Four Weeks Tomorrow!

Moving on up...to my crib

Cooking made easy - I love my Bjorn! Snuggle time with Aunt Nicole!

Oh my gosh, how can Chase be four weeks old already? A WHOLE MONTH OLD!!! Unbelievable how fast time flies. We have seen such a change in him over the past week. it is clear that he is recognizing us now and is much more interested in the world around him. It is just a little glimpse for us of the fun that is in store....while I want him to stay little forever, I am so excited to see who he becomes and get a chance to take in his little personality. In order to celebrate his four week birthday, I went to Babies R Us for a new floor toy. Video above is his experience - he doesn't quite know what to do with it but he definitely knows it is there!

We also got a chance to take him out for his first real world experience on Sunday. He went to breakfast with the fam, and although his car seat was covered up the whole time so as to avoid any germs, I am quite sure he had a blast :)

Finally, I think that it is time for Chase to go into his big boy crib. He just does not want to sleep in his bassinet and I put him in his crib for a nap today and like magic, he slept like a baby (no pun intended :)). So, while I am sad to see him leave our room, I think it is best for him (and my sanity) that he goes to his room where he will get some much needed rest. We will try it tonight to see how it goes...

xoxo

3 Weeks And Counting!

Mommy's learning how to post video!

My fav spot...

By the time I can go outside, my wingman outfit won't fit...darn! :)

Rooting for the Rebs from home! Silly boy, calling his broker.... he still hasn't learned how easy ETrade is!

Aunt Sam giving Chase some love!

And so are Auntie's Lauren & Shane!

Today I woke up and thought to myself that Chase felt a little heavier than normal. Now, I know I have been complaining about his constipation, but by looking at his chubby little cheeks, I thought that his heaviness may actually be a result of him eating....A LOT. Seriously, the kid eats for almost an hour at a time, every three hours (except the one break I get at night when he holds out for 4 hours - sleep time for me)! Just feeding him is a job in and of itself! So, to the scale we went and wouldn't you know, he weighs almost 8 whole pounds! Yup, 7 lbs, 13 ounces. And to think that only three weeks ago he had dropped down to 5 lbs 11 ounces. Our little guy would still not be classified as a big baby, but I am so proud of him for how fast he is growing!

As for his constipation, today we seem to have a break through - I think he is finally figurings out how to...um....get it out. We have had quite a few big ones today - maybe I should go weigh him again!

OK, as for the last paragraph, who knew I would be so excited about Chase's poo, but I'm telling you, that as a mom, these things really do excite you. Oh god, may I be a warning to all of those without kids yet - you get excited about REALLY WEIRD STUFF after you have a child!

This week was fairly uneventful...we are still stuck inside the house for the most part. Dr. Carrie wants us to wait until he is a little over a month before he can go out. But, we are having fun taking Rigley on walks and hanging out with family. Rigley is still super with him, she is very cautious around him and although she still tries to sneak a lick in, she pretty much leaves him alone.

Well, until I have more to say, I'll stop blabbering!!

xoxo

A Week In The Life...

I'm not so sure I like this swing.... ...but it sure puts me to sleep :) 2nd Sunday football with dad...Chase has officially taken Krod's place

Just chillin'

I took this picture as a reminder of just how small he was - barely fills up the car seat!

You lookin at me?

Cuddle time with dad

I cannot believe...and I mean cannot believe how fast this past week has flown by. Chase will be two weeks old tomorrow and it feels like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant. For all of my complaining of sleepless nights (gas is not a fun thing in a little baby) I know that I will soon look back on this time and wish I could experience every moment again. I am truly trying to savor every sleep deprived (as in texting my friend Angie and not remembering it) moment that there is.

This week we have really just been hanging out at home since Chase is still too little to be out and about in public. We have still had a lot of visitors coming by to meet the little guy and we have gotten out for a few walks in the open air but primarily it has just been us getting to all know eachother.

We did, however, take Chase in for "The Operation" - yes, he is officially circumcised. I thought it might be a painful experience for us but on the doctor's recommendation (and it was great advise), we did not watch. Instead, we waited patiently in the office expecting to hear him wailing as Dr. Carrie perfected his peepee but he just slept through the whole thing! Yup, not even a wimper. Such a trooper he is...just a little bit of Tylenol that night and he was good to go!

While the circumcision didn't seem to phase him, gas sure has...Chase spends the better part of most evenings trying to get it out - sometimes he tries so hard I am afraid he is going to forget to breathe! While it is very difficult for Chase, and not much fun for mom and dad, I cannot complain about a little bit of gas in the evenings - I know it could be much worse!

It is baby mania with our friends - amazing what can change in a year. We just found out our friends Marcus and Colleen are pregnant (congrats!) and Matt and Sunnie are having a boy (yeah - Chase will not have to play with girls all the time!) and all of our other friend's children are just getting so big - so much fun to be a part of it all!

XOXO

Chase's life - Week 1

First appointment with Dr. Carrie...I think Mike had fun! I hate my gloves! Auntie Sal & Uncle Bruce You looking at me?

My first sponge bath!

Not loving it...

At all!

All cleaned up, but still not happy!

Tommorow morning Chase will be a whole week old - and I thought time flew before...Already he has changed so much. He is much more aware of his surroundings and definitely is adept at telling us when he is hungry, when he is tired, or when he is gassy (and he is gassy, A LOT!). He also had his first bath...not much fun for Chase, but provided us with quite a good laugh. While neither Mike nor I have yet to have the golden shower bestowed upon us, Chase managed to go ALL OVER HIMSELF - good thing it was bath time, and we caught the whole act on video - good to have for future embarrasment potential :)...

He Made It! All 18.5 inches, 6.4 lbs of Him!

Ready to go...post epidural!Welcome to the world!

All cleaned up...

And ready for dad!

Grandpa Tom & Grandma Iris

Headphones so early? Nope, just his hearing test!

Cuddle time!

Home at last!

We truly could not have imagined the love, joy and excitement that we would feel when Chase arrived. While we thought we were prepared for the emotions that we would feel, we were so wrong...having Chase here is the most undescribable feeling in the world. Not only are we now responsible for another little creature, but he is our little creature and he has already consumed our hearts. Every move and noise he makes totally enchants us and just like every parent has told us we would do, we simply cannot stop staring at him. He is an amazing little guy and we are overwhelmed with pride.

OK...Long Version of Birth (minus the gory details) Below....

Bringing Chase into the world a little early was an experience that I hope to remember forever. Monday's weekly doctor's appointment was pretty uneventful. Doctor Spoon let us know that Chase was at the point where inducement would be a safe option. Our excitement to meet him led us to at first schedule an inducement, but then later decide to cancel as there was not a real reason to induce. We figured it would be better to meet Chase on his own time. Well, little did we know, his own time would be coming sooner than we thought! That evening at around 7:30 I started to have feelings that I hadn't had before. I texted my friend Angie (a life saver for the night!) and described what I was going through. I sort of thought they could be labor pains, but was hesitant to really think that they were. Well, Angie confirmed that they were indeed labor pains and that I should get ready to meet Chase! After a quick walk around the block to confirm that the pains didn't go away (as they will with false labor), I called Dr. Spoon. He honestly sounded like he didn't believe me (I swear I haven't cried wolf before!) and told me to go to the hospital whent he contractions were five minutes apart. Well, seeings how I wasn't even sure how to tell if the contractions were real, I was having a hard time with the timing aspect! I went downstairs to watch tv and take my mind off of what was coming and strangely the contractions STOPPED! At about 12:30am I figured I should go to bed and get some rest and that my labor was indeed false.

Once upstairs I got to sleep pretty quickly but then at 1:30am, my "false labor" was back...with a vengeance. Now, I could not only tell that the contractions were indeed very, very real, but I could time them as well. The magic number of five had hit - time to go to the hospital!!!!! I hopped in the shower, brushed my teeth and was ready to hit the road. Mike was ready too, and was really suprisingly calm and collected. He didn't even speed! In the car, the contractions really started to hit hard...and fast. By the time we got to the hospital, I was having them every 3-4 minutes and they HURT! While they didn't feel at all like I thought they would, they were definitely the most uncomfortable pain I have ever felt. In admitting, I started to feel like I was about to go postal on someone so I decided the best way to handle the situation was to stop talking. Let Mike figure out how to tell everyone that I was in labor and needed my epidural...fast...and I will just lay down in pain. However, the nurses had decided that they had a few questions for me (do you have allergies, when did you eat....come on lady, I am in LABOR, WHO CARES WHEN I ATE!). After what felt like a very loonnnggg time, they confirmed that I was indeed in labor (no kidding) and that I was dilated to a six - wholly molly, a six???? I thought I was supposed to have the epidural at four...get that thing in me! Next up was getting me into the delivery room and setting up my IV so I could finally get the epidural. It seriously felt like an eternity!!!!! However, let me be the first to say, that epidurals are a girls best friend. I finally got it when I was dilated to a 7-8 and I was in heaven.

It was at about 4:30am that the family started to show up and we had an hour and a half of baby free conversation before the nurse pushed everyone out to check dilation. After checking, she looked up and cooly said, "OK, time to push." What, wait, time to push??? NOW?? OH MY GOD!!!!

I had wanted Mike to stay up top and not have to see the details below, but our nurse Emma had a different approach. She waited for a contraction, looked at Mike, and shouted "grab a leg!" They really don't tell you what to expect in labor at those silly classes and I think Mike was as shocked as I was when he learned that he had a new role in labor...official leg holder!

Much to my surprise, pushing was not that hard (I know, I know, I shouldn't say that), but really, it was not a bad experience. Now, without the epidural, I am sure my story would be a whole different one! I only had to push for about an hour and 15 minutes when they called in Dr. Spoon and told me to relax for a bit before delivery. Dr. Spoon got in just in the nick of time however, and was impressed that the nurses didn't fool him - he really was just there for the catch! The rest of the story is a little much for a blog, but just know that it was a beautiful experience and a fun one too!

Chase came in at 18.6 inches and 6.4 lbs... a little low on the weight but very alert and active from the start. The nurses were all impressed with how fast he breathed on his own (didn't need stimulation) and congratulated us on our beautiful, healthy boy....WOW.

After a whirlwind stay at the hospital (with many supportive friends and family coming by to meet him), we brought Chase home to meet Rigley and see his new home. He has already been to meet the pediatrician, who was a little concerned with how much weight he lost after birth (they usually lose 7%, he had lost 10%) and put him on a little supplemental formula to get us through to when my milk came in (which it did last night). He has now put on about 5 ounces in weight and is looking plump and healthy. Speaking of which, he is hungry now so I have a job to do!

XOXO to all!