Happy 3 Week Birthday Tre!

Today is Tre's 3 Week Birthday...as each week passes I am so surprised how fast time can fly, especially when at times of the day they don't seem to fly but then the day is over and we are doing our routine all over again. Tre's personality has evolved and it cracks me up how each day we can just sit and stare at him. We took him to Grandma and Papa's house (Donelle's parents) on Sunday to celebrate Tre's cousin (Donelle's niece), McKenna's 11th Birthday. She had a pool party with her friends during the afternoon and then our family enjoyed a yummy dinner together in the evening. Tre did very well on the drive, longer than an hour drive worries me lately because Tre has been eating almost every hour a lot these past few days but he made it to my parents house without a peep. However we got there and it was pretty quickly after Tre was ready to eat so I got situated in a room upstairs where we wouldn't be disturbed and fed him. Feeding has become a bit more familiar and I think Tre and I are just about in sync on how to go about accomplishing feedings without too much stress. Thank goodness! We are still not getting more than a couple hours of sleep at a time, but it has gotten a bit more routine and it's something we have gotten used to. It has been so much fun and being a Mommy and Daddy is such a surreal feeling but we are loving every minute of it and look forward to everything Tre will bring into our lives. Now for a 1 minute video of Tre laying in his bassinet.

Happy 2 Week Birthday Tre!

Today is Tre's 2 week birthday...can you believe it has been 2 weeks since he was born? Seems like just yesterday I was having contractions and ready to head off to the hospital. We took Tre for a walk to the library to return a book on CD that I had borrowed from the library last week to listen to while feeding Tre, since I haven't been able to read actual books too easily lately I thought I would get my book reading fix this way. Listening to books has helped me not fall asleep while feeding and keep me mentally stimulated since before the books I was zoning out big time and reading every little thing in Tre's room and was memorizing info on boxes. It was driving me crazy. We have gotten Tre out in his stroller a few times now and it has been fun to get out and walk with our family (including Noa).

He's still doing a lot of sleeping and when he's not sleeping, he's eating but each day we have a bit more of that awake time where we talk to him and hold him and he is reacting to us a bit more. It's pretty cool to see as each day he develops a little more. It's been so great to have Jammer home with me during this whole process, we have been enjoying each day together with our son and wishing that this could be life for us every day...!

Tre's Pediatrician Appointment

I didn't get a chance to post about Tre's first pediatrician appointment so I'll post about both his first and second today. Since today was Tre's second pediatrician appointment, it reminded me that I never posted about the first.

We'll start with the first appointment which was last Monday, July 14th. It started at 10:20am. We got to the office which is really close to our house so that is great! Within a few minutes we were seen and met Tre's pediatrician for the first time. She was so sweet and energetic. I really like her and she was really sweet with Tre. They measured him and he was still at 20 inches long and his weight was 7 lbs. Which was good because when we left the hospital Tre had gone down to 6 lbs 10 oz. So he had gained weight already in the 2 days from the time we left the hospital. The appointment landed right at the time that it was time to feed him so towards the end of the appointment he was getting a little bit fussy. Another plus that we really liked about the group we chose for Tre is that the pediatrician asked us if we wanted to use a room to feed him before we went home and they also offer a lactation consultant at the office to help mother's who breastfeed. So we got to use a room to feed Tre while we were there and the lactation consultant came in and helped me with positioning and answered any questions we had. It was great! After leaving the office I felt so much more confident about what I was doing and I think it helped a ton on feeding when we got home.

Then the second appointment was today at 12:30pm. Luckily feeding landed just before the appointment, however it made us a few minutes late, but it didn't affect our appointment so that was good. They measured Tre and weighed him, he measured 21 inches and weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. What a great weight gain! The pediatrician was very happy with his growth (I was to since I had been feeding him so much I was going to be pissed if he wasn't gaining weight, hehe). After this appointment we aren't scheduled to see the pediatrician for 2 months from his due date, so we need to schedule an appointment for somewhere around September 9th. We were told that we were doing well and that Tre was growing and looking very healthy. So we are feeling very good about things.

SO DANG CUTE!

Okay...this picture is just too cute for words! One of those perfect moments. Jammer was going into the bedroom to check on Tre, actually his exact words were, "I'm going to go stare at our son for a few minutes."

He went in there and wanted to take a picture of him, he took one and then this one was the second. A perfect little grin with his arms reached behind his head looking like he is just chilling. Already got that relaxed, carefree look. Gosh, I can't get enough of this little one!!! Hope you enjoy the pic as much as we do!

Happy 1 Week Birthday Tre!

Today is Tre's 1 Week Birthday! One week has already passed, pretty crazy! I know time will only fly much more now that things are starting to get somewhat situated at home. If only we could get enough sleep. But I would much rather have the lack of sleep I have been having this week then the lack of sleep I was having in the last month of the pregnancy. At least with this lack of sleep there is a higher purpose. To feed my baby and make sure he is 100% happy and comfortable. Plus when I do get to sleep for those little nap times I get to sleep however I want instead of having to accommodate the big belly. That's the best part...!

Contractions Began and our baby was Born...

So I got home from the doctor's appointment and getting gas and was waiting for my Mom to get to my house. We had scheduled to have our carpets replaced the next day and my Mom came down to help me get the house ready since I wasn't in any shape with the big belly to be moving furniture. It was a very lucky thing that she did come down because I couldn't help her at all since the "cramps" that I was feeling when I left the doctor's office began to feel worse. I was watching a movie when my Mom arrived because I wanted to try and relax as much as possible. My Mom brought me lunch and as I was sitting at the table trying to eat I was struggling a little bit because the cramps were getting worse. At this point in time I had called my doctor's office to ask if the bleeding and cramping that I was experience was normal after what they did when I was in the office. They said yes and that I was moving in the right direction. I figured in a few days moving in the right direction.

So I saved my food for later and my Mom started getting the house moved around so the carpet people could install the carpet the next day. By 3pm I was feeling worse and those cramps began to feel like contractions. They were pretty consistent but I was still talking through them and was able to move around a bit so we weren't too concerned. My Mom sat me up on the couch at this point and I kind of directed her from the couch. I decided to text Jammer since he was at work to give him a heads up on what was going on. I was concerned because he was scheduled to go up to Irvine the following day for a training course for work and I was thinking it would be a bad idea for him to travel up there in case I did go into labor so we text back and forth a bit about it. He was getting off work at 4pm so we figured we would see how the rest of the day went.

When he got home I started to document the contractions to see how far apart they were so we could see where I stood. It started out at like 7 minutes apart so we weren't too concerned. Then after an hour they started to go down to 6 minutes and sometimes 5 minutes, but it just didn't feel real and I kept thinking, this is going to end, right? Jammer was going to go surf but then after seeing me he decided it was probably not a good idea to leave the house because I started to get more consistent.

6:30pm rolls around and I felt that things were moving into a possible active labor phase, the contractions were at 4 and 5 minutes apart and I wasn't able to speak or move during each one. I figured I should do an official documentation at this point in time for an hour and really make sure this is happening, all the while I'm thinking OMIGOSH, is this really happening?

At 7:30pm it was official and the contractions were the real deal...I hadn't showered that day yet so I jumped into the shower which was rough to deal with the contractions but felt much better to get cleaned up. Then we decided to call the doctor and let them know that we were ready to head to the hospital. The on call doctor called me back and she informed me that I could go to the hospital and get checked out. It was REALLY happening! We packed up all our stuff and Jammer and I drove in our car and my Mom followed in hers. We got to the hospital at about 8:30pm and they took us to a room to check my cervix. I was dilated at 4-5 centimeters so they admitted us. They got us situated in a great room. Corner room, quiet and spacious. So far so good!

They asked if I wanted the epidural and I said YES! So an hour later the anesthesiologist arrived, he explained what was going to go down and we started the process about 20 or 30 minutes later I was feeling no pain. THANK GOODNESS! They checked my cervix again at this point and I was dilated at 6 centimeters. The nurse told me she felt that I was a pretty rapid labor. So I prayed for a quick delivery. Then she said we should get some rest and wait for the doctor to arrive. I think within the hour the doctor arrived and checked my cervix but she thought I was more like 4 or 5 centimeters still instead of 6 so she told us to rest and that she'd check on me later. We asked how long she thought it was going to be and she said normally you dilate about a centimeter an hour. We were thinking, oh man, we've got a long night ahead of us. So Jammer, my Mom and I tried to nap. At this point I wasn't feeling pain but I was definitely feeling the pressure of the contractions and would look at the monitor every time because I wanted to see how big it was. I was nervous and anxious so I was having a hard time sleeping.

Just when I started to relax the doctor and nurse came into the room and said that the baby's heart rate had dropped and they were going to insert some liquid that would hopefully help. However, when she checked my cervix she realized that I was dilated 8 centimeters, then a second later she said, "No, 9 centimeters, um...no 10 centimeters...Uh..I think you are ready to push!"

I was like, NO WAY? Are you serious? And she was right just a few minutes later it was time to get down to business and bring little Tre into the world. After about 40 minutes or so (the longest 40 minutes of my life) he arrived..!

He was beautiful and healthy and we were so grateful! By the time he was born it was 12:37am on July 9th (we were shooting for the 8th since most of you know our obession with the number 8) and of course just 37 mins after the 8th is over he was born. Ha. He weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 20 inches long.

It's pretty late and I'm SO tired...not feeling well and need to get some rest.

Stay tuned for more posts about the rest of the week plus once I collect all the pics from everyone I will be posting more pictures for you to check out on our website. So keep checking back!

13th Doctor's Appointment - 39 Weeks

This doctor's appointment was a much better experience, even though it was a bit uncomfortable because it was the first time the doctor was going to check my cervix. She was still concerned about the size of Tre because of the way he was positioned. She decided to to a little inducing (not with drugs) with stripping some of the membranes inside to possibly induce the chance that I would go into labor sooner. She had also said that she didn't want me to reach my due date if at all possible because of her concern for his size.

The doctor's appointment was at 10am and I was out of there by 10:30am and walking back to my car feeling a little uncomfortable after the experience. I then called Jammer (who was at work) to let him know what happened at the appointment. I informed him that the doctor had said that she anticipated us going into labor within the week. I then text my Mom and sisters to let them know that we were to expect possible delivery of the little one within the week.

I walked to my car and drove back to my house. I stopped to get some gas and was going to run a few errands but around 11am I started to feel some cramping and had to go home to rest.

39 Weeks - Belly Development

Funny thing, I had my days confused and had asked Jammer to take a picture of my belly on Monday instead of Tuesday like we had been doing. Good thing I did because Tuesday was the day we went to the hospital.

At this point in time, our little one is feeling very ready to come out. I had a few false labor contractions this evening and had a gut feeling that we were going to be delivering very soon.

Words of Wisdom from a Mother of 4

As I had mentioned in my earlier post about our baby shower this past weekend, my sister Jennifer had written us a great letter that brought many of us to tears as she read it aloud. After reading it a few more times I really felt that it was something that should be shared. It has great pieces of advice and things she has learned along the way of raising her 4 children (ages 14, 11, 6 and 4). I hope you get as much out of it or can appreciate her words as much as I do...

"Dear Mike and Donelle,

Thank you for this opportunity to share in this amazing time of your lives. You are about to experience the next amazing gift from GOD!

God has allowed me to teach and guide 4 amazing childen thus far, for this I am truly GRATEFUL! Days of parenting are not perfect and some days will be difficult but I promise you, ALWAYS worth it!

If you would allow me, I would like to share with you some parenting advice I have learned through my life experiences thus far with my children.

My children have allowed me to see and change the things I did not like about myself. They have taught me to be a better person, parent and wife each day.

I have learned to always SMILE at my children, when they first wake up in the morning, before they go to bed and any time in between; they learn from my words and facial expressions.

I have learned to....Enjoy the Aha! Moments

Never stop reading, observing and learning about being a parent.

Parent in private as you would in public.

Don't leave it to the world to educate or raise your children.

Discipline with love not anger. Parent with balance -- do not be extreme one way or the other.

Be the safe place your children go to for comfort, love and guidance.

Parent by providing tools your child will need in life as adults.

Old school is not always bad school, just know the difference. Hear what your kids are not always saying.

Remove force and control out of parenting; replace with guidance, love and information.

Each child is an individual -- honor their strengths and help them to improve on their weaknesses.

Parent as a team, do not let them divide and conquer.

Do not parent by embarassment -- parent with integrity, character and honesty.

Parent with faith and teach your children faith, they will need it to lean on during difficult times and appreciate it during the best times.

Parent by always being the example to them. Parent by loving your child's mother and father (us).

Parent by learning the words; I am sorry and I made a mistake.

These are but a few things I have learned and I hope they are helpful as you begin your journey in to parenting.

I love you both with all my heart. I know that you both will be amazing parents, as parents we all make mistakes but as long as we learn from them before it's too late; that is most important. I can't tell you how excited I am becoming Auntie Jac.

I am always here for you to lean on, I promise to only guide you and to never judge.

Love,
Jenn"

38 Weeks - Belly Development

Time has really flown lately...and the growth of my belly is expanded far beyond what I thought my body could reach! Tre has continued to be very active, constantly reaching at both ends of my belly (left and right stretches at the same time)! I've grown a bit of an ache in my right side that doesn't seem to want to go away. Things are definitely getting tougher as the weeks go on here at the end. But we are patient and as much as I am ready for him to come, I think I kind of want him to wait a little bit longer so we can get the last pieces of the house put together. He feels like he has really plumped up in there and is ready for the real world so we'll see, it could be any day now!

12th Doctor's Appointment - 38 Weeks

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday, Monday, June 30th. I don't know if it was the fact that it was a Monday and maybe people just weren't happy to be at work but I got a weird vibe while at the doctor's office this time. Could be that I am feeling a little bit anxious about this baby coming very soon or something, I'm not sure, but my doctor was in a very "short answer" mood. Then to top it off after I finished with her and she informed me that next week we would have an appointment and she would check my cervix for dilation, I go to check out and schedule my appointment for next week and she had put on my paperwork that I could see the nurse practitioner. I thought that was so strange considering I am at the very end of my pregnancy, why would I want to go to a random nurse practitioner at this point in time? It kind of irritated me! I informed the lady making the appointment that I had no intention of seeing a nurse practitioner next week and to please schedule me with my doctor.

Another thought was that maybe because my original doctor went into labor and is not working at this time, maybe the other doctors are feeling the pressure of picking up the slack or something...who knows? But I guess I was just frustrated because at last week's appointment the doctor and I had established that I would like to stick with one doctor and that be that and she agreed that would work for her and told me I should continue seeing her. SOOOO...what was up with her pawning me off on a nurse practitioner?

Needless to say, I was not happy with this last appointment. I told her that on Friday I had some labor pains but after sitting for a minute and then slowing down my pace they stopped, she didn't seem too concerned, which I guess is a good thing. But I thought she might want to know exactly what happened or whatever but she didn't even ask. Strange!

On a good note the baby's heartbeat sounded good but she re-emphasized the "big baby" comment. So I asked her, what does that mean? Is he long? Is he large? What's it mean and she said, it could mean either or. I guess it is hard to tell without looking at him on a sonogram or something but it still kinda freaks me out that she keeps saying he is a "big baby". On top of the "big baby" worry I'm pretty sure that when the nurse weighed me I had gained 2 additional pounds in 6 days. Crazy! I have been so on schedule with gaining a pound a week and here I gained 2 pounds in 6 days. YIKES! That would make a grand total of 137 pounds.

Next doctor's appointment is Tuesday, July 8th at 10am. Hopefully it'll be a better experience than this week's appointment. I'm a little nervous because we are getting so close and it could be any time now...

Stay tuned... :)