  It was nice to have everyone here but I felt on edge most of the time.  It was weird to have a baby here at home and he was all my (and Aaron's) responsibility.  A little scary! 

In the Hospital...Days 0-2

Day 1 - August 31st, 2010
   I woke up around 7am.  Aaron slept a bit longer.  I felt pretty good considering I had just had a baby and I was working on 3 hours of sleep over 48 hours.  My muscles were sore though especially in my back, arms, and legs from all the pushing.  Dr. Armstrong wrote me a prescription for 800mg ibuprofen, that helped!  I also took a nice warm shower and that helped a lot too.
   Aaden is so cute!  His little nose is already straightening out - we think that it must have gotten a little smushed during delivery.  He also loves having his hands up by his face which maybe he did a lot in utero which could have contributed to the crookedness.
   Aaden had a lot of visitors the first day including, Emmy, Papa, Pappy, Uncle Alec, Aunt Nicole, Grandma, Grandpa, Nick and Cheryl Lovejoy, Aunt Krissie, Uncle Danny, Aunt Kerry, Aunt Renee, and Katie Muenzer.  Dr. Armstrong visited and Dr. Yager - Aaden's pediatrician - came to meet him and check him out.  He said everything looked fine so far.  He had a little rash but I think it's pretty common among newborns.
   Nursing was a challenge and it's painful!  My milk wasn't in still but my colostrum was.  All the nurses tried to help me which was great but they all had different advice. 
   Dr. Armstrong came and took Aaden for his circumcision around 5pm.  He was gone for about a half an hour.  When Dr. Armstrong brought him back he said he did great and that everything went well.  However, I lost it a few hours later when I was trying to change his diaper.  I was trying to change the gauze but part of it had dried and it was stuck!  I called the nurse in to help me but she couldn't get it off either, I just started balling.  (I'm sure part of it was hormone driven and lack of sleep too).  She ended up putting a ton of vaseline on it and left it for the night.  (It ended up coming off the next day, another nurse took him to the nursery and while she was gently trying to remove it, Aaden kicked her and it ripped off!  Thankfully without a problem.)
  That night I had another breakdown.  Aaden was really fussy and I felt like he was starving and he was probably also in a little pain from the circumcision.  I brokedown and the nurse asked if I wanted to give him some formula.  I took her up on the offer but I cried for the first half of the bottle.  I felt so bad that I couldn't comfort him and meet his needs at that point.  I ended up sending him to the nursery around 3am for a few hours so I could get some sleep.  I felt really bad about sending him but I was finally able to get some much needed, uninterrupted sleep!

Day 2 - September 1st, 2010
   I got a few hours of sleep and definitely felt recharged.  Took another shower and felt even better.  A little more ibuprofen, good to go!
  Everyone kept saying that they usually think newborns are funny looking but they think Aaden is a beautiful newborn (we think so too!)  So far it looks like Aaden has my ears, toes, upper lip, eyes & cheeks and Aaron's thin legs, chin, and a little freckle on his right ring finger that Aaron has too in the same place.  We're not sure where his nose came from??  Maybe Christopher??  It sure is prominent, but super cute!  It looks like he has fingers like Uncle Alec and Uncle Bub.  Things change so we'll see who he looks like in a few months. 
  We've noticed how strong Aaden is already.  He can already hold his head up for a second here and there - at 2 days old!  Everyone keeps commenting on his stregth and his beautiful skin :)

Dear Aaden,

    You're here!  You're finally here!  You were born at 39 weeks exactly on August 30, 2010 at 1059pm -after 26 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing.  Mommy was exhausted but I got a second wind after seeing you.  It was so unreal.  I couldn't believe you were actually here - after 9 months of anticipation, worry, excitement, and wonder, you were finally here.
    Daddy got to cut your umbilical cord right after you were born (I'm sad that we didn't get a good picture of it, but oh well!)  After Daddy cut the cord, they laid you on me.  You were covered in so much vernix - I couldn't believe how cheesy you were! ;)  After a minute or so they took you from me to clean you up, do your assessment, and weigh you.  You weighed 7lbs 2.7oz (but we just say 7lbs 3oz) and you were 19" long.  You scored 9/10 on both your Apgars!

    While Dr. Armstrong was still working on me, everyone else got to ooh and ahh over you.  I just kept staring at you from across the room in awe of you and in a little bit of shock that you just came out of me.

    Daddy called your Grandma and Grandpa who were staying at our house with the puppies.  Papa and Emmy were already there and so were Pappy and Uncle Brother, so you had quite the welcoming!

    After your assessment, they brought you over to me and I finally got to really meet you.  I kissed your face, my heart was overjoyed.  I loved the way you smelled and the touch of my face against yours.  You were adorable...instantly my fears of having an ugly baby were erased.  You had a little conehead, your little ears were swollen and smashed up, and your little nose was crooked (which, I admit, I was a little worried about!  Your Uncle Brother suggested putting a pea in your nostril to straighten it out! ;) )  But, you were beautiful and you were ours.  And we couldn't be happier. 
   You had the most beautiful skin, everyone commented on it - it was so smooth and soft and your tone was beautiful. 

    Everyone went home around 1230 am and Daddy and I got to spend some time with you.  I breastfed you for a while...you had a very strong suck but I couldn't help but feel a little silly because my milk wasn't in but nursing is what helps it come in.  Your nurse Violet came in and gave you a bath and did your footprints.  We got pictures and video of both.
    We made it to our postpartum room at 2am - I couldn't believe I was still up and coherent!  Daddy and I ate turkey sandwiches (finally I got to eat!) and you slept in your bassinet.  It was so peaceful at that time.  We finally went to sleep at 4am but I kept waking up to stare at you.  I couldn't believe you were actually here.  I was a mom.  Wow.  Mommy and Daddy loved you the instant we knew about you and fell even more in love with you when you made your appearance in this world.  We love you so, so much, Aaden!
Love,
Mommy

The Longest, Greatest Day Ever (Birth Story)

    So, on Sunday, August 29th, I started the day with a backache and some light cramping off and on.  Aaron and I went to Costco with my Mom and Kenny.  I was really exhausted when we were in Costco.  I had to keep sitting down on the big pallets of food to rest.  On our way home, Gus (one of Mom and Kenny's dogs) kept staring at me the whole way...he knew something was going on.  I kept thinking that if this wasn't labor, I don't know how I'm going to make it through work on Monday and Tuesday because I was so tired and my maternity leave wasn't supposed to start until Sept 1st. 
     We got home around 1230pm and I took a nap for about a half an hour.  I was craving a big meaty sandwich so Aaron went to Nob Hill and bought us some sandwiches and some Oreos :)  I watched part of the Giants game before taking another nap at 245pm or so.  When I got up I finished watching the Giants game with Aaron...they won!!  After that, I mustered up enough energy to give Aaron a haircut.
     We went to the store and then went to my Mom and Kenny's for dinner.  I still had a backache and cramping.  We had lasagna for dinner and watched the Emmy's (my Mom went back and forth during my whole pregnancy about what she wanted to be called and "Emmy" was one of the names that she was thinking of.  Well, since we were watching the Emmy's together when I went into labor, we figured it was a for sure sign that "Emmy" should be her name :))
     The cramping started to become stronger and more regular around 7pm.  At that point, I figured the cramping wasn't just cramping but contractions.  I drank a big glass of water to see if they went away because Dr. Armstrong had told me that dehydration can cause uterine contractions.  They didn't go away.  Aaron and I decided to go for a walk to see if that helped.  I kept thinking if it was false labor then the contractions should go away or get better if we walked.  They did not get better or go away...they got worse.  At about 730pm, we decided to go home so I could shower and finish packing our bags.
     We went back to Mom and Kenny's with the puppies at about 830pm.  The contractions became more intense and closer together.  Aaron kept trying to time them but it was so hard to distinguish the end of one and the beginning of another one.  At 945pm we went to the hospital.
     When we got to the hospital, they checked me into one of the labor rooms.  My nurses were Marilyn and Blanca.  They checked me and I was only dilated 1 1/2 cm and 80% effaced...I had a long road ahead of me.  My Dad came to the hospital around 1030 or 11 that night.  My blood pressure was a little high and the nurses were a little concerned.  My contractions slowed at one point and then sped up again and became more intense.  They monitored me for a couple hours.  The baby's baseline was low at about 110s but he had good accelerations which was a good sign.  They checked me again at midnight and there was no change so they decided to send me home.  The nurses had been on the phone with Dr. Armstrong and he wanted me in his office the next morning so he could check my blood pressure.  The nurse gave me a shot of demerol IM and some PO phenergan and sent us on our way.  The demerol didn't seem to do much in the way of pain relief. 
     When we got home, I labored in bed for a couple of hours (from 1am-3am).  I let Aaron sleep since I knew he would need it, I knew the baby was coming sometime soon and I would need my support person.  Laboring in bed was not comfortable and I couldn't sleep in between contractions so I got up because I needed to do something else to relieve the pain.  So I walked the hallway during contractions.  It seemed to help a little.  (At that time, I was also writing in my journal about how my labor was so far!  Glad I did otherwise, I might not have remembered all of this!)
     I took a hot, hot shower around 340am.  I really wanted to take a bath but I couldn't bend down long enough to figure out how to plug the drain because every time I bent down a contraction would start.  So, I just stood in the hot shower for about 20 minutes.  It helped me relax enough that I decided to get back into bed to see if I could rest a little.  My contractions were about 6 minutes apart at that point but I was able to sleep/rest for about 5 minutes in between.  I did this for about 2 hours and then Aaron woke up around 6am. 
     Between 7am and 9am, my contractions became really, really strong and pretty close together.  I had started calling Dr. Armstrong's office at 8am to see if they were open but just as I had figured, they didn't open until 900.  Aaron had me eat a couple slices of a peach (which was disgusting by the way) and we refilled out my disability paperwork (not fun while contracting!).  But it had to be done since I was obviously starting my maternity leave that day, not two days later on Sept 1st like I had originally planned!  We left for Dr. Armstrong's soon after 9am.
     My Mom met us at his office.  They put me in a room right away and I was having some pretty intense contractions.  Dr. Armstrong didn't see us until almost 10am.  When he walked in, he saw me and said, "oh yeah, you have that face...the face of a woman in labor".  He said he would check me and if I were still at 1 or 2 cms he would send me home but if I were at 3 or 4 he would send me straight to the hospital.  He checked me and I was almost at 4 cm!  That was the best news I had ever heard!  The last place I wanted to go was home.  He let us know that he had a surgery scheduled and he would be out of town from about 12pm-5pm. Crap!
     We went to the hospital and got all settled in our labor room (we got the big one this time, YES!).  My nurses during the day were Rene and Linda.  Rene started an IV on me but it took her a while because I was so dehydrated (I had been doing my breathing exercises all night and not drinking any water).  Once she got the IV in she started me on fentanyl.  It helped me to relax and cut the pain a little.  She also started the IV antibiotics and it burned my arm SO bad!  Holy cow, between my arm hurting and the contractions my blood pressure was WAY up!  Rene ended up readjusting it and diluted the antibiotics a bit and it helped.  Phew!

     I had visitors in and out all day...Aunt Krissie & Uncle Danny, Ann & Allan, Alec & Nicole, and my Mom and Dad were there most of the day.  And of course Aaron was too.  The nurses gave me fentanyl throughout the day...they kept checking me and I was still at 4cm!  Ugghh!  I was having contractions but apparently they weren't too effective.

     Dr. Armstrong called at 4pm and said he was on his way back to town.  The nurses let him know that I was still only at 4cm so he gave them the go ahead to start me on pitocin and to get my epidural!  Woohoo!  Get this thing moving!  The anesthesiologist came in and started my epidural and it was AWESOME!  I couldn't feel a thing after that!  The only way I could tell I was having a contraction now was by looking at the monitor. 
     Dr. Armstrong came in around 6pm and checked me.  I was now dilated to 6!  He broke my water (gross) and then stepped out.  He had a D&C surgery but it was right there at Hazel Hawkins.  At 7pm, there was a shift change.  My new nurses were Violet and Marilyn.  Violet did my assessment and kind of freaked out when she realized that I was numb almost up to my collar bone from the epidural.  She turned the epidural off right away and put the head of the bed up.  She made sure I was breathing alright, which I was.  Apparently someone had sent a urine sample to the lab and it came back showing that I had ketones in it.  This was from not eating for so long.  This too worried Violet so she got me some popsicles :)
     At 9pm they checked me and I was finally fully dilated.  I started to feel A LOT of pressure and I was given the go ahead to start pushing.  That is when I got nervous.  I hadn't been nervous at all until that point, I was so afraid of what it would feel like and I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to do it.  When I started pushing is when I realized how utterly exhausted I was.  I would push and then right after I stopped pushing it felt like I went cross-eyed.  At that point, I had already been up for 36 hours and had been in labor for 26 hours.  I really should have tried to sleep after I got my epidural but no dice and too late now!
     Dr. Armstrong had an emergency situation while in the D&C surgery.  He wasn't sure if he was going to make it so he called Dr. Tabibian to deliver me just in case.  Dr. Tabibian delivered me when I was born, so he's been in the business a long time!
     While I was pushing, Aaron and my Mom held my legs for me.  Dad, Christopher and Kenny were standing right outside the door behind the curtain.  They couldn't see anything but sure as hell they could hear everything! 

     I was so tired and it was so hot!  The air conditioning in the room was broken and it was 81 freakin' degrees in there!  I thought I was going to pass out after each push, I was so exhausted.  My Mom had to take some breaks and let the nurse hold one of my legs.  Poor thing though, I made her hold it even when I wasn't pushing because the pressure was so intense that it hurt too much to put both my legs down at the same time.  By that time my epidural had worn off quite a bit.  I was really unsure that I would be able to push the baby out on my own because I was so tired, I actually thought I might have to go in for a c-section.  But once they started to see his head, I knew I could do it.
     At 1030 or so, Dr. Armstrong made it back from his surgery!  I was SO happy that he made it!  (I guess Dr. Tabibian had just pulled up to the hospital and was a little upset when they told him he didn't need to be there anymore! - Whoops!)  Anyway, it was very hectic for a bit.  Poor Dr. Armstrong was a little frazzled, he had had a very long day.  He was having the nurses text his wife and he was trying chart in between assisting me. 
     After 2 hours of pushing, our son, Aaden Michaelson, was born at 1059pm on Monday, August 30th, 2010.  It was amazing!  I couldn't believe I did it!  He was here. :)

He Wants Out

On Friday, August 27th I started getting a backache and aches in the front of my thighs.  On Saturday, August 28th, we went to Jaya's 7th birthday party.  I was really tired and still had a backache and the aching in my legs.  I kept thinking to myself, "maybe this is the start of labor?" but I didn't want to get my hopes up.  Most of my family didn't think I would make it another week...some even guessed that the baby would come that weekend. 
At that point, I was ready...I was done being pregnant.  I wanted Aaden out and I think he wanted out too.

Here's one of the last pictures of my preggo belly (except for ones in the hospital)