Week 2 - visitors

During our second week with Ben we had lots of visitors. The first visit was from Ben's Great Great Great Aunt Eileen and Great Aunt Tracy. He was a good boy and slept for our company, but he did leave his mark on Aunt Tracy by peeing on her lap. Our second visit was from his Grandma Judy (Grannie), Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jenny, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Chainey. We were especially proud to show Ben off to Grandpa Chainey, who he was named after. Here are some pics of those visits...

Great Great Great Aunt Eileen

Ben wears Aunt Eileen out

Great Aunt Tracy

In awe of the ceiling fan

Monkey face!

Great Grandpa Chainey

Great Grandma and Grandpa Chainey

Great Grandma Chainey with quilt she made for Ben

Ben's 1st week - exhausting!

We came home with Ben on Saturday, the 4th (the day after he was born). Ben's first week was a stressful one for Joe and I. Dad, Marcia, and Mom stayed with us until Monday, which was a HUGE help and greatly appreciated. I attempted to breastfeed in the beginning which meant that I had to be up with him every two hours, and it was exhausting! He seemed to be feeding pretty well, but was fussy all the time and screamed all night long. We resisted giving him a pacifier because the lactation specialist said that it could cause nipple confusion, but I caved one night and it made a huge difference. He loves his pacifier!

By Monday, Joe and I started to worry that Ben was having some problems because he was lethargic and looked a bit yellow. At his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday, we found out that he had lost 11 oz and was jaundiced. The doctor recommended that we start supplementing him with formula and offered him a 2 oz bottle, which he sucked down in a few minutes. I started to cry because I felt like I was starving my baby. I was exhausted and emotional and made the decision to stop breastfeeding. I still feel a bit guilty about it, but formula feeding has been so much easier.

We treated Ben with a biliblanket for the jaundice. It was a bit of a pain because we had to move the machinery around with him, but the blood tests were the worst. We took him in to the lab every day for a heel prick to test his bilirubin levels. He hated it and we hated it, but by Friday his levels were back to normal and we were able to take him off the blanket. Here are some pictures of that first week...

Joe resting with our yellow baby

The first outfit Joe bought for Ben

Ben on the biliblanket

Our little glow-worm!

Hungry face

Mommy feeling more well rested

Just back from getting blood drawn

Getting ready for a sponge bath

Mad about his bath

Showing off the chicken legs he inherited from Joe

Basking in the sun to help with the jaundice

No more yellow skin!

Announcing the Birth of Benjamin Theodore Hackler

Yes, yes I know. This post is a little late as Ben was born on June 3rd, but he's kept me very busy in the last month! Here's a summary of what happened on his birth day...

I had a doctor's appointment the day before and was dialated to 4 cm. The doctor laughed about the fact that I was still working and acting like everything was normal. She asked if I wanted to have the baby that day, and I said "Only if he's ready." She did a manipulation to stimulate contractions. I went back to work and felt a little queasy, but went about my day as normal.

At 4:45 am, I woke up because I felt liquid leaking and wondered if it was my water breaking. I went to the bathroom and found blood and passed a lemon-sized clot, which freaked me out. I called the on-call doctor who said that it was probably from the manipulation the day before, but he asked that I come in right away to be checked out. I was crying most of the way to the hospital because I was scared and couldn't feel the baby moving. Joe kept a cool head and told me he was sure that everything was fine. I started having contractions on the way to the hospital that were about 5 minutes apart.

The on-call doctor checked me and the baby at around 6 am, and said I was dialated to 4.5 cm and that the baby was fine. He wasn't sure that I was in labor and said he'd monitor me for a bit. We called my parents to let them know the situation, but told them not to come yet.

My contractions got stronger. By about 7 am, the on-call doctor declared that I was in active labor, and we asked my parents to come.

My labor progressed quickly, and I laugh now about all the useless things I brought to the hospital like music to relax me, hard candy to suck on, a tennis ball for Joe to massage my back... yeah right! I didn't have time for all of that! I was on my side in bed, screaming through the contractions until I started pushing. Joe did a great job of coaching me to breathe, although I wasn't much of a student.

At 8 cm, the doctor came in and broke my water, and the contractions became continuous. I kept wondering if it was time for an epidural, but I couldn't stand the thought of them jabbing a needle into my spine during a contraction. I started pushing before long, and Joe had to go out into the hallway to call in the nurse.

I pushed for over an hour. Joe and the nurse held my legs and encouraged me. They were great cheerleaders, but I was losing confidence by the end. The baby would come down far enough that the nurse would call in the doctor to deliver, and then he'd work back up again. The nurse coached me to use my muscles to hold the baby down between contractions and called the doctor again.

Benjamin Theodore Hackler was born at 11:28 am. He weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20 inches long. They had to cut the umbilical cord from around his neck when his head came through, so they were a bit worried about him but, thankfully, he's a healthy little boy!

"It's too cold!"

"It's too bright!"

"Ah. Just right."

Exhausted Mommy

Happy Family

Proud Grandma Patton and Great Great Great Aunt Eileen

Benjamin Fussbucket

Proud Grandma and Grandpa Weston

Headed Home!

Joe's Masterpiece... the Nursery

I'm running a little behind here, so I'll keep this short. Joe and I have put so many hours into Baby Hackler's nursery. The room must have been a kid's room before as it had a railroad mural when we moved in. Joe primed, picked the paint (Bermuda Grass), taped and painted 2 coats of green, taped off and painted a birch tree mural (white with grey accents), and then applied animal decals. I was there to help a bit along the way, but this is Joe's masterpiece. We're both very happy with the way it turned out. Baby Hackler definitely has a one of a kind nursery! Hope he loves it!

Annual Girl's Weekend and the Nursery

Two of my best friends from college, Emily and Rae, came to visit us the weekend of May 15th. Several of us try to get together every year for a weekend together, but with a new baby on the way, it was looking like I wasn't going to be going anywhere this year. So, they came to me!

I had a doctor's appointment that Thursday before and was told I was 3 cm dialated and that the baby could come in the next week. It was a major shocker as we had made some good progress on the nursery, but it was in no shape for a baby. So, I put Rae and Em to work! I'm not sure how much they enjoyed themselves, but I couldn't have had a better weekend. Got to spend some quality time with two of my best friends and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders by the end of the weekend when the nursery was organized. They did a great job! Here are some pics of our weekend.

Emily getting ready to tackle the nursery

Em and I after nursery organization

Em and Rae put together both the rocker and the bookshelf this weekend

Notice that Rae looks a little dazed here. I think this weekend was good birth control for her!

So glad they still love me after all I put them through!

Future OSU fan

Rae and I

Baby Showers, Childbirth Classes, and Doctor's Appointments

I apologize for not updating the blog in so long. We've been having some computer problems that have limited my ability to post recently, but the honest truth is that I've just been too tired. I can't believe how these past few months have flown by. For the most part, the pregnancy has been pretty normal and uneventful, just the way I like it. Although, I do want to say that pregnancy isn't pretty people. Lots of bad things happen to your body, and I know that I haven't even seen the worst of it yet. I'm to the point now where I feel huge and uncomfortable. Thankfully, I only have a few stretchmarks forming. I've got the pregnancy waddle and swollen feet... aka cankles. And, although I'm bordering on TMI here, I'll go ahead and mention that I've been battling constipation and hemhorroids.

There are, however, some fun parts of pregnancy. Feeling the baby move and being able to share that with Joe is amazing. And, of course, baby showers are always fun. We have some very generous friends, family, and coworkers and have had 3 baby showers. My group at work gave us the first one in early April, and we made out like bandits. They got us a walker, tons of the little hygeine items that baby needs, a bumbo, bath gear and tons more. It was really heartwarming to see how many of my fellow HR peers showed up and helped us get started with all the things that babies need. I'm sure the cupcakes and punch didn't hurt in drawing in the crowd!

Our 2nd baby shower was hosted Easter weekend by Tonja and Jessica at Tonja's house in Ponca City, OK. Joe didn't make it to this one as he was tasked with staying home to save us the expense of boarding the dogs. Tonja went above and beyond on this shower, and it was absolutely beautiful. She held to our woodland creature nursery theme and had great decorations and food. The cake was adorable. Again, we made out like bandits and got all kinds of goodies from books (that Tonja asked be given instead of cards), to an awesome diaper bag that Joe won't be embarrassed to carry, to the baby quilt that Mom and Penny made for Baby Hackler. It was great to share a special time in my life with my family and friends, and it will be an occasion that I cherish for the rest of my life.

The 3rd baby shower was given in early May by Joe's group at work. They did a great job as well and made a cute diaper cake, cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels, and a few other goodies. Joe's group has about 40 people, and almost all of them showed for the shower. It was great, although a bit overwhelming. I know many of them, as I was the recruiter for their group before Joe became a manager. They chipped in on lots of goodies including a high chair, diapers, changing pad, and many more goodies. I got a bit emotional at this shower and teared up as Joe thanked his group for all their support.

Childbirth classes have been another exciting thing that we've had going on lately. We just finished our last class which was offered on Thursday evenings from 630-9pm for 6 weeks. I'll admit that we're glad it's over, but we really did learn a ton. I was reluctant to take the class in the beginning because I thought it would be a waste of time where we all sat around and shared our feelings and learned how to breathe, but it's been much more educational than I ever imagined. I was getting to the point where I was really starting to stress about all the unknowns for a first time mother about to go through labor and delivery, and Joe's boss and my coworker convinced us that we needed to take the classes. Boy were they right! We've learned a lot, which has really helped to calm my nerves over the whole process. I know that things likely won't go as planned, but now I feel we have all the tools we'll need for our toolbox to deal with labor and delivery.

And, last but not least... doctor's appointments. I had my first exam on May 12th. The doctor seemed a bit surprised to find that I was already 2.5 cm dialated. She said my cervix felt perfect and that I should go home and do a happy dance as these were good signs that my labor would progress smoothly. She said she thought she felt the baby's head and did a quick ultrasound to confirm. At that time she predicted that the baby would come 2 weeks early and weigh about 8 lbs.

I had some kidney pain the following Tuesday and called the doctor because I was worried I was about to pass a kidney stone. They monitored the baby and my contractions (or mostly lack thereof) and took a urine sample, and determined I had a UTI and prescribed an antibiotic. The best part of the appointment was getting to listen to the baby move around through this machine. He would move a ton when the doctor wasn't in the room, and then quiet down when she came in, so she buzzed my belly to get him moving... and it gave him the hiccups! I've heard other pregnant women talk about feeling their babies have hiccups, but this was the first time I ever felt it with Baby Hackler.

Our 37 week appointment was on Thursday, and I've progressed now to 3cm, so it won't be long now! The doctor said that I'm 80% effaced and that the baby will likely come in the next week or so. She gave us the option to have another ultrasound to determine the size of the baby so that we could talk about induction if the baby is getting too big. Joe and I decided to pass for now as insurance doesn't cover this ultrasound, the ultrasounds aren't really that reliable when estimating size, and I really don't want an induction if I can avoid it.

I've rambled enough for now, but I'll have another update shortly on the progress of the nursery. For now, here are a few pictures from Tonja's baby shower.

The group focused on one of the games Tonja had for us.

Cool Diape Dude diaper bag from Kelly and Jessica

Cute quilt made by Mom and Penny

OSU gear from Tonja and her family

Too fat for fat pants...almost!

Time is flying by! I'll have to get better about posting on the blog when the baby gets here, but I'm not making any promises. I sit at the computer all day at work, and HATE to sit down at it in the evening too. I'm making myself though, because I want all of you to have the chance to see our little man grow up... no matter how far away you may live.

We had our 3rd ultrasound on March 10th, and it was not a good experience. The baby looks good, and everything is fine, but there was a miscommunication that caused us some undue stress. Remember that we had to have this ultrasound because the doctor wanted better images of the face and spine. I've been worried since that last ultrasound on January 14th that something was wrong. The radiologist asked why we were back, and I told him what the doctor said. He was much more quiet during the ultrasound than he had been the previous time, which made me nervous. Then he said, "Do either of you have a history of club foot in your family?" Joe and I both said no, and I just lay there thinking "WHAT?!?!". He was quiet for most of the rest of the ultrasound besides asking me if I'd been checked for diabetes. A zillion terrible thoughts ran through my mind. Then he said, "Ok, go ahead and wipe the gel off and head out to the waiting room, and I'll bring out some pictures." I said, "Wait a second. Why did you ask about club foot?" After some more moments of confusion, I realized that he had thought that I had said we were back because we needed better images of the FEET and spine. I confirmed that feet, face, and spine all looked normal. Then I asked why he had asked about diabetes, and he said that the baby was measuring large at 3lbs, rather than the 2lb norm and that it could be because of gestational diabetes. As soon as we got out of the building, I started bawling. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Joe pointed out that we had seen perfect little feet in the last ultrasound, and while I knew that he was right and that all was ok, I just needed some time to flush all those terrible thoughts away.

On a similar note, I had my diabetes test last week and passed with flying colors. The nurse said the top of the range is 135, and that my level was 103, well within the normal range. What a relief. So, it looks like Baby Hackler may just be a big baby. He's measuring on the large side, and I'm measuring a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. The doctor is happy with my weight gain, only about 9 lbs so far, but told me to expect more in the next several weeks.

So, moral of the story is that I'm emotional, stressed, and BIG. I told Joe today that even my fat pants are getting tight. Luckily, Tonja came down last weekend and we did a little shopping where I was able to find some comfortable jeans.

The nursery is coming along. The walls have really become Joe's project. He painted the walls a bright green called Bermuda Grass that I wasn't sure I liked in the beginning, but it's definitely grown on me and I love it now. He's currently working on a birch tree mural that is coming along very well. I'm so happy that he's spear-headed this project (we joke that he's the project manager like on the Apprentice), and I can't wait to see the finished product. We're going to order some woodland animal wall decals for the grand finale. I've got plans to pick out fabric with Mom soon so that she can do the curtains and crib skirt and tie it all together.
I'm definitely entering the nesting phase where I want all this organized and ready for the baby.

I'm 29 weeks today, and that due date of June 10th (June 3rd according to the ultrasound) seems to be coming up way too quickly!

Big Baby Hackler!

Those Beautiful Little Feet!

A special note to Joe...

Thank you for being by my side through this... for being thoughtful, caring, and helpful. I know I've been a crazy pain in the rear. Thank you for understanding that I can't help myself. You are a wonderful husband and will be an excellent father. We're both lucky to have you in our lives.