Stir crazy...

I think I have cabin fever! I've been home for 2 weeks straight. The only places I've gone to are the doctor's, for me and Jacob, and to look at a house. Other than that, everyday rolls right into the next. I need to get out. Hopefully, since this weekend is a holiday, it'll find us doing something exciting. We actually, so far, have no plans except for the usual, swimming and BBQ. I really need to get out!

Today Jacob is 2 weeks! He's so big already. His features are changing so much everyday, and I can totally see it. It's so sad. I still remember what he looked like when I first held him, he was so tiny. He's been doing really well, and he's a really good baby. He only cries for the necessities: food, diaper change, and comfort. Nights aren't too bad. He only wakes up every 3 hours almost like clockwork. I've only had one day of extreme exhaustion 'cause he stood up a good portion of the night. We've been extremely lucky.

So, an update on my infection. Yuck. I went for a check up and the Doc said it's looking good. No hospitalization. I feel good, too. I would say I'm about 75% back to my old self. It feels great to feel semi-normal, but the issue of the next one has come up. Yup, the next baby. I loved being pregnant. I really did. I embraced everything and I had a great pregnancy except for a few obstacles, but, all in all, I could not complain. So, Jess and I have discussed that we want our kids close in age, about 2 to 3 years apart, and it got me thinking that we would be trying again in about a year and a half. That freaked me out. I just had a baby and we're already talking about the next one. I'm excited about it, but I want "me" time for a bit. We'll see what these next 2 years bring.

His first bath...


Look at that face...

I'm here!

I know it's been awhile since I've written, but I'm busy, you know? So, some updates. Jacob is doing really well. He's so big already. Seriously, he's going to be 2 weeks this Wednesday and he's already grown out of his newborn stuff. Yup, he barely fits into 0-3 mos, and fits perfectly in 3 mos clothing. We also had our first small outing. On Saturday we went to go see my brother's new house. We were only gone for a couple of hours, and Jacob slept the entire time. Other than a few rough nights, he's been fabulous!

The cutie...




Momma is not so fabulous. So, one of my biggest fears from having a c-section has come true. I have an infection. Last week I started feeling some pain down below. I waited a day to see if the pain would go away, and it didn't, so I called my Doc. I had an appointment last Friday, and my fears came true. He took one look at it and said, "Oy vey!" I've been placed on antibiotics, and I have a follow up appointment today. And I'm really hoping everything looks good since he mentioned that if it didn't, he'd be hospitalizing me! I do not want to be in the hospital again in less than 2 weeks time! No thank you! So, wish me luck. I will cry if I have to be hospitalized and away from my baby.

And if the above is not stressful enough, I start "school" today. I'm currently getting a master's degree in library and information science. I am almost finished. I have only one class left, the one I'm currently in, and my portfolio, which is my final project (in place of a thesis). So, things are getting a little crazy, but thank goodness I have help right now. Jess is still off, and won't be going back to work for another week. I'm very lucky!

Jacob's Birth Story

On Wednesday August 13th, baby Jacob was born, and here's how it all came to be. Jesse had taken the day off, and I knew I wanted him there for my very last appointment, and I'm so glad I did. We slept in 'til about 10am and I made myself some pancakes for breakfast and just waited around for my appointment. So, 2:25pm rolls around and we leave for my 2:45pm appointment. We arrive at the doctor's office and I check in. We go through the regular OB procedures: weight, temp, BP, pee in a cup. We meet Dr. Marc in our room, and he checks the baby's heart rate, which was prefect. He then performs and internal, and he basically tells me I'm a finger tip dilated, but baby is still way up high. He then decides to get a second opinion from his dad, who is also one of my primary doctors. His dad performs an internal and basically reiterates what Dr. Marc had said, and well, that I'm going to have a c-section due to the fact that I have a narrow pelvis/cervix, or something, and baby is big. I was not surprised and had mentally prepared myself for it. Dr. Marc also took a look at the results from my last growth U/S, and found that my amniotic fluid was borderline low, so he orders an immediate NST (check baby's movement) and AFI (U/S to check baby's fluid, size, and surroundings) for me (in other words, getting the same tests I had been getting a month before due to high BP) to be performed twice a week. So now, after my appointment, I have to go directly to the hospital to start the tests, and I also got to schedule my c-section. It was to be Wednesday, August 20th at 9am.

Jess and I get to the Hospital around 4pm, we check into admitting, and we get started on the testing. I was first sent to radiology to get my U/S. After that we went to L&D at around 6pm where I was hooked up to the monitors and such. The nurse asked why I was there and I told her about my low fluid, and she asked if the U/S tech had told me the results. I told her no and she immediately checked my results for me and explained that it was actually good now. However, I had been laying in that bed for quite a few hours and apparently my BP was high, but not crazy high. Just above my usual average. So, nurse thinks everything's good, and says she's going to call Dr. Marc and let him know what's going on and that basically everything looked good to go. During this time, Jess and I were starving and were planning our menu for dinner. Well, it didn't turn out that way. Nurse comes back in and the first thing she says is, "I jinxed ya! You are going in for a c-section at 10pm (in about 1 hour and 45 minutes)." All because of my BP!

I had an hour and half to somewhat mentally prepare for surgery, call close family, and deal with what was happening. I couldn't believe it. It was finally time. I was so scared and so sad. Scared because no amount of preparation can truly prepare you for the unknown. And sad because my sister, and best friend, was in Washington for work, and when I made the call to her she was devastated that she couldn't be there for me. But we both knew that even if she were here that she wouldn't be able to do much. I did have my mom, my brothers, and my niece come visit before the surgery. They tried to keep my mind off the surgery, and basically chatted with me up until the very last minute.

It was go time. I walked to the OR room, and was afraid of what I saw, and yet comforted. The OR was big, white, bright, and cold, and yet there was music on in the background, oldies to be exact. I was prepped for the spinal and it wasn't that bad, and exactly what I had expected. I immediately lost the feeling in the lower half of my body. The nurses positioned me and everything happened so quickly. Dr. Marc came in along with his dad, who was to assist him, and I remember them telling me your baby will be here in 5 minutes...3 minutes...soon. Then, at 10:41pm, I heard the cry, and I was so excited, relieved, worried. They brought him to me and I cried, and Jesse really cried. It was beautiful! Jesse left with the baby, and the Docs finished up on me. And apparently while they were doing the c-section the doctor found a cyst. Luckily, he was able to remove it without me having to go through another surgery. Funny thing is, I did not feel any discomfort or pain during the c-section. No pressure, no uncomfortable feeling, but as soon as they started working on the cyst I could feel it. So, since I was moaning they doped me up. I went under for a little bit. Once I was finished, they sent me to a recovery room where I waited and woke up. Then I was moved to my room. I slept some more in my room, and I vaguely remember Jesse being in and out of my room, and leaving. I didn't sleep at all that night. I kept looking at the clock, finally realizing I had my baby, I wanted him, but I knew that I couldn't do anything with him 'cause I was drugged up and in pain. Finally, at around 3am they brought him to me. I was a little groggy still, but they encouraged me to try to breastfeed, and be with baby. I held him so tight, and looked at him, and couldn't believe he was mine.

Jacob and I were discharged Saturday, August 16th. I was so happy to being going home! I was in the hospital for almost 3 days. I was looking forward to going home, showering, and eating some real food, since I had been on clear liquids, and hadn't had anything solid, or good, since my pancakes on Wednesday. My sister was there for our discharge. We all drove home, and when we got home we found a pleasant surprise. My family had decorated the house. The drive-way was covered in blue baby paintings with a giant sign in the front window and balloons and streamers everywhere. They also cleaned up our place and prepped as much as they could for us. It was so sweet!

The recovery so far has been okay. I've been doing okay, but I'm tired of dealing with the soreness. I hate c-sections, and I hate that I can't help out with baby that much. Of course I can do some stuff, but I can't do too many things. But it was all worth it in the end!

Baby Jacob is perfect and healthy! No jaundice, he's been eating and pooping regularly, for now, and he seems to be thriving. We already had our first doctor's visit. Jacob weighs 8 lbs, 15 oz. and is now 20.5 inches long. We are all so happy!

And with my new Canon...







P.S. Thank you for the lovely comments!

He has arrived.

On August 13th, 2008, Jacob Isaiah was born via c-section at 10:41 pm. He came into this world weighing 8 lbs., 14 oz., and measuring 20 inches long. Birth story and more pics to come. Here are a couple of teasers...

What's goin' on...

nothing much, really. I had a growth ultrasound yesterday. Baby J looks to be weighing almost 8.5 lbs, almost. There's also a +/- 1 lb room for error, so he can also be 7.5 lbs or 9.5 lbs. The U/S tech had problems getting pictures of him 'cause he has no room in there. We were able to see his face, his spine, and a foot really well. He had hiccups too. We could see him open his mouth every time he hiccuped. It was so cute. I have an OB appointment tomorrow, so we'll see what he says. As far as any signs, I think I lost some of my mucus plug, but I have no real idea what I'm looking for. Anywho, here's a pic of Baby J at 39 weeks and 3 days...

He's got his eye on you...

I caved...

and I bought a Canon Rebel xsi! I also bought a 50mm portrait lense, 16gb memory card, and a case. I did some damage, but I'm happy. I think I actually got a decent deal on the camera. I got it from Buydig.com and, so far, their customer service has been good. I bought my accessories from Amazon.com, and all were reasonably priced. So, what was the last straw? When Jess basically said that our camera was just plain old, aka an antique. Hopefully, I get it by the time baby comes, if not, I'm sure I can borrow one of my brothers' cameras. One has a Nikon and the other has a Rebel xti, or I could always use my good ol' Fuji.

I really did some shopping this weekend. Friday Jess had the day off, so we did a Babies 'R' Us run. I bought all the stuff I wanted off of my registry. I used my 10% off registry coupon and a $5 off $25 coupon. I must also mention that I had a couple of gift certificates that met the exact grand total of my transaction, so I paid nothing out of pocket. Yay!

My loot...


Saturday I went on a little hunt to find my Canon in stores, but had no luck. Well, I found it, but not for the great price I paid. After that, my family and I went to dinner to celebrate my oldest brother's birthday. We went to this awesome Japanese teppan place. Their food is freaking delicious! I especially love their fried rice. Yummm. For desert we went to OC Yogurt, my favorite.

Today I went shopping with my sister. We hit up Ikea to find a desk for my nephew, and I found some awesome drawer organizers for Baby J and a new trash can for our room. I also had a delicious Ikea cinnamon roll. It was so good! We then went to DSW to find some shoes for my sister, and can I say, it was stinkin' HOT. The A/C at DSW was broken, but all those women in there looking for shoes didn't bat an eye. Luckily for us, my sister knew exactly what she wanted and we were in and out in less than 45 minutes. After that, we picked up some Pepe's for dinner. I had the nacho fries, and they were really good. They don't compare to my favorite Casa Garcia Nachos, but a close runner-up.

Now I'm just relaxing. Jess is already asleep, and I'm just here watching Bridezillas. Tomorrow I have an ultrasound and I get to see Baby J. He'll be here before we know it! Ack!

Waiting...

and waiting. I had an OB appointment today, and absolutely nothing is happening. Yep, no dilation, no effacement. As Chema said, "He's as snug as a bug in a rug," or something like that. So, things continue on. I have a growth ultrasound on Monday. I can't wait to see Baby J again, maybe for the last time on an U/S screen?! Then I have an OB appointment next Wednesday. I think if nothing happens by then, we will discuss my options. But here's the thing. My sister is going to be out of town next Monday through Thursday, and my niece will be getting back from camp on Monday. I hope I don't have Baby J while their gone 'cause I really want them there, but labor is so unpredictable. So, we'll see how the next week goes.

Moving on to an obsession of mine. I really really really want a new camera. I currently have a piece of crap Fuji digi cam from '04/'05. It sucks. I mean it does what I need it to do, but I want a real camera. I want a Canon Rebel. I love this camera. I've been doing my research on it for the last 4 or 5 months, and it has great reviews. So, why don't I just get it? I dunno. I'm weird like that. Jess said to just get it, but I can't. I have this thing when I want something expensive and can afford it, I find reasons not to get it. I want the camera, I can afford it, but I can't justify getting it. But I really want this camera. Stay tuned to see if I cave. I think I'm pretty close to caving in and buying, but we'll see.

Weekend update...

Okay, it's not exactly Monday, but it's pretty close. My Friday ended up being pretty boring, however I forgot to mention our city's annual Corn Festival! It's a celebration of tasty corn and other carnival foods that takes place the first weekend of August. And I did indulge a bit. The CF started Friday night at 6p, and me and Jess headed down to grab some grub. I got a chili cheese dog, fries and a funnel cake. The food was okay, but the funnel cake was awesome. I was very excited about it since I only get it once a year.



Saturday was much busier. My niece, who is in tall flags, had her first performance in the Corn Festival parade. The parade was the first thing we did, and it was hot! Oy, luckily I had my water, sunscreen, umbrella, and chair. But I did get some what of a burn. Anywho, it kinda sucked since we didn't get to see my niece actually perform since the girls would rotate while preforming, and well, she happened to be carrying the banner when she got to us. Here are some pics of the parade (BTW, I hate my camera! Please excuse the poor quality):

The beginning...


Our Mayor, a woman...


My niece, all the way on the left end...


Saturday afternoon, after the parade festivities, we had a birthday party for my little cousin Jaden. They did a pirate theme, and I would have taken pictures, but I hate my camera, and it was hot, and I just was not in the mood to deal. But now, looking back, I should have taken pictures. They did an awesome job decorating. They built a pirate ship on their lawn with other cool smoking skeletons and cannons. They also had a Jack Sparrow impersonator. That was the funniest thing. All of the adults kept saying he seemed drunk and acting a little...flamboyant. Obviously they haven't seen any of the pirate movies. The cake was awesome, too. Very cute. Sorry no pics!

Saturday night, we had a luau for Jess' aunt. Every year they do it, and it was really nice. My brother-in-law is the best cook ever. He made the food and it was delicious. We could not get over it. I would describe it, but I don't know exactly what it was that I was eating, but it was yummy. Desert was good, too. A table filled with cakes, and cookies, oh yeah, and an open bar. I was sad about that. Whew, I think that's it for Saturday!

Sunday, was low key. We went swimming at my sister's, and hit up the CF for food. We also had some family come over. It was a great way to end the weekend!

On the baby front, no news. Just waiting for the time to come, or my doctor's visit on Thursday, whichever comes first.

His place...

I've finally finished Baby J's "place." I say "place" because we have to share our room with Baby J, but our room is huge. We comfortably fit...for now. However, I'm hoping and praying, and if all goes well, that within the next 6 months this will change and Baby J will have his own room. When and if it does happen I will definitely update. Anywho, his "place" took about 2 months to put together, but it's done. We decided to go with the Wendy Bellissimo Honey Bee theme. This was my first choice, but I thought it was too pricey, so I bought another more modern pattern. Well, when I got the modern set I didn't really love it, and neither did my sister. So she took me to Babies 'R' Us and while browsing the store we came upon the Honey Bee set. My sister new I'd liked this set, and since it was on sale, due to discontinuation, my sister bought it for us, including most of the accessories. I've put up most of the accessories, but we don't have that much room. Oh, and Baby J's name will be revealed as soon as he arrives, and to those out there who may already know it...keep it to yourselves! Anyway, here's our set-up. We also have a TV, computer desk, and glider in our room that are not pictured.

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