JEH: Week 1 Reflections

No doubt there's a newborn in the house again - we are low on sleep, but high on pure love with our new addition.

JE is fitting right in and we are working to establish a new normal for our family of four.

A few first week reflections…

1. Thank goodness I can drink coffee again. Not only am I needing the caffeine jolt, but it tastes so yummy after not having it since December.

2. The biggest thing I worried about while pregnant with JE was logistics - how to handle two little ones who need me to take care of their needs. Luckily, we have had a great deal of help this last week. But today begins our first days and nights of just the four of us. Praying that I am able to figure all of this 'mama to 2 under 2' thing quickly (and without too many tears - mine and theirs).

3. RF has been watching a little more TV than usual this past week in order for me to try and focus on myself and JE. While this makes the teacher in me cringe, I know it's not the worst thing in the world.

4. RF loves to tell his brother to play with him. This week he's told Ellis, "Throw ball, Ellis", "Blocks, Ellis, and "Watch George (Curious George), Ellis".

5. My recovery has been a breeze - knock on wood that this continues. I am so glad to have my energy level back and to be carrying around less weight in his heat.

6. My house is picked up, but not clean. I'm able to keep up with dishes, laundry and general cleaning most of the time, but don't look too closely - the floors need to be vacuumed and mopped and pretty much every nook and cranny needs to be organized, but we've got time to slowly get all of that done. At some point. Maybe. Right now I'll just sit and stare at my two sweet boys. :-)

7. RF is really adjusting to JE quite well. Although the other night I was feeding Ellis and RA had RF and RF was in a mama-mood. He looked at me and said, "Daddy - Ellis. Mama - Franklin." The boy knows what he wants. We're working to make sure that we both spend quality one-on-one time with RF through this major transition. RA usually handles baths and I handle our bedtime routine. Hopefully things this week will be more normal as it will just be the four of us.

8. JE has two nicknames right now - Early Bird and Frog. "Early Bird" because he decided to arrive early and his last name is Hawk. And "Frog" because when he has the hiccups he sounds like a frog - seriously, the hiccups are super loud and super high pitched. It's the funniest thing.

A week's worth of sweet baby faces...

RF swimming like a fish - this kid LOVES Papa Tad and Lola's pool. 

Lola hosted a "Sip and See" get together for us yesterday at Kitchen on George. 

JE had to spend about 48 hours on a blue light for jaundice. We are so thankful that his bilirubin levels came down into the normal range. Being hooked up to that light made snuggling, feeding, changing diapers and every other newborn activity much more difficult. 

I'm thinking...

Joseph Ellis Hawk's Arrival Story and Photos

Joseph Ellis Hawk - 7/20/2014 - 6 lbs. 15 oz. - 20 inches long 

I cried putting RF to bed last Saturday night (a blubbering, ugly cry)…I wonder if I instinctively knew that that would be the last time I would put my little guy to bed before his little brother arrived?

Earlier Saturday I had begun to feel some cramping that slowly morphed into more contraction-like pain. I called the on-call doctor about 8:00pm and after describing my symptoms was encouraged to take a warm bath, lay down and see if things pass. If not, come on in to the hospital to be checked out. The warm bath helped a bit, but by midnight things were getting much more intense. I didn't really get any sleep from that point forward. By 4:00am it was obvious that I was in severe pain. RA and I decided to head on to the hospital and left the house about 30 minutes later. Luckily, Mrs. Margie and Mr. Joe are in town and were able to keep RF for us. The car ride to the hospital was quite painful. I really thought I was going to loose it as we crossed over the railroad tracks on Dauphin Street - O.U.C.H. At this point the contractions were coming every 3-5 minutes, but were staying pretty stable in terms of intensity - intense. Arriving at the hospital we were the only folks in the ER area so we were able to get upstairs to L/D really quickly.

I got all hooked up and a nurse checked me out about 5:45am and told me that was not in labor - no dilation and no effacement, but that I was having very real contractions. A few tests led to finding out that an had a urinary tract infection, which more than likely caused the contractions to begin and was dehydrated, which made the contractions a bit worse. They wanted to monitor me for a bit and let the on-call OBGYN from my practice check me out when he made rounds later in the morning. Things were getting more intense (painful...very, very painful) so my nurse encouraged me to drink a ton of water. But the extra hydration wasn't helping with the pain...at all. Each contraction made me want to scream at the top of my lungs and say very bad words (but I managed to keep it PG). I was really beginning to think that there was no way that I could manage much longer. I wanted them to make it stop...now. My nurse checked me again about 9:00 and I was still not dilated at all. When the dr. from my practice made his rounds he wanted to check me again since things were still crazy painful (seriously...there are no words to describe it). He checked me at 11am and shocked us all when he said that I was 7cm! SEVEN centimeters...from nothing to seven centimeters in less than two hours with no pain medicine. OUCH. Big, big OUCH. The dr. told us that we were having a baby…today. Unbelievable, truly - unbelievable. I just remember that I kept saying, "What is happening?" "How did this happen so fast?" RA started notifying everyone that things were happening…quickly. 

The first thing on the priority list - epidural...now...please, please, please. I was terrified that I would miss the window for getting the epidural, but luckily the anesthesiologist on call was super quick and was able to get to me within 15 minutes. 

Thank goodness because now I was freaking out - this baby was going to be a month early…a premature baby. 

Would he be healthy? Would he be able to come home from the hospital with us? 

So many questions swirling around in my head that I was still having trouble believing that I was in full labor at 35 weeks and 6 days. 

The anesthesiologist was able to get the epidural in and I began to feel much better (i.e. he made the pain go away). 

Getting ready to have a baby and looking a little rough…it had been a long morning.

By this point it was about noon. The on-call dr. paged my dr. and she was sweet enough to come in and deliver our little one. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our OBGYN. Once my dr. arrived and checked me it was about an hour or so before we were ready to start pushing. Seriously, everything was happening at lightening speed. I started pushing at 12:50 and at 1:05pm we set our eyes upon our new little one and heard his first cries. They immediately put him on my chest and I looked into his eyes knowing that he was here safely. He was whisked away to be checked out, but we were told his APGAR scores were 9 and 10, even at a month early. We are so thankful that he is healthy.

Here he is! 

First photo of our family of four…

RA and I were able to spend some time together just the three of us until he was taken to be checked out more throughly. We were then able to bring in family to meet him and we were moved to our recovery room. Lots of emotions, lots of smiles, and lots and lots of love happened for our family on Sunday, July 20.  

Monday morning JE was checked out by our pediatrician who made it clear that he hasn't seen a healthier month-early baby in a while. Have I mentioned how thankful we are that he was healthy?  We spent the day Monday bonding and resting.

Sweet boy...

Both nights in the hospital were pretty uneventful. RF came back Monday night with Mr. Joe and Mrs. Margie and did really well with Ellis. He would say, "Hi, Baby Ellis" and even gave him a few kisses.

Brothers. 

Tuesday morning we were given another clean bill of health for both JE and myself. We were discharged just before noon and strapped our new addition into the car to head home. 

A daddy and his son...

Papa Tad saved the day and was able to get us a coming home outfit for JEH...

Take me home, mama and daddy. 

RF was waiting for us when we got home and was excited to see his brother. He knelt down next to JE's carrier and said, "Hi, Baby Ellis." I am so thankful that RF is taking to JE well - let's hope it continues.

Settled in at home...

It was close to RF's nap time when we got home on Tuesday and after saying our hellos I took RF upstairs to put him down for his nap. Two days of mommy not being at home with him had me ready to spend some 1 on 1 time with my first-born. He was just perfect - we talked for a few minutes and then he drifted off to sleep - happy as can be. RA and I napped with JE while RF napped and then we spent the afternoon getting a few things done around the house since we were a bit unprepared for JE's early arrival - mainly setting up JE's sleeping arrangement in our bedroom and the pack and play/diaper station downstairs.

RF opening his "I'm a Big Brother" present from JE - a new puzzle. 

While we were completely surprised byJE's early arrival, we are settling into our new normal as a family of four quite well. Our days and nights consist of an endless cycle of feeding, changing and sneaking in a few minutes of sleep in between chasing around RF - lots of fun happening in the Hawk house right now! :-)

36 Weeks...oh, wait - just kidding! He's here!

Joseph Ellis Hawk decided to make his debut a little early - 4 weeks and 1 day early.

6 lbs., 15 oz. --- 20 inches long --- 1:05 pm

Short version...

We decided to come on to the hospital about 4:30am Sunday as I was having some pretty painful contractions. We found out that I had a possible UTI and was dehydrated. After being checked by a nurse I was assured that labor had not yet started. I continued to have really painful contractions (seriously, RA's fingers are probably really sore today if not actually bruised) and when the on-call OBGYN checked me again I had progressed to 7cm...in two hours...with no pain medication. Within an hour and a half from that moment I was ready to start pushing and 15 minutes later (seriously, 15 minutes later) we laid eyes on our new little man and heard his first cries. 

What. A. Day. 

Long version...

One day later this week I'll post the more detailed version - lots of emotions yesterday, lots of emotions, especially when I saw RF after having JE. 

24 hours later, we are all happy and healthy. 

RF was a little too over stimulated to sit still for a family photo Sunday evening, so we will try again tonight. 

35 Weeks.

How far along? 35 weeks on July 14 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a COCONUT!

Maternity Clothes: Feeling ok this week and keeping with the status quo.

Stretch Marks: Nothing new here again, keeping the status quo.

Sleep: Three for three on the status quo - flipping and flopping all night long.

Best Moment Last Week: Maternity photos that included RF. One of the mommy blogs I follow talks about how one of the greatest gifts you can give your child is a sibling. I cannot wait to see RF and JE interact with one another and see them develop their own special relationship as brothers.

Movement: Still an active little boy. He likes to give his mama a few jabs here and there - he's a strong little fella. 

Food cravings: Still hungry…really hungry…all. the. time.

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Still feeling a few intense BH contractions, but still nothing consistent.

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: Being able to see my feet when I stand up.

What I Am Looking Forward To: First weekly dr. appt. is next Tuesday and I am excited to begin finding out if we have made any progress toward's JE's arrival. 

Milestones: Making the hospital bag checklist. Planning to pack it later this week to have on the ready for the big moment of JE letting us know he's ready to meet us. As I was looking at the list it was pretty comical to me the things that I realized I didn't really need this time around that I had packed last time (like a cute post-birthing a baby outfit - I never changed into it. I stayed in my stretchy, yoga pants and PJ's pretty much the whole time we were in the hospital) and the things that I didn't pack last time that I now realize would have been helpful (like a pillow and blanket for RA since he FROZE in our L/D room).

JE @ 35 weeks…
That big belly is sticking straight out…large and in-charge.

34 Weeks and 3 Days + The Fun Days of Summer with a Toddler

How far along? 34 weeks on July 7 

Joseph Ellis is the size of…a BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

Maternity Clothes: The weather this past week hasn't been completely unbearable, so shorts, tank tops and flowy dresses have been working for me.

Stretch Marks: Same old, same old. And my belly is starting to itch like crazy. Weird, I know, but just part of pregnancy for me. Same thing happened with RF about this point, too.

Sleep: Not the best, but not the worst. More flip-flopping from one side to the other and being woken up multiple times a night because my arm or hand has fallen asleep…fun, fun, fun.

Best Moment Last Week: I was putting RF to bed one night last week and he was rubbing my belly while JE was moving all about. Brothers bonding even before they officially meet…I love it.

Movement: Still an active little boy, just like his brother. 

Food cravings: Nothing major this week, just same old wanting to eat everything in sight feeling…sigh…

Gender: It's a BOY! 

Labor Signs: Haven't felt as many BH this week, but the few I have felt has been zingers - enough to make me squeal and one in particular that made RF say, "Mommy, ouchie."

Belly Button – in or out? Out 

Wedding Rings – on or off? Back-up wedding band only. 

What I Miss: Wine. I miss being able to sit down at the end of a long day with a nice glass of wine and just veg-out. Again, superficial, I know, but I'm pretty sure I'm to the point where I'm ready to meet JE, begin adjusting to our new 'normal' and enjoying all the things that I can't enjoy while pregnant (mainly coffee and wine).

What I Am Looking Forward To: Doing a blog post of JE's nursery and our upcoming weekend maternity session with Papa Tad and Lola. Can't wait to share the photos of both with everyone. 

Milestones: Last two week dr. appt. is scheduled for July 22nd - from then on out it's every week…definitely realizing that the end is upon us…maybe I should pack our hospital bags…yea, I should probably put that somewhere near the top of the 'To-Do List'.

JE @ 34 weeks + 3 days…

Please forgive the large stain on the bottom of my tank top. Apparently I made a little bit of a mess cooking dinner and had no idea the stain was there until I saw this photo…tells you how big my belly is right now...

The Fun Days of Summer with a Toddler 

RF has been a barrel of fun so far this summer. I have been taking him to school a few days a week so that I can get some things accomplished at home and rest, but our mornings and afternoons/evenings have been chalk full of FUN (with a few 'I'm a toddler and like to have meltdowns/tantrums' thrown in there). 

His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds everyday and it is so nice to feel like I can actually (most of the time) communicate with him about what it is he wants/needs. Although, most of our meltdowns/tantrums are occurring when he is fully aware of what he wants, but doesn't know the words/hasn't realized that he can use his words to tell me what it is that he wants/needs. 

Even with those moments, I am loving soaking up the moments with him right now. He is such a cool, curious and sweet little boy. 

 Saturday morning fun - picking up daddy's hats and trying them all on... 

Next stop, reading the newspaper sale ads to Charlie...

And then it was time to wrestle with Snuggle bear...

I made brownies one night for RA and gave him the bowl 'dispose of' the leftover batter. I walk into the living room to check on RA and RF and this is what I find…CAUGHT! 

Then when I come back a few minutes later, RF has the bowl and the spoon on the floor and is making sure RA didn't miss any drops of batter. Isn't it great what dads and sons bond over? 

We had a playdate at the splash pad in Robertsdale last week, but this is about as close to the water as RF was willing to get. 

He decided instead that he was hungry, found a picnic table and said, "Eat." 

Two huge busses of middle-school aged kids showed up at the splash pad in Robertsdale, so we packed up the boys and headed to the fountain at the Eastern Shore Center instead. RF was a little more interested in the water there. 

That smile…EAT. IT. UP. 

Yea, this is much more fun, mama. 

(Apparently it was more fun than the other splash pad. We ended up crashing at Papa Tad and Lola's house for nap time because I didn't think we would make it back to Mobile before he zonked out and I was right - he took a three hour nap after his fountain fun day.)