April 2014 Update

Brynlee is, 90 percent of the time, a happy baby. Occasionally she gets a little fussy, but for the most part, we got lucky.

Look at this photo I got of her yesterday, while she was playing with a toy. With how often I am taking pictures of her, we know that she won't be afraid of cameras when she is older.

She gets so excited. Especially when she is pulling on your hooded sweatshirt's strings. She just loves that.

I think I am enjoying this stage of her life a little more than when she was first born. She has a personality now, and she recognizes me. She is more fun to interact with. I can play with her and she will respond with sounds, or smiles, or laughs. Kind of like a puppy, but a human version.

She eats puree'd foods now. She really likes mangos. Rice cereal works to fill her up, too. Still loves her bottles though. She knows when it's time, and she will start kicking with joy when she notices the bottle in your hand.

Her Grandma, and her Great Aunt help us babysit when we are at work. Sometimes I think that she is more excited to see them, than she is to see us. She really enjoys her time with them. It's safe to say by the look on her face when she makes eye contact with them both. We are very grateful.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is her very favorite television show. We try to limit her time in front of the TV, because studies show that it isn't great for children under 2. But, how can you keep her completely away? You never will. When the Daniel Tiger theme song comes on, she knows it. She will freeze whatever she is doing, and turn to watch. It's pretty amazing. Her memory is fantastic.

Image from PBS.org

Chicago Parent Magazine

6:51pm



I wanted to let everyone know that I have recently been accepted as a blogger for Chicago Parent Magazine! I am thrilled to be a part of such a great community of parents. I never thought that I would get this far.

So starting this month, you will be able to see some of my posts over on ChicagoParent.com. I will keep blogging here, as well.

Brynlee has been growing so quickly, that I can't even keep up. It's hard for us to tell, because we are around her everyday. I was going through some older pictures of her, and couldn't believe how small she was just a few months ago. Now she looks like a monster!

My wife went back to work December 30th. Luckily, we have great family that can help us with babysitting. They come to our home to watch her, and THEY DON'T CHARGE! How jealous are you, now? We are blessed.

Brit's mom takes Mondays.
I take Tuesdays.
My aunt watches her on Wednesdays.
I have her on Thursdays.
My mom does Fridays.
And then Brit has her on the weekends.

It all works out really well for us. Sometimes my schedule changes so we have to adjust, but it looks like I will be able to keep this setup pretty regularly. We aren't as concerned about how high child care costs are as much as we are about the quality of the care. My aunt spent a LOT of time with me when I was little, so my mom likes to credit her with most of my learning. I am excited for Brynlee to get the same treatment.

My wife surprised me with a fantastic Nikon D5300 (the newest camera they have!) for Christmas. So now I am able to take my photography to a MUCH higher level. Trust me, I have a long way to go, but I have been working on my skills at every chance that I get. (Not as many as I would like. We have a three month old, remember?)

We also bought a new computer, since my laptop that I used to blog from, died. I still have to recover all of the images off of the hard drive, but until then, this new computer is working great. iMac anyone?

I look forward to all of the new adventures that this year should bring! Remember to keep an eye out for me at ChicagoParent.com.

Rocket Poop

If I had a dollar for every time that my wife asked me to get up and get something for her, I would be writing this from the Hamptons right now. But it's usually something for the baby, and as a dad, I don't mind. I will do anything for my little girl. Even if it means cleaning up the rocket poop that sprayed all over the carpet. 

Yes, that happens. I have yet to invent some type of poop-shield. A "backboard". That's what is really needed. Someone help me out. Let's get this solution figured out before my carpet has holes in it. 

Until that's figured out, rocket poop exists. I can't speak for other babies, because I haven't experienced it elsewhere. But my daughter can spray poop at record speeds. As a matter of fact, last time I believe I heard a small "boom" from the sound barrier breaking. Pretty intense. 

Getting baby droppings launched into your chest can put a damper on your day, or ruin your dinner, but it's the timing that really is the puzzler. She's so sneaky about it. Everything will be calm on the battle front, and once you cross into the jungle, it's all out war. There's no turning back. You just take the bullet spray and hope you dodge the killer. 

She's like a skunk. Spraying to defend herself. Like "get away from me with that warm, damp wipe". Your treading on thin ice. Keep your mouth closed because the cannon is loaded. And only God can tell when it's ready to blow. 

Not only do babies poop, a lot;

They poop, ferociously.

Image via Wikipedia.org

Keeping Up With The KarDADshians

Holy crap. 

Parenting is getting the best of me. I can't even seem to find my way out of bed on my days off. This parenting thing is serious...

...serious-ly demanding. 

Relaxation is non-existent. I hear it only gets better when they start to walk. Which will be in t-minus ten months? Ugh. 

You know what the worst part is?

My wife does 90% of the baby-related chores here. It's true. She feeds her, changes diapers, bathes her, dresses her, and all that other stuff. I don't do much, really. (And no, this is not her writing this, either.)

I just feel so exhausted. What little help I am able to give, is wearing me out quick. It's hard work to take care of a baby. God Bless all those single parents out there who do it every day, by themselves. I don't know how you manage. 

I speak to a lot of other Dad's, through Twitter and other blogs, and they seem to spend a lot of time with their kids. Taking vacations with them, going to parks, helping out Mom at home, etc. When I come home, I'm already ready for bed. I never used to be this tired, but our lives are non-stop. When the baby is sleeping, it's time to get everything else done that couldn't be done while she was awake. That leaves basically zero time for fun. 

We did manage to make it out to a friend's Halloween party last weekend. Brynlee was the star of the show as always. Until she spit up all over one of our friends who was holding her.

But it was good to get out for a while. We haven't seen many of our friends lately, and that seems normal once you start having kids and adult responsibilities. So, the few chances that are available, it's wise to take them up. Who knows when the next times will be. 

Some advice - Real life parenting is not like what you see on television. We are not the Kardashians. I'm sure there is a lot you don't see on tv. Like the crying, late night feedings, projectile poop and vomit. We can't pay someone to watch our kid for the day while we fly to Miami for lunch.

You have to be available every second of every day for the kids. They need you, and at the strangest and most random times. As babies, 3am is a perfectly acceptable example of when to tell Mom/Dad it's time for a snack. Mom/Dad might have to get up in a couple hours to go to work, but baby doesn't care. 

My wife says I complain too much. I don't know what she is talking about. 

image via Celebuzz.com

Day 29 - Growing So Fast!

9:08pm



Brynlee had another doctor's appointment today. She has these little white bumps on her upper gums, and at first we thought they were teeth. Then we thought "thrush". But apparently they are pretty normal, and harmless, and if they aren't causing her any discomfort, then to not worry about it. So we aren't.



She is now 23.5 inches long, which is above average. Maybe she will be tall? At this rate (nearly five inches in just four weeks), I wouldn't doubt it.

She weighs 10.2 lbs. Which means in one month she has gained almost two pounds.

Yep, tomorrow will be one month old. We have those stickers that we used during the pregnancy. They gave us for the baby as well. So we will have to bust out the trusty camera (aka iPhone) and get some photos taken.

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Day 26 - The World's Catchiest and Stupidest Music Video

8:31pm



I just can't get this stupid song out of my head. With over 100 million views, I think that if you haven't seen this video by now, you are obviously missing something. So here you go....

Ylvis - The Fox

Your welcome.



Tell me what you think of this extremely popular viral video! I can't seem to stop singing "kakakachowkakakachowkakakachow" out loud, every 10 minutes or so.

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*This blog contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. It's like a win-win situation.

Day 23 - Is Your Child Stupid, Too?

9:45pm


Today was a good day.


#1. I was off of work.

#2. I got to spend the whole day with my baby girl and wife.

#3. I had some pretty decent mexican food for dinner.


We went shopping to get Brynlee some warmer clothes. The weather is changing and starting to cool down a little bit. She doesn't have much clothing for that type of weather. Not in Newborn size at least. We have an outlet mall close by, so we decided to check it out.

There was one part of the day however, that wasn't very good. As a matter of fact, we were horrified.

One of the stores that we visited was The Children's Place. We had Little B in her stroller, with the sunshades up. The mall is outdoors and the sun was really shining today. Anyways, we found a few little pants and sweaters for her there. While my wife was shopping I noticed a lady, maybe in her late 30s, or early 40s, waiting by the register, loudly calling her little boy's name. He was sitting on the ground by the front door of the store. There was only us, and a handful of other customers in the entire store.

I could see her impatiently staring at the credit card machine, as if it wasn't working. The store clerk, standing there with her arms crossed. It was an awkward situation, and I didn't understand it. Anyways, we kept shopping, others came in and out, and they stayed in the same position.

We decided on what we were going to purchase, and proceeded to the register. There was only this one open. When we walked up, I think that we were the only ones left in the store, perhaps one other lady browsing. Turns out the lady's credit card wasn't going through, or was declined, not sure, don't really care. Her son was still sitting by the front door, ignoring her demands for him to come over by her. She stepped to the side, so that the girl could ring us up and get us on our way, while she was waiting for the card to magically start working again.

The clerk started to ring us up while she, my wife and I, and anyone else that might have been in the store noticed this mother go over to her child by the front door. She smacked him a few times while he was on the ground, my wife said she kicked him, or booted him with her feet, but I didn't notice that. The real shocker to all of us is that while she was "mildly beating" this child, who was probably two or three years old, she was also belittling him by telling him how STUPID he is. Several times. The child even responded, "I'm not stupid!" With her responding, "Yes, you are!"

We were in awe. My wife and I looked at eachother thinking, do we say something? Is it our place to intervene? I could tell that my wife was really biting her tongue. She is NOT one to turn her head at something like this. But, she did. And so did I. But now I'm starting to think that we should have took action. It's not even so much the smacking, although she went a little overboard with it, but a little discipline is not uncommon, and every parent can make their own decisions about that. But to tell your young child that he is STUPID? What is that going to improve about the situation? Nobody is stupid. At least that is how I feel. I'm pretty sure that 99.9% of other parents would agree with me on that one.

Who knows how she treats this kid behind closed doors. Now that we sit here and think about how we should have confronted this situation, you still can't justify it because of how crazy some people are these days. What if we would have said something and she had a knife, or gun, or some sort of weapon? You can't be too careful. I think that's why we kept our mouths shut. I bet if we wouldn't have had Brynlee with us though, my wife would have said something, if I didn't.

Moral of the story is that NO CHILD IS STUPID. They might be a lot of work, not listen, be a pain, and give you more headaches than you can ever imagine. But they AREN'T stupid. And degrading your kids in that manner is just not acceptable.



I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about what we witnessed today. What would you have done in this situation? Leave your comment on here or on my FACEBOOK PAGE.

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*FTC Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 22 - Toddler Held Hostage At Oklahoma Walmart

8:51pm



I came across a disturbing video earlier today. Apparently a man (obviously not in the right state of mind), picks a small girl out of a shopping cart, while her mother is turned away, puts a knife to her stomach, and walks over the mother, demanding that she uses his cell phone to call a Dallas, TX police officer that he grew up with. Frantic, the mother tries to dial and cooperate with the demanding man. Meanwhile, bystanders call police and they show up rather quickly. While trying to negotiate with the man, they take the mother away, to the front of the store. After a few minutes, and opportuinty arises for an office to take action. His only option is to shoot the man at point blank range, freeing the child safely.




Take a look for yourself....

I'm not too sure when this happened, I believe a couple of months ago. It shows how important it is to keep an eye on your children! How quickly this happened is unreal. No reason whatsoever for him to single out that certain child, other than the wrong place at the wrong time. And that is something that nobody can predict. This isn't a race thing either. It can happen to anyone, by anyone, and anywhere. So just please, keep your children close, and tell them you love them every day. This woman is lucky to have her daughter still, and lucky for such well responding law enforcement.

Just something to remember!

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*FTC Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 17 - Sleepy With Her Dad

4:13pm

Working a lot this week. Until 10pm tonight and tomorrow. So my wife has been great by making us breakfast and lunch earlier today so that I could get some rest. Me and little B slept until about noon today, only waking up to eat. 

Day 16 - How Long Until We Can Eat A Normal Dinner Again?

10:06pm



How long until we can eat a normal dinner again?

Brynlee likes to interrupt our mealtimes, as if she knows what she is doing. Like she doesn't want us to eat. It's all about her now. If we are doing something, she wants the attention. She makes sure that she eats first. She is so spoiled.

Tonight, for example.

I brought home a few strip steaks for dinner. My wife started cooking them shortly after I got home. I was watching the first Blackhawks game of the season, with little B. Well, she wasn't really watching, but she was with me. So when dinner was ready, she brought it out in to the living room, so that we could eat while watching the game. Right away Brynlee starts crying for food. So my wife has to let her food sit to feed her.

I get about halfway done with my food, and my wife hasn't even touched hers yet. I get up to use the restroom, during a pause in the game. I hear an "Oh my God!" from the living room, followed shortly by a "Kevin, I need your help!".

I come out to find that Brynlee decided to poop out the top of the back of her diaper. Soaked her onesie, and made a mess of herself. Great! Now we both have to stop eating to get her all cleaned up and redressed. Needless to say, the steaks still tasted good. But yes, everything was cold by the time we were able to eat. This happens regularly I'd say.


We both love her so much. We don't know what we would do without her. It's hard to imagine that we didn't have her before. It's awesome to be a dad. Very tough, especially for mom, but totally worth it.


Can I get a warm steak now, please?





Little B couldn't handle the hockey game, she passed out (for a few minutes, until dinner was done) after the first period.

 

Day 15 - Walking Milk Machine

9:35pm

Today is my day off this week. My only one, because I am going to work some overtime at a different store, on my other day off. We could use the extra income due to my wife being off of work. Looks like she might be off for 8 weeks now instead of the original 6. It's up to her doctor when to release her. 

This baby won't stop eating. What is normal for a two week old? She eats about 4oz every time we feed her. She is looking for food probably four or five times a day. But sometimes she spits some of it up afterwards. It's like her eyes are bigger than her stomach. Her dad seems to have this same problem. (The big eyes part, not spitting up). But she seems to always be hungry. I don't think babies are supposed to eat as much as she does. But then again, she does have a few chins to feed. She's quite the little chunker. 

Today I noticed that she doesn't really like when I hold her. It's either that, or she just favors her mom. Or coincidence that she was uncomfortable or something every time I held her. Today she just didn't want me to have her I guess. She would cry and cry. I had her diaper changed, she was fed, and burped. Still cried. Gave her to her mom and she was fine. 

Now I'm thinking, wait a minute? Does she not like her dad!? How could she not? I feed her all the time! I talk to her and change her. I kiss her. I hold her and comfort her. She better like me! I try to be the best dad I can be, but I think all kids are a little partial to their mothers. After all, mom is a walking milk machine, and I can't offer anything close to that. 

Mom has been a little crabby today. Baby, too. I don't know if the normal monthly women problems are in effect or not yet, this soon after being pregnant. But I like to blame it on that anyways. Maybe she has me trained? When I am in a bad mood, I tend to occupy my time with getting stuff done. This morning I cleaned the house, after being up most of the night with Brynlee so that mom could get some rest. Now it all makes sense.....

Day 14 - Breaking Bad Halloween

6:43pm




We are preparing for the season finale of Breaking Bad. They have been playing the whole series, marathon-style, for the last couple days, leading up to the finale. So these last few episodes have really been tense. Can't wait to see what happens at the end!! So instead of spending time on the blog, I will leave you with a few photos of our Halloween decorations so far...

 

Getting excited for our first trick-or-treaters ever. (This is our first place, for any new readers. And if you are new, why not start from the beginning? Week 10 Day 1) 

Some little baby feet I seen peeking out.

 

Day 11 - Daddy's Kicked Out!

8:08pm



...Continued from yesterday...


At 6:30am I walked into our bedroom, after sleeping on the couch all night, to find Brynlee spread out as much as her little body could be. IN MY SPOT ON THE BED.

I couldn't be mad. I thought it was really funny actually. But I think I may have been officially kicked out of my own bed!

Tonight, my wife talked me into satisfying one of her many cravings while she was pregnant.

Can you guess what it is?

It's a type of food. A Japanese type of food, actually. And it involves fresh, raw fish, and is highly discouraged for pregnant women.

Shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Sushi, of course! One of our all-time favorites!

We had to get it to-go, since we aren't sure how Brynlee will do in a sit-down restaurant, and aren't ready to find out. She does great at stores, so I'm sure she would be fine, but either way, we decided to take it home. Wow, was it good. I'm glad my wife was able to have some again, she has been talking about it for the last nine months.

Brynlee's umbilical cord remainders, fell off today. So there's her first milestone. And I was the one to find it! My wife says that it's significant, who finds it. I don't know. She could have found it and I would have been OK with that. Now we can give her a real bath! Well, we will wait a few days still, to make sure it's all sealed up right.

*FTC Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 7 - Baby Model

3:21pm

Little B got a bath last night. Well, she was washed. Until her umbilical cord falls off, she can't be submerged in water. So she has to be sponge bathed. I love when her hair is clean because it's so soft and silky. 

We really buckled down and sorted the whole house last night. We had purchased a few storage bins the day before she went into labor. So they have been sitting around and we finally filled them up last night and stacked them in the garage. Brynlee came outside in her stroller and watched me reorganize our storage in the garage. It was pretty chilly out last night. She had lots of blankets on. 

The real reason we got the house sparkling clean is because Brynlee was a baby model this morning. A photographer was looking for a newborn to model a company's baby headbands. I'm sure you can guess who was chosen to do so....

The lady came to our house this morning to get the photos of Brynlee modeling the headbands and outfits. We get free professional pictures out of the deal, which most people know, are NOT cheap. 

My wife's family is over right now. Her aunt and grandma haven't met B yet. I guess her grandma didn't want to pass Brynlee off for someone else to hold. Too funny!

Here's a few pictures from yesterday. 

Day 5 - Our Little Hairball

2:33pm

I already am dreading leaving her in the morning, when I have to go to work. My wife is nervous too, about how in six weeks we are going to have to give her up a couple days per week, to a babysitter. It would be nice if one of us could stay at home, but it would also be nice if the bills would pay themselves. We both have to work.  

This is what I have to leave in the morning...

Our little hairball, all swaddled up and comfy. She was smiling before I took that photo. I missed it. 

We are very thankful and appreciate all of the congratulations that we have received from friends and family. We are getting all kinds of letters in the mail, as a matter of fact, my wife called me a little bit ago, and said she was going to cry, because Brynlee got her first letter, addressed to her, today. 

I'm thinking that next week we are going to slow down on the visitors. It's been so overwhelming lately with everything that we have to do, that time is already passing us by. We haven't had much of a choice to enjoy her to ourselves. I think it's important to have that family bonding time. Especially since the six weeks my wife has off is going to fly by. 

Oh, and I guess Brynlee decided that she would have an "explosive" bowel movement while my wife was changing her diaper, earlier. So I have that going for me today.... When I say "explosive", I mean like "Have to clean the walls" and "Steam clean the carpets", explosive. Of course I found it kind of funny because it was my wife and not me, but I'm sure my day awaits. 

Day 4 - Changing A Diaper In 60 Seconds Flat

10:17pm



I was up with B from about 4:00am to 5:30am last night, or should I say this morning? Her poor mom was pooped, so I figured I would help out and feed her. It took her about an hour and a half to relax and finally get back to sleep. I'm thinking that if I would have swaddled her, she would have fallen asleep faster. She seems to like that. She is swaddled right now, and not a peep out of her.


She spent some time with her grandpa this morning, before going out on her maiden voyage into the outside world. A pit-stop at my wife's work was first, because everyone was just dying to see her. She also had to fill out some paperwork for the maternity leave. Even though there were about 10 people hovered over her car seat, she never opened an eye.

Next stop.... Pediatrician.

Her first check-up. She loved her new doctor. A very nice person, I think we found a good one. My wife's OB/GYN actually recommended her, and we can see why. The doctor is all about organic and natural, but very down-to-earth and friendly as well. Brynlee passed everything with flying colors. As a matter of fact, I believe she was considered "perfect".

They even mentioned about a newborn little boy who was in the office earlier. Him and Brynlee would make a perfect couple, according to the staff. I had to step in and say "Hey, wait a minute, here. Let's slow down a bit!" She's already a daddy's girl, for sure.

A few more errands to Walgreens, and Babies-R-Us, and she did great. She slept about 98% of the time, with no real fusses. I guess we can't ask for much more than that, out of a newborn. She's a great baby so far, although when she wants something, you know. She happens to have quite the set of lungs.

Dad is getting more comfortable changing diapers. Not to brag or anything, but I can change a diaper in about 60 seconds flat. Not bad for a rookie.


She attracts all kinds of attention, wherever we go. Mostly because of her hair. Everyone can't seem to get enough of her full head of hair!

I got a small taste of fatherhood today, when I realized that Brynlee had eating and pooped a few times during the day, and that my wife and I hadn't eaten since dinner, the night before. It's crazy how you put your own needs off to make sure your children are taken care of. (Don't worry, we ate a good dinner tonight)


Check out this little kid's Chicago Bears jersey. I think we need to get her one!

Day 3 - Pump And Save

10:39pm



Today was my first day back to work since Brynlee was born. I would have rather stayed home, but you have to do what you have to do. I am off tomorrow which is nice, because we have a lot to get done around home. Clothes are still packed from the hospital, laundry to be done, dishes to be done, house cleaning, and all of that fun stuff. Not really looking forward to it. My wife took care of some of the chores while she was home today, but she is limited on what she can do. Plus, she has a newborn to take care of as well!

Little B has her first Pediatric appointment tomorrow afternoon. Just a quick check-up to make sure she is getting enough food, and that she is doing well in general. Breast-fed babies need to be seen within 1-2 days after being released from the hospital. So we'll see how that goes. This girl has been eating like crazy.

My wife pumped breastmilk for the first time today. She was able to get about 8oz. Her breasts were hurting and the baby wasn't eating fast enough. They were leaking so she decided to pump because, face it, breast milk is like gold. Pump and save. Pump and save. Sell it on Ebay. (Just Kidding)

The lactation consultant said it's important for my wife to feed her only from her breasts, because that is how a mother and child bond. Obviously, there are other ways as well, but that's a big one. As far as dads, we bond with our children more by ways of playing, and changing, and things like that.


I changed my first official diaper tonight. A nice, poopy one. It was great. I loved it. Can't wait to do it again. Do you like my sarcasm?

We have this Medela Pump In Style breast pump

Day 2 - Guess Who's Home?!

10:55pm



We are exhausted! So much going on the last few days, it's just great to be home. Brynlee is already enjoying her little rocker/sleeper and is passed out in there as I am typing this.

We were able to leave the hospital after our Doctor released us. He wasn't able to show up until about 7pm this evening. I think the extra time waiting was good for us though, because we learned a lot of valuable tips from our helpful nurses.

Before we left, we asked the Doctor about the "newborn insert" that you can see in the car seat in the photo above. It is an extra accessory that fits into the car seat to help support newborn's heads, and bodies, because the car seat is actually too big for newborns. I posted a picture on Instagram of just the car seat with the insert in it, ready to go for when she was born, and I received a lot of criticism about it. Several people told me that they are extremely unsafe, and not covered by the car seat's warranty. But the Doctor told us that we SHOULD use it, because her little head needs to have some extra support. So for anyone wondering if they are safe or not, I'm not sure about that, but our Doctor did recommend using it.

We had great service the whole time during our hospital stay. And we would recommend it to any of our friends. So if you are in the Chicagoland area, ask me and I will fill you in. 

My wife is recovering extremely quickly, and has been an awesome mother already. As a matter of fact, I slept all through the night last night, in the hospital, and she got up a few times with Brynlee to feed her. She said that Brynlee never cried during the night, and that she actually had to wake her up to feed her. Hopefully she stays like that because that would make our lives a lot easier.

I am going to go to work tomorrow, because they are so short-handed, and because my wife insisted that she will be fine. I will probably take Thursday off to help get everything settled back in to the house. We have a couple bags packed for the hospital, that need to get put back away. And my wife's hands are going to be quite full. I will help with all of the household duties. 

Time for some much needed rest!

Do you have any questions about her delivery? Labor? Pain? Epidural? Feel free to ask, I would love to answer any questions!

Week 39 Day 7 - Water Broke, Here We Go!

9:59pm

She's here! And she is adorable! She looks just like her momma!

Her water broke at 5am this morning. We were both half awake already because she was having painful period-like cramping every 15 minutes or so. Possibly contractions? But when it broke she knew right away. She felt the "pop". She turned to me and said "Kevin, my water just broke". I responded with a quick, "Alright, let's go!"

We called the doctor and he said we have some time to shower and get everything situated. So we both took a shower, and got all of our stuff put together (bags were already packed but not ready in the car). I had to talk my wife out of doing her makeup. There's no time for that!

Her contractions started after she showered and were progressively worse during the 20 minute car ride to the hospital. By the time we arrived she was asking for an epidural, though it was still too early for that. She actually stayed pretty calm throughout the whole labor. 

We moved from the triage room to a delivery suite. She came in dilated at 4cm and a -2 head position. (Dilated to 10cm is when you start pushing, and they want the head to a +2 or +3 from what I can remember them saying. Correct me if I'm wrong). About an hour after we were put into the delivery suite, she was already at 7cm. Not long after, 9.5cm. They determined that she had preeclampsia so they ran some magnesium stearate through her IV to help with preventing seizures. High blood pressure, the main problem with preeclampsia, can cause seizures. 

12:00pm and it's time to push!

The IV's in her hand

 

Her epidural situation...

Holding hands, ready to push!

To be continued.....