On Monday night, April 27, at 10:15 pm I was lying in bed and felt a pop (it seemed really loud!) and a gush and I said "uh oh!" The amniotic fluid was very greenish-brown, which means the baby pooped and could be in danger, so we kinda panicked, packed up a few things and flew to the hospital (20 minutes for a trip that's usually 45 minutes!) We got checked in and they got the fetal monitor hooked up to me and thank God the baby's heartbeat was fine. I remembered I hadn't felt the baby move a whole lot that evening, so I was getting really worried. They explained the risks of meconium in the fluid and said he might be fine or he might have some lung trouble and we would have to wait to see.
Ben looked so surprised and confused to wake up at the hospital. He gave me the sweetest kiss goodbye and Tim took to our friend's house. Tim came back and we walked the halls for a few hours, coming back for a fetal monitor check and cervix check every hour. I was having contractions this time and I was glad - I was dreading being induced like with Ben - and I was progressing. We were excited to hear I was 6 centimeters dilated at 1:00 or 2:00. The contractions seemed manageable (unlike last time with the pitocin) and Tim and I debated whether to get an epidural for a while. I finally decided to go ahead and got one when I was 7 centimeters dilated, at about 3:00 am. The contractions had just gotten a lot worse and I was getting really tired (why can't my babies come in the daytime so we don't have to start their lives by pulling an all-nighter?), so it was a big relief to lie down and rest. Our wonderful nurse Lori said my forehead finally came unfurrowed. We settled in to rest or sleep a little, but my mind was racing. Tim's mom arrived a little after 4:00 am. At about 5:30 Lori checked me and said I was 9 cm dilated and then things got hectic! I mentioned shift change at 7:00 and having to get acquainted with a new nurse and she said "We're having this baby on my shift!" I started feeling the contractions (not sure why, but Lori said it was a good thing and didn't turn up the epidural), and a bizarre-feeling and hard to resist need to push. The doctor came in and all kinds of other nurses came to be ready to check on the baby. Lori and Tim got into position to help me push and Tim reminded me to rest in between to save my energy (for another 2 and a half hour pushing session). I pushed through one contraction and felt like I had to try to get the hang of it. I pushed three more times and was surprised that they said he was crowning at the end of the third contraction!! The cord was wrapped around his neck and I watched as the doctor frantically (it seemed to me) clamped and cut it. I pushed once more and he was here! They took him to the warming table and suctioned and looked for fluid and he was really struggling to breathe, so he went to the NICU for a couple of hours. Tim kept going back and forth, taking video in the NICU and coming to show me the improvements in his breathing, and the third time he came back he said he was breathing much better. I was so thankful!!
We got moved into the mother and baby room and watched the baby sleep. We missed Ben a whole lot, and felt bored and restless. He finally got a name on Wednesday morning: Oliver Albert Enlow Waggoner. Albert is my father's name, Enlow is Tim's grandfather's middle name, and Oliver was one of the names from our list that suited him.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
More snow pics
We couldn't do much as far as playing because until Tim shoveled a path Ben couldn't walk anywhere. We tried to make a tunnel since Ben likes tunnels so much (first pic), but Ben and I were both scared to go through it for some reason.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Nice Easter weekend
I had a three-day weekend and Benny was such good company. We were really busy and social. We had people over for pizza on Friday night, and Ben helped me make pizza dough for a long time. He was up until 11:00 that night and slept until 9:30 Saturday morning. I sure enjoyed sleeping late.
On Saturday, we dyed Easter eggs, and Benny ended up with brightly dyed hands. But he had lots of fun making cute eggs with all the different egg decorating kits the grandparents had sent. Then we ate leftover pizza and he said it was delicious. Then he helped me put treats in plastic eggs for our Sunday Easter egg hunt. Saturday night we went to a 2-yr-old's birthday party. Ben fell off a tricycle onto the pavement and had his first big bloody nose, which made Tim and me feel horrible. He was fine after crying for a little while and had a blast. It was cute to see other kids with dyed hands.
On Sunday, we had 2 other 2-yr-olds, a 10-month old, and a 7-week-old, with their families, up to our house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. I feel badly asking people to drive so far, but I love having people over. It was cold and lightly snowing, and we couldn't get the kids to really concentrate on finding eggs, but it was a really nice morning anyway. The 7-week-old is really sweet, smiley, pleasant, and easy-going, and fits just right on the shelf of my belly. I hope Ben's brother is like that!! One of the few times the baby cried, Ben said "Baby shush" with his finger sideways across his lips.
All three days of the weekend, we took a nice, long nap, which I am enjoying thoroughly since there probably won't be any more of those for me after the new baby.
Last week two of my coworkers, Reese and Paula, babysat Ben while Tim and I went to our hospital class. Reese has 10-month-old Samantha and Ben was looking forward to seeing "baby." They had lots of fun. They said that at dinner, Ben said "baby water!" and ran downstairs to get Samantha's sippy cup he had seen earlier and brought it up to her. How thoughtful and sweet! When I came to pick him up, they had been reading for a long time and Paula said Ben really enjoyed every book. When I put him in the car, I asked him if he had fun with Reese and Paula and he said "Reenie and Pia-Paolo good," which I took to mean he had a good time with them.
Ben has been asking to read in the morning while we eat breakfast instead of watching movies. I'm so proud of him!
More later!
On Saturday, we dyed Easter eggs, and Benny ended up with brightly dyed hands. But he had lots of fun making cute eggs with all the different egg decorating kits the grandparents had sent. Then we ate leftover pizza and he said it was delicious. Then he helped me put treats in plastic eggs for our Sunday Easter egg hunt. Saturday night we went to a 2-yr-old's birthday party. Ben fell off a tricycle onto the pavement and had his first big bloody nose, which made Tim and me feel horrible. He was fine after crying for a little while and had a blast. It was cute to see other kids with dyed hands.
On Sunday, we had 2 other 2-yr-olds, a 10-month old, and a 7-week-old, with their families, up to our house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. I feel badly asking people to drive so far, but I love having people over. It was cold and lightly snowing, and we couldn't get the kids to really concentrate on finding eggs, but it was a really nice morning anyway. The 7-week-old is really sweet, smiley, pleasant, and easy-going, and fits just right on the shelf of my belly. I hope Ben's brother is like that!! One of the few times the baby cried, Ben said "Baby shush" with his finger sideways across his lips.
All three days of the weekend, we took a nice, long nap, which I am enjoying thoroughly since there probably won't be any more of those for me after the new baby.
Last week two of my coworkers, Reese and Paula, babysat Ben while Tim and I went to our hospital class. Reese has 10-month-old Samantha and Ben was looking forward to seeing "baby." They had lots of fun. They said that at dinner, Ben said "baby water!" and ran downstairs to get Samantha's sippy cup he had seen earlier and brought it up to her. How thoughtful and sweet! When I came to pick him up, they had been reading for a long time and Paula said Ben really enjoyed every book. When I put him in the car, I asked him if he had fun with Reese and Paula and he said "Reenie and Pia-Paolo good," which I took to mean he had a good time with them.
Ben has been asking to read in the morning while we eat breakfast instead of watching movies. I'm so proud of him!
More later!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
So much fun!
Benny has been in such a good mood these days, and entertains himself so well. he makes up fun games for himself and lets me rest on the floor or couch. He makes us smile constantly and laugh often. I can't believe how cute and sweet he is (or how cute and sweet I think he is, I'm sure I'm biased). But when I try to be really objective, he just seems so good-natured compared to some other toddlers I've known. Some random moments in the last few weeks:
- Benny was trooper with me during a marathon shopping day Friday. Twice he pointed out a restaurant from the car (not chains) and said "Eat! Yum!" How did he know they were restaurants?!? When we finally did stop for lunch at Noodles, he was so appreciative, in his usual way: "Yum, umm! Eat!" and told me repeatedly to sit down and eat (I was making sure he had water, etc). He pointed out the potty several times, which was a new discovery for him (public restrooms). He spent about half the shopping time in the cart, but he can stay there only so long, so I'm proud to say he really ran away from me only once and had only 1.5 tantrums, in a good 6 hours of shopping/driving.
- Many of his small tantrums still revolve around putting shoes and coats on and off, but they don't last long. His big tantrums are so understandable: we stop and get 3 Chipotle burritos after work (yes, he gets his own and eats almost all of it!), and he cries all the way home because he is hungry and doesn't want to wait to eat his "rito." I don't blame him! Do you? I am doing better about keeping snacks in the car, but if he has his mind set on that burrito, he doesn't want anything else. Or he sees a really fun-looking car at Walmart he wants to play with, but we're both at the end of our ropes, so I don't take the time to let him play with it. That would break my heart too, wouldn't it yours?
- He tells me when it is too hot in the car by saying "hot." And then when he likes the temperature better he says, "Hot - better!" and smiles and nods. He also directs me to roll the windows up and down.
- His "mad" face has continued, and I guess he might be getting it from books and TV. He scowls and rolls his eyes up, which does look like a picture of Thomas the Train looking mad in one of our books. But the face is so deliberate, not a natural frown. It's like he learned what components make a mad face and he is working on each one. He actually says now, "Minnie mad!" But you can make him smile or laugh in a second by kissing or tickling him.
- On our days off we'll go upstairs to my bathroom, where he likes to slide and roll cars in the tub. He also explores my drawers and now knows what eyeshadow, mascara, and eyelash curlers are for. He puts makeup on me and himself. He loves lotion too.
More later!
- Benny was trooper with me during a marathon shopping day Friday. Twice he pointed out a restaurant from the car (not chains) and said "Eat! Yum!" How did he know they were restaurants?!? When we finally did stop for lunch at Noodles, he was so appreciative, in his usual way: "Yum, umm! Eat!" and told me repeatedly to sit down and eat (I was making sure he had water, etc). He pointed out the potty several times, which was a new discovery for him (public restrooms). He spent about half the shopping time in the cart, but he can stay there only so long, so I'm proud to say he really ran away from me only once and had only 1.5 tantrums, in a good 6 hours of shopping/driving.
- Many of his small tantrums still revolve around putting shoes and coats on and off, but they don't last long. His big tantrums are so understandable: we stop and get 3 Chipotle burritos after work (yes, he gets his own and eats almost all of it!), and he cries all the way home because he is hungry and doesn't want to wait to eat his "rito." I don't blame him! Do you? I am doing better about keeping snacks in the car, but if he has his mind set on that burrito, he doesn't want anything else. Or he sees a really fun-looking car at Walmart he wants to play with, but we're both at the end of our ropes, so I don't take the time to let him play with it. That would break my heart too, wouldn't it yours?
- He tells me when it is too hot in the car by saying "hot." And then when he likes the temperature better he says, "Hot - better!" and smiles and nods. He also directs me to roll the windows up and down.
- His "mad" face has continued, and I guess he might be getting it from books and TV. He scowls and rolls his eyes up, which does look like a picture of Thomas the Train looking mad in one of our books. But the face is so deliberate, not a natural frown. It's like he learned what components make a mad face and he is working on each one. He actually says now, "Minnie mad!" But you can make him smile or laugh in a second by kissing or tickling him.
- On our days off we'll go upstairs to my bathroom, where he likes to slide and roll cars in the tub. He also explores my drawers and now knows what eyeshadow, mascara, and eyelash curlers are for. He puts makeup on me and himself. He loves lotion too.
More later!
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