Christmas in Our Apartment

Last night we had a little Christmas celebration in our apartment. It consisted of Steve and I opening presents (we're leaving tomorrow) while Christopher slept...naturally. I'm sure he'll be more excited next year. :)

Christopher Singing

Christopher's Favorite Sleeping Position

No matter how tightly he is bundled, he nearly always ends up with his feet sticking out of the blanket and his arms above his head or with his head resting on his hands. It was too cute not to photo last night. :)

Two Week Check-up

I'm now 6 lbs and 12 1/2 oz. I'm also 21 inches long/tall. :) That means I gained 11 oz since last Thursday. It's no wonder I can't stop eating...I'm just growing fast!

Christopher

Photo of the Day

Christopher had yet another bath...Daddy did most of the bathing and Christopher actually seemed to like it! He's rather dashing with his hair brushed.

More Photos

As requested I'm adding more photos from the last ten days...they're obviously not in chronological order. Christopher just after his first bath in the hospital...our sleeping cutie all bundled up...and a very sleepy Mom and baby.

Photos from the Last Couple Days

Our Little Pirate

Last night Christopher's left eye started to ooze some nasty green goo...so this morning Mom and I took him to see the doctor. He has a minor infection/blocked tear duct that is completely normal. Unfortunately we now have to go through a little "quick" ritual four times a day in which we wipe ointment in his little eye. He hates it! Poor thing now keeps that eye mostly shut...which makes him look a lot like a pirate. :)

A Baby Tanning Bed

Christopher's bilirubin was a bit high (jaundice), so he had to spend last night and part of this morning under some bili-lights. It was so sad! And sort of amusing...he looked a little like he was "tanning". The lights are just a bit bright, so we tried sunglasses for ourselves. They didn't really work, but it was funny anyway. Anna decided to have her dinner on the floor next to him (picnic style) while wearing sunglasses. The lights did give off a funny sort of "summer" glow. Christopher was tested again this morning and he had dropped from a 19.1 to 8.7...so he finished his phototherapy early! Steve and I are extremely relieved...it was hard to have to leave him in there (unless he needed to be fed or changed) and not be able to cuddle with him when we wanted to or he was fussy. But, we're grateful he was able to have the therapy at home rather than staying in the hospital. Tonight will be a lot less stressful. He can sleep in his own bed and we won't need to check his temperature every hour or check to make sure his eyes are still covered. He seems to be feeling much better, so hopefully he'll sleep more peacefully than the last couple nights.

Baby Photos

Diaper "cake" that Mom made!
Aunt Katelyn and baby Christopher...
Uncle Mark and baby Christopher...

More Christopher Photos

Christopher ready to get out of the hospital!
Getting Christopher bundled up in his car seat to go home...it was about 27 degrees this morning.
Steve with Christopher just after he was born.

Photos of Christopher

I'm still waiting for Katelyn to send the photos she took when he was first born. Enjoy!

He's Here!!!

Christopher James arrived at 3:13pm Tuesday...only 4 days late. Despite that, he's rather tiny. He is 19 inches long and 6 lbs. 5 oz. It took 24 hours of labor (with me breaking down around 17/18 hours and getting that epidural)...however, after the doctor discovered Christopher was facing up, it still only took a few pushes (mostly to turn him over with the aid of some forceps) and roughly 20 minutes to actually deliver our dear little baby. Lucky for us, the doctor on call from Provo OB happened to be the only one comfortable and confident with forceps (he's the KING of safely using forceps). He'd actually flown in from Arizona earlier that day to perform a C-section for another woman who preferred him over the other 5 doctors. I guess it was a blessing in disguise that it took so long to get through the labor portion. I saw two other doctors in that time...one I had met and liked and one I'd never met before. All in all things went rather well. We'll be going home in a couple hours! I'm excited to get out of this room...although it's only 20 degrees or so outside.

3 Days Late

The baby is LATE!!! So much for having an early baby...at the moment I do not appreciate the fact that all the doctors at the the OB clinic said he would be early. By their predictions he should have been here nearly 3 weeks ago. This morning I went to Maternal/Fetal and Provo OB. My numbers are still low...good for me! I'm now dilated to 2cm and fully effaced. Baby's head is so low it can't get any lower or he'll fall out...so we've made lots of progress. I'll be induced Monday morning if he hasn't arrived before then. So, at the very latest he'll be coming December 4th...my parents' anniversary!

Labor Inducing Cookies?

Our home teachers stopped by to bring us what they called "labor-inducing cookies". I was instructed to eat them all within 1/2 hour and hope for the best. Uh huh. I suppose becoming violently ill might do the trick! I ate one about 10 minutes ago...and am feeling a contraction currently. That doesn't mean anything at all to me...I had 4 during Sacrament meeting and another 5-6 after we came home from church. They may be more frequent (meaning I have more each day than I did the day before), but they don't ever get me anywhere. I guess I'll just have to eat the rest of the "labor-inducing cookies". :) I wonder if having my blood sugar spike suddenly would do anything...it's extremely low today. Tomorrow is the dreaded OB appointment...hope they have good news to share.

Only a Little Progress

I'm now 80% effaced. Wahoo. Trying hard not to be too discouraged...but it's getting difficult. Maternal Fetal told me I was a model patient and granted me permission to eat when I'm hungry...as long as I keep testing. I guess they figure since my numbers are always well below the limit and I do what I'm told (I try!). I get a chance to eat more. :) A very good thing...Thanksgiving dinner could have been very sad indeed. Cross your fingers baby comes before then anyway...not looking forward to next week's OB appointment...they want to strip my membranes...which sounds worse than it probably is...but I'd still like to avoid it! They're also against inducing me on my due date just for the heck of it...which means I could go a week over and they still wouldn't be concerned with inducement unless he's getting too big. Which explains their eagerness to strip my membranes...I have to stop saying/writing that...it sounds scary!

Still Waiting...

I was completely convinced Christopher would come yesterday. Well, I hoped he would. :) Friday night I went to water aerobics and worked HARD...I'd been told by multiple women in that class that they had done just that and had their babies the next day. No such luck. I'm still a hippo with a hiccuping baby. (Although I'll still be a hippo with a hiccuping baby until the hippo-ness goes away...) No contractions at all yesterday. (Which is good because we went to Heber for the afternoon to see Steve's Aunt Becca.) I spent most of this morning hoping the contractions I woke up to would lead somewhere...and I'm still hoping that. Very silly of me...they come and go every few hours... Maybe tomorrow we'll find that I've actually made some progress. Last week I was still 1 cm dilated and just over 75% effaced. Which is where I've been for at least 3 weeks. I was hoping not to make it to tomorrow's appointments...I'll be spending the morning in Maternal Fetal being told I'm doing a great job and at the OB being told I'm close to the end...both statements are getting old. Can you tell I'm ready/annoyed at having to wait? I suppose I don't really have a right to be annoyed...he's made it past "full term" and for that I should be grateful. Way to go, Christopher!

Officially Okay

It's officially okay for baby to come. :) Steve took the Biochem GRE yesterday morning...so now he's "available". Baby seemed to have taken that to heart...or at least my belly did. Just before noon (when Steve was finishing/coming home) a series of lovely contractions began...and they lasted for several hours. Not all were painful...and they obviously didn't lead to real labor. So, here I sit having enjoyed the last few hours of contraction-free Sunday. I have another appointment tomorrow. Last Wednesday the doctor decided he wanted to see me within 5 days...he wasn't sure I'd make it the whole week. Pretty sure I'll make it until tomorrow morning. Although, I had a nice long nap and wouldn't mind having a baby tonight. :)
Katelyn's taking a nap on our couch because she has a sinus infection and can't seem to get any sleep in the dorms...hmm...something to do with being the RS President and extremely social otherwise. :) It's nice to have siblings in Provo!!! I just hope she isn't too contagious...she's been here a LOT in the last three days.

Feeling More Ready

Mom left yesterday morning...all day I worried that the baby would decide to come just because Mom had gone home. He didn't. Thank heavens! We may have collected a few necessary baby items this week (bed, car seat, stroller, etc.)...but I'm just not ready! This week's appointment really didn't give me much of an idea as to how much longer we have...but at least I know these little contractions are getting some work done. I've begun to dilate and the baby is in the correct position...which isn't hard to tell anymore. His "little" head seems to be constantly pressing down. There are times, usually later in the day, that I feel like a penguin...waddling no matter how hard I try not to. We may be physically more prepared to become parents...but I'm not sure how ready I really feel. Guess that's normal. How in the world can one actually be prepared 100%? As long as he doesn't decide to come November 4th (or 3rd) we'll be just fine. I tried to make a deal with the baby that he'll wait until at least the evening of the 4th before beginning his journey. Steve has his GRE subject exam that morning...so it would be ideal if I weren't in the hospital during that time. Cross your fingers!

Paranoia?

This morning I woke up with a bad headache...for the fourth day in a row. Last week I had a lovely chat with the nurse about toxemia and all it's symptoms. And then my mom called and warned me about the same symptoms...for at least the third time. She had it with me 24 years ago and she's still very afraid that either Katelyn or I will have it with our first child. I don't blame her...but it's making me nervous! (Note: nervousness and worrying tend to increase blood presssure...which is the first sign of toxemia...) Just to be safe I went to the doctor today to get my blood pressure checked. It was normal. As was my temperature and hematocrit. So, there's nothing wrong with me...but the Tylenol only works if I take a nap immediately after taking it. At least I can rest easy for the weekend knowing that there's nothing wrong with me! And Mom comes tomorrow to spend the week helping us to "get ready" for the baby...so I'll have my own nurse at home to keep an eye on me. :)

34 (+) Weeks and Counting

All doctor's appointments and maternal fetal appointments are now scheduled two weeks apart...which means every other Monday morning I'm at the hospital getting my latest numbers checked (all clear this morning!) and every other Wednesday morning I'm getting weighed and told I'm progressing like a textbook case. It would seem I am currently every nurse's dream patient...my weight and other numbers fall right into their little charts just perfectly and they couldn't be happier. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy,too. I just don't see gaining three pounds right on schedule as something to celebrate. I do, however, celebrate the fact that my numbers are well below the limit each day. Hurray for baby and me!

On the way out of the hospital this morning, I had to ask a roaming doctor to let me off the Maternal Fetal/Labor and Delivery floor as the woman at the desk had (once again) forgotten to push the security button that allowed me to enter the elevators. While headed down to the lobby he asked if I was smuggling anything under my shirt...I sincerely hope he was trying to be funny. Although I wasn't sure if I should answer, laugh, or hope he wouldn't be the doctor that delivers our baby.

Congratulations!

...to Becca and Peter! Hope you're enjoying your new baby...and I especially hope Becca is getting some rest!

Snow...

It "slushed" yesterday...which means it's cold and there's snow in the mountains. It would seem we may be skipping Fall and heading straight for Winter. It was neat, but it also threw a wrench in the plans. Our reunion/party at the park was cancelled and became a pizza and hot chocolate party at our house. It was nice to see everyone again...but there just isn't enough space for that many people in our living room and kitchen! We are going to be brave a plan an "end of the summer" bbq for this next weekend...hopefully the slush will stay away!

Are you part disaster?

Okay. I honestly had to think about that one a little. I went to the hospital today to register for those vital prenatal classes the clinic believes we need. As I walked in the door from visitor parking, a large male nurse (whose first language is obviously not English) held up a sign and asked if I was part disaster. I had a rough morning, so I wasn't paying too much attention. My first thought: Of course! Aren't we all? And then I realized there was probably a drill or something going on. So, I said I wasn't part disaster and promptly walked into the building to hear at least 6 announcements over the intercom letting us all know that the disaster drill was "all clear". I'm going to assume this meant that everything went smoothly. Good to know they're prepared...at least for a fake disaster. So, are you part disaster...or is it just me?

Back to School

This week is Freshman Orientation and the week during which most BYU students return to Provo...along with their parents. The traffic is crazy! But, that's to be expected. Ordinarily we would avoid having to drive anywhere...but both my little sister and brother and Steve's little sister and brother arrived this week. My parents aren't leaving until later today and Steve's dad is here for the weekend. As far as I know they (the siblings) are all moved in to their respective apartments and dorms...but there seem to be a bazillion errands to run and last minute things to straighten out. Neither of us remember it being so insane when we came to BYU. At least I'm not having to deal with my own book-buying or schedule-rearranging...or feelings of aprehension aimed at new roommates.

Photos from the Ward Camping Trip

We spent the night up at Blackhawk campground near Payson. This morning we drove south a bit more and visited Devil's Kitchen...there were some fabulous views of Mt. Nebo...and we even ran into a cattle drive. Did you know that Dum-Dums are great fire starters? Almost as great as Fritos!

Home from Ohio

We made it home...and it was a LONG day. Too many flights and way too many hours spent trying to sleep. We went to bed the night before at 1am and got up at 4:15am. Not the best way to start a day of travel, but certainly the most common. At least for us. My ankles were HUGE by the time we got home. It was gross...but the 10 hours of sleep we got last night fixed the problem.

I went to see Dr. Dayton this morning. Mom and baby are doing well. I gained more weight than I thought I had...but Dr. Dayton is pleased because I hadn't gained much during the previous 12 weeks. Baby didn't like the cold gel and instrument on my belly...it amused the Dr. when he kicked at it. Guess Katelyn was right, all cold things are felt through the belly!

I'm spending the day cleaning out the closet and some boxes. We have way too much stuff! There has to be space for the baby...and I figured if I have the energy and motivation to get some things done now, I should probably do it.

The mail held some great surprises. Congrats to Mandy and James on the upcoming wedding. And congrats to Heather and Ammon who finally had their babyl! Welcome to the world, Emmalyn!

16 Weeks to Go!

Somehow "16" sounds so much easier than "17"...can't imagine how anything under "10" will feel...

Mt. Saint Helens

Mud flats in the valley below the volcano...

Mom and Katelyn with the very angry wife of Mt. Hood...

Garrett "looking cool"...

Last Beach Photo

Beach Photos- Little Creek Cove

Mom and Dad at the beach...

Katelyn and Steve roasting hotdogs...

Garrett eating Doritos on a "log" sticking out of a dune...

Apparently I failed to take any beachy photos of myself...although I'm sure Mom took plenty.

Yaquina Head

Yaquina Head lighthouse...

Steve on a rock...Katelyn and Garrett deciding to join him.

A Harbor seal...

Beaching/Sandcastles

Garrett being a little silly while digging a hole...

Katelyn blowing bubbles...that was a fun photo to take!

Steve digging a trench...

More Crabbing Photos

Garrett and Dad wondering whether or not they can get all the cooked crabs cleaned in record time.

Steve taking care of the crabs in the boat...they didn't really fit well in the box we were given...

Cooked crabs in the giant sink.

The Great Crab Slaughter of 2006

Steve with two of the larger crabs...we had at least three that were 8 inches across.

Garrett and Grandpa Jerry with a couple of the prize crabs.

Garrett "threatening" Katelyn with more crabs...

We rented a boat, three pots, and three mink carcasses (bait) for three hours in Newport Bay. Due to my pregnant state, I was told it would be better for me to stay on the dock with Mom and Grandma and not risk the potential nausea on the boat. Sad. However, after Grandpa called Dad from the bay and said they had 8 crabs in about an hour that were legal or even bigger, I convinced Dad I absolutely wouldn't puke (I've never been motion sick in my life!) and couldn't possibly miss out on my favorite beach activity, he let me switch places with Grandpa. I enjoyed the time in the boat despite my lack of shellfish license and inability (legally) to help with the pots or even touch the crabs while on the boat. With a total of 16 crabs (in July!!!) we came in a little early and let Mom and Dad have a "spin" around the bay.

More Crustacean Invasion Photos

Garret, Steve, and I being a little "crabby".

Steve in a bubble in one of the undersea exhibits.

Me with a giant cartoon shrimp.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

Just some silly photos from the aquarium...Garrett with a giant squid...Steve with a full-size painting of the world's largest crab (found in Japan)...the three of us dancing like crustaceans...addicting music and goofy little dance!