First Few Weeks Home

Our first few weeks home have been bittersweet. We've had many highs and many, many lows. We were home on Thursday and Sunday afternoon Nathan got a call that they were currently airlifting his mother to the university. She had collapsed at home after being sick with a cold all week (she never even came to see us in the hospital because she didn't want to risk getting Rowan sick). His Dad indicated she was seriously ill and wasn't expected to make it through the night. She was placed in ICU on a ventilator. They weren't able to stabilize her blood pressure and there was also concern for the viability of her new kidney. Nathan rushed down to the hospital and spent much of the next week there. Deb was eventually diagnosed with septic shock and tested positive for RSV and Staph intermedius. The doctors are still baffled at why she got so sick so fast. We were told at least 3 times that she was going to die and by the grace of God she's survived. She spent a week in ICU on a ventilator and was just recently moved out of ICU into her own room. We still aren't sure when she'll be discharged but it is truly a miracle that she's still alive....and she still hasn't seen the baby. 

Luckily, he continues to be a great baby. Very laid back and pretty much only cries during a diaper change, bath or if he's hungry. Viv is enamored with him and loves to touch and 'pet' him. She pats his head and says 'ohhh baby'. 

She's also obsessed with his pacifier (mimi) and loves to swipe it from him and take a few pulls on it herself. She is constantly pointing out his 'boo mimi' (blue mimi). 

We of course had to head out to Nick and Bridget's for his newborn photos...

Viv was not very cooperative at all. We didn't end up getting a family photo. She was starting to get sick and just was not having any of it. 

It was pretty cold out the week we came home and it seemed everyone around us was falling ill...so we got lots of cuddle time in. I began to worry if newborns could actually sleep too much! 

Mom of course has been a huge help once again. Dad was here for a few days but soon started feeling sick himself and so he headed home. 

It's a chore to keep this one occupied when you can't go outside! We did end up taking her to the doctor and she had a bad cold and double ear infections....which meant medicating her twice a day for 10 days!! That was a chore all in itself. I compared it to trying to medicate a feral cat! She would spit out most of the meds you tried to get in her! But Nathan won in the end and made it fun for her and by the end of the 10 days she was taking them pretty well. She of course is constantly into everything and won't leave the baby alone. She wants to sit in all of his stuff and she's been helping herself to the swing. 

I was sure nursing was going to go better this time. He seemed like he was a pretty good nurser but at his 2 week check up he still hadn't made it back to his birth weight. So I'm back to pumping and feeding him everything through a bottle....including formula. I haven't officially weighed him but he looks like he's starting to fill out a little more. He's just happy to sleep most of the time! Rowan did end up coming down with a cold and we've had our first experiences with sucking out snot from a baby's nose. Fun! He did finally get rid of the cough and stuffy nose but he had me pretty worried there for awhile.

With all the happenings with Deb, we've had lots of company and help babysitting so we could go to the hospital. Aunt Nancy was here for almost a full week and Nathan's other Aunt Nancy and Aunt Pat have also come to help babysit so I could have a break. Aunts and Moms are the best! 

Enjoying the nursery recliner together...

I've definitely been thankful for the iPad these last few weeks...

Gma Marie enjoyed coming to meet him. 

Gma Jean was here to visit too. 

Stats at his first doctor appointment...8# (36%), height 21.25 inches (85%), head circumference 36.8 cm (75%). I'm still not sure where the height and the long fingers and toes come from! 

It's All in the Details

A few detail shots I took before we got home. 

He had what 'they' call baby hives...and he turns red quite easily. 

I don't know where his hands and feet came from. He has the longest toes and fingers I've ever seen! I have no idea which family they come from! Viv's feet were so small and fat...his are super long and skinny. 

He had quite a bit of patchy red marks on his face and baby acne...but all that has already started to clear up. 

The Best Baby!

I was way late on getting his room finished compared to Viv's....the curse of the second baby! But I also couldn't decide on what I wanted. But here is the finished product....

I went with a navy blue crib and dresser from Pottery Barn. The chair is from Wayfair and I've loved it so far. It's a recliner/glider/rocker and is really comfortable. I almost want to sell the rocking chair I have in Viv's room and replace it with another one of these babies! 

I went with a 'preppy' theme I guess... the bedding is madras plaids and so I just pulled ideas from all the colors in the bedding. I was also able to use the artwork that was already hanging in the room before it became the new nursery. 

His poor little closet...I did not buy a lot of clothes for him because I knew he was going to be a bigger baby than Viv was so I probably bought more 3-6 month clothes than newborn. But....in my defense I didn't have any baby showers to help fill up the space! Just give me time! 

At my last doctors appointment I pretty much wasn't dilated at all...so it looked like we were going to have to go through the same induction procedure that we did with Viv. So in preparation for the big event I went and had a mani/pedi. I wanted my toes blue and I reached up and grabbed this bottle and looked at the name of the color.....it seemed very appropriate! I went and walked at the mall 3-4 times the week before we were to be induced hoping to get things moving on their own...but nothing. I would contract like crazy while I was walking but the second I would sit down everything would stop. I was eating pineapple and even tried going to the chiropractor to have some pressure points stimulated...still nothing. 

So it was off to the hospital we went for a scheduled induction. We decided to deliver at St. Luke's this time because it worked better with our schedules and when Dr. P was on call. Nathan was of course almost an hour late getting home from work before we could leave for the hospital. The birth center called and wondered where we were at. Our last photo as a family of 3! 

I had already eaten dinner before we left (and was nervous about the upcoming event) and wasn't hungry so I didn't get anything to eat....but we stopped at Chick-fil-A on our way to the hospital for our 'last meal'. 

We really have had a relatively mild winter so far...but knowing my luck I figured I'd go into labor in the middle of a blizzard and have to get myself to the hospital. So of course, even though we had scheduled induction, the day after we were to check into the hospital the weather called for a major snowstorm to hit Cedar Rapids. It ended up not being too bad for us as the worst of the storm went North but here's what it looked like as we got things moving Tuesday morning. 

We checked in Monday night to have the cervadil tape placed. I had to have that in for 12 hours. They hooked me up to all the baby monitors overnight (which was really comfortable! Ha!) and gave me a sleeping pill. I of course didn't sleep very well at all. Rm 1141...

They removed the tape about 8 am and checked me and I was about 1.5 cm dilated. They were able to start the pitocin at that time. Around 11 am I got a dose of fentanyl (which made me vomit) and Dr. P came in and was able to break my water. I believe I was dilated to around 3 at that time. I passed much of the time by watching Downton Abbey on my computer. 

Not too long after they broke my water I asked to sit on the labor ball. I sat on the ball until my contractions were strong enough that I was starting to get uncomfortable. I think I asked for my epidural around 2 pm. The anesthesiologist had problems getting the epidural in my back. He said my ligament was especially tough? He asked me what I did for a living...ha! He finally was able to get it in and it wasn't too long before I had some relief. However, I had a 'window' of my lower left abdomen that wasn't numb and I was worried that I was going to be one of those people where the epidural wears off or didn't work on one side. Around this time Rowan was evidently not happy with the contractions and his heart rate would drop slightly with each one. The nurse had me constantly flipping from one side to another trying to make him happy. This process must have helped the epidural because the 'window' eventually closed and I was completely numb. 

I started to shake a lot and the nurse thought 'something was happening'...so I had another check and was already dilated to 7 cm. I had progressed pretty quickly...especially compared to Viv! I was able to relax and rest a bit....they slowed the pitocin a bit so the shaking stopped. I finally was dilated to 10 cm around 6 pm. I started pushing and it seemed like nothing much was happening. The nurses suggested trying to push in different positions. At one point Dr. P came in to check on me and thought Rowan was face up. So she reached in and was able to turn him....even with my epidural this was uncomfortable and I can't imagine anyone wanting to go through this without any pain meds! The one position that seemed to work the best was actually laying on my left side. I pushed about 2 hours (1/2 the amount of time I pushed for Viv) and he was born at 7:56 pm. He weighed 8# 9.4 oz and was 21.5 inches long. 

Here he is with Dr. P a few minutes after his delivery...

More pics from our room....

We delivered Vivian at Mercy Hospital and Rowan at St. Luke's...there are mild differences between the two. One perk of St. Luke's is that you give birth in a hospital bed but then they completely change over the room and they pull out a queen sized murphy bed for the remainder of your stay. It is WAY more comfortable than trying to sleep in a hospital bed and I slept like a rock the first night after he was born. We sent him down to the nursery and I had the best sleep (until 4 am when they came to check my vitals) that I'd had in months!

Wednesday morning it was like our room had a revolving door...Rowan's first visit from the pediatrician...

Of course the grandparents had to be the first to visit...

At first we thought he looked a lot like Viv...but now I'm not so sure. 

We had to have some pictures taken...

Nathan slept through it all....who gave birth here?!?

Big sister had to come...she was excited to see us...but wasn't so sure about Rowan.

We had to eat some cheese pizza together...

she had fun opening some presents...

Gpa and Gma Streeper came with Teresa. Mark and Deb didn't come to the hospital as Deb was sick with a bad cold. 

Flowers from Mark and Deb...

Elise came for a few minutes...

Our first selfie together...

His going home outfit...we were discharged Thursday morning and were home in time for lunch. 

Poor guy is going to have to get used to a lot of pink as we are using the same pink carseat we had for Viv....as well as her pink swing and pink bouncy seat. 

Ready to go head home! 

First family photo at home...Wrigley spent the first week we were home at the clinic since he is so underfoot all the time. 

So far, he's been the best baby! Everything has been much easier than with Viv...probably because I'm much more relaxed than I was when I brought her home but he is so much more laid back. He's already a better sleeper and he's caught onto nursing much better than she ever did. He sleeps a lot and when he's awake he's very content to just lay there and look around. He doesn't need to be held 24/7 and I've already been able to take a shower on my own with both kids home! Mom has stayed with me the first week we brought him home and has been a huge help. Viv of course got sick with a bad cold right when we came home and Dad was sick with a fever as well. I'm praying that nursing him will keep him healthy!