Home Sweet Home

At 1:15pm on March 24, we were finally on our way home! We had been released earlier in the morning, but Coen had a few tests that had to be ran for his billirubin levels. Everything came back within the normal range so we were out the door!

Of course, B and I were both terrified of driving with Coen but I think every parent has that "first car ride" fear. I sat in the back seat just incase he woke up during the 45 min drive. Before we pulled out of the parking lot I will never forget B's comment, he turned to me and looked at the car seat and said, "Ugh, we have to get on the interstate and go 70 miles an hour." It was his first 'fatherly' comment that made me realize how different a mother and father's roles can be.

While we both have the same fears and concerns we view everything differently. B's biggest concern was protecting Coen from the outside world. (Yep, all of you :) ) He hated the idea of him being on the interstate and being vunerable to the semi's and other vehicles. My biggest concern with car ride was Coen waking up and being terrified because he wouldn't know where he was or waking up and being hungry. I knew B was driving so I wasn't worried about the dangers of the road. It was at that moment that I realized we both played the parent part pretty well, B could handle the protection part and me well I could take on making sure Coen was happy. Of course over the next few days we would both learn all of the different avenues to Coen's well being.

A New World

The hours following Coen's birth seemed to fly. Saying I was exhausted doesn't really cover how tired I really was. All I wanted to do was stare at him but I couldn't even hold my head up long enough to eat. We were moved to a different room where we would stay for the rest of our time there. Of course the nurses offered to keep Coen in the nursery for a few hours for us to get some sleep, but I couldn't handle him not being there. After my parents and B's mom left we decided it was time for a our first family nap, (you quickly learn with a newborn that all you will get for a long time is just a bunch of naps). Coen slept for a while but was sure to wake up to eat. For those of you with children you know that those first few days it is very difficult to keep them awake while nursing. You wouldn't know by looking at him but we did struggle for a while trying to keep him awake to eat.

Right after his birth we were informed that he had a hematoma across the back of his head, (a BIG blood bruise), it was due to Dr. Richardson having to use suction. The nurses all said it looked a lot worse than it was and it would probably be gone in a few days. Of course I was tore up over it because it did look awful and I was so worried that it was hurting him. By the time we got up on Tuesday the blood was nearly reabsorbed! My parents came back and brought tons of BOY clothes, because as I mentioned we didn't find out Coen was a boy prior to his birth.

We spent the rest of our stay learning how to properly nurse and just trying to absorb every little breath.

The days at the hospital seemed to fly by. However, when it came time to go home I was very ready! Coen was slightly jaundice so he was monitored regularly during our hospital stay, he was never bad enough to have to stay under the lights but they did want us to get into our pediatrician the day after we went home.

Current News: Coen rolled over from his belly to his back last night!! Daddy and mommy both went crazy and we were so happy that we were both there to see it. :-)

Its been how long???

I was catching up on some the blogs I frequent; I realized it has been MONTHS since I have posted. Since my last post our world has COMPLETELY changed.

Our little Spark has made it: growing by leaps and bounds, had our first bout with strep throat, went on vacation, and I have went back to work.

I will try over the next few days to catch up on all of the above topics and include some current stuff! But first things first lets get booger here:

B and I had done something very odd for this day in age...we didn't find out the sex prior to delivery. I had a feeling it was a girl and B wouldn't even guess (he hates to be wrong so he played the safe bet). So rather than blow it right this minute for you I will make you wait as long as we did :-)

Sunday, March 21: The entire weekend I had been feeling fantastic, it was particularly sunny and warm so I sat outside on the back patio a lot just absorbing all the sunshine. I was relaxed and well rested. It was the best I had felt for about a month. Purdue was playing in the tournament, of course, we were tuned in! Around 4:30 (tip off being at 5:30) I noticed a backpain that kept coming and going every 10 mins. It wasn't strong at the time so I didn't even mention it to B right away. However, by 5:30, mind you he had just set down for the game, I mentioned the pains. He jokingly said, "Maybe you're in labor," he did follow up a few minutes later with, "tell me when you have one." So for the next hour, every 8-10mins, "There's another one!" Of course he was trying to watch the game but I don't know that he paid to much attention to the game because he was very excited at the thought that I could be in labor. Around 8:30, I told him I was pretty sure I was in labor. The doctors had told us the "every 5 mins for an hour" rule and my contractions were still ranging 6-8 mins. Around 10:30pm they dropped down to every 5 mins. We timed them perfectly for an hour then called the doctor. She told B to bring me in! We arrived at the hospital at 12:15am, Monday, March 22.

Monday, March 22: After checking in, I was whisked away to the Women's center and given my own little suite. I was hooked up to all the monitors that did indeed confirm I was in labor. The nurse had told us that she had called Dr. Richardson and she was planning on starting pitocin at 7 am depending on the progress I made on my own overnight.

The contractions continued and around 3:15am I rolled over to tell B I needed to use the restroom when I felt a slight trickle of fluid. I said, "well I guess I waited to long, I either peed or my water broke, but either way I need the nurse." He pushed the button and asked her to come in. She tested the liquid and said "Yep, your water just broke!" I was 4cm dialated at the time. I had planned on trying to have the baby with out an epidural but after the first couple of contractions, post losing my water, I requested the epidural! I was given the epidural around 5:30am. At this time my parents had made it to the hospital.

Just received the epidural...much happier!

By 9:00am I was 6cm dialated and they said probably in the next couple of hours I would be pushing. At 11:00am, the nurse checked me and told us I was 10 cm and it was time to start pushing!! I pushed for about an hour and they began to believe the baby's head was turned. Dr. Richardson checked and said the baby was looking sideways, she helped the baby out a little bit but convincing it to turn face down. Another hour passed, 1pm, and I hadn't made any more progress. Dr. Richardson suggested we opt for suction, which essentially is a tiny plunger, B and I had a very short conversation and agreeded it was time for something! Dr. Richardson used the suction one time helping the baby just the smallest bit and I pushed. At 1:15pm, Monday, March 22, I heard the words I had been waiting (so inpatiently) to hear, "It's a BOY, a really BIG boy!" Coen Micheal was here!

He came out crying. They plopped him on my belly and I realized at that point how big he actually was! Dr. Richardson said, "I bet he is 8lbs 12oz." First lets revert back 1 week prior when she had said, "this baby will be about 6.5lbs to 7lbs at birth, no bigger, because your belly is measuring for a small baby." Fast forward 7 days and she is in awe over his size. He weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 21inches long.

Coen was absolutely perfect. All 10 fingers were long and all 10 toes were short and chubby. He had little baby rolls and the most perfect cheeks for pinching. His eyelashes were definitely his daddy's and his nose and lips were his mama's. He had every little boy's dream a natural mohawk that wouldn't lay down for anything. Our love for him was instant...he had wrapped from the first squal. I couldn't imagine anything else being more perfect. God definitely blessed us!

I will do my best to catch everyone up on the days in the hospital next and our homecoming :-)