One Month Old!

It's so hard to believe that Drew is one month old already.  That time flew by so quickly.  Before I know it he'll be graduating high school!

We've had a great month.  Still getting adjusted to a few things, but I can proudly say that it almost seems like we know what we're doing now :)  We went to the doctor yesterday and Drew is 10 pounds 2 ounces--he's grown so much!  Unfortunately we were at the doctor because we suspected that he has thrush, and we were correct.  We have medicine drops to give him, which thankfully he loves.  Hopefully the infection will clear up soon.  It may be a reason for some of his fussiness, so we'll see what changes once he's better.

Nursing is going okay, not great but okay, and his sleep patterns are getting better. We've even had a couple of nights where Tom and I got to sleep at the same time!  We're starting to get him to sleep in his cradle upstairs and his crib when we're downstairs (where he's sleeping soundly at this very moment).  We check on him obsessively, and panic over every little squeak that he makes, but I'm sure that will get better in time. So far we've taken trips to Grand Rapids, Howell, and across the street to Target and Drew did great each time!

He's a very sweet baby, and we feel so lucky to have him. It feels like he's been a part of our lives forever, and I have a hard time remembering what life was like before him.  We enjoy our little family so much :)

Appointment Update

Drew's first doctor's appointment was today and he did great!  He is back up to his birth weight, which is not something they look for until the baby's second week.  That just means that he is eating well and we are having lots of success with nursing.  He's also grown  half an inch already!  I already feel like it's going by too fast :)  The doctor said Drew is "just perfect" and exactly where he needs to be.  It was a big relief to us to know that our first week as parents went well and we are thankful.

Looking forward to updating the blog with more milestones!

Drew's First Week

Since half of his first week of life was spent in the hospital, we are just now sort of getting a routine down with Drew.  Actually I shouldn't call it a routine, as that word isn't in the vocabulary of a newborn.  Every hour seems to be different, and just when we think we can anticipate how he'll behave or what will happen next, he throws something new at us.  Nursing is going well, at least now that I'm listening to my intuition  more and doing what's best for Drew and me.

Nights are hard, because he's more of a nocturnal being.  He sleeps great during the day and has a great nursing schedule.  Night comes around and he's a whole new baby--wanting to eat every hour and not sleeping much in between.  We are thankful when sleep comes for a hour or two at a time.  We are hoping this gets better and can eventually establish a predictable routine.  Hopefully...:)

Because we were in the hospital for so long and then got out on a holiday, we haven't been able to call the pediatrician yet to schedule his first appointment.  They asked me to call tomorrow morning to get something set up for Monday or Tuesday.  Will update again after that appointment!

Striking a pose!

Still has "baby navy" eyes--we're not quite sure what color they will be yet.

Andrew James Arrived!

Sunday, November 20th we woke up like any other morning.  Little did we know, that day was just the beginning of our little man's arrival and our 96 hour hospital stay :)

Sunday night I took a shower and when I got out, I noticed there seemed to be something wrong with my face.  It looked like I had a stroke, and one side of my face wasn't moving. I went into Labor and Delivery to get checked out and they told me it looked like I had developed Bell's Palsy.  This is something that happens more often to pregnant women than other groups, and they weren't very concerned initially.  High blood pressure can cause palsy-like symptoms so they decided to begin monitoring the baby and monitoring my pressure to see what was going on.  Thankfully, baby was perfect, and still thriving inside of me.  Unfortunately, my blood pressure was through the roof.  They let me know I would be staying overnight so they could continue to watch me.  Not much longer after that, and as my blood pressure continued to rise, I was told they were going to prep me for a c-section that could happen within the next hour once my blood work came back. And not too much longer after that, they came in and said there was no time to wait for my lab work to come back, we had to go in for emergency surgery right then.  Not because the baby was in distress, but because momma really wasn't doing well.

We arrived at Labor and Delivery around 10:00 p.m., and baby was born at 11:13 p.m.  It was a very fast process.  I woke up in a recovery room to Tom and the baby.  Who knew that actually having the baby would be the easy part...

My recovery was difficult and slow.  My blood pressure remained dangerously high throughout the night and the next day.  Coupled with my c-section recovery and my on-going Bell's Palsy, I had a lot going on :)  By late Monday evening they moved me to a normal post-partum recovery room, and by Tuesday afternoon they removed my IVs and catheter.  At least at that point I was able to eat something and could walk around my room.  Baby was still doing fantastically, and then had a name!  Andrew James Van Heest (we call him Drew).  7 pounds, 7 ounces, 20 inches. I stayed in the hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday night as well, and we were finally able to go home Thursday afternoon.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Tom was amazing throughout the whole process.  He didn't leave my side for more than 3 hours in the 96 hours we were in the hospital.  Needless to say, this wasn't my ideal Labor and Delivery, and I continue to struggle to cope with all that's happened and the circumstances.  But I'm so happy to have Drew home and we've started to settle in nicely.  He is a great baby, and pretty darn perfect and adorable.  We are very lucky, and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers in this time.

Week One update to come soon!

We have a date!

My last doctors appointment was today, and they did their check to see what progress toward labor I've made. Unfortunately, I haven't made much.  Estimating when you'll give birth isn't really an exact science, and the doctor said I could go into labor tonight or it could be another three weeks from now.  We've set an induction date for next Tuesday, November 22nd. We're still hoping to go into labor on my own, but if I don't next Tuesday is my day!  It's crazy to think that we only have a week left at the most!  We had a lot of mixed emotions after the appointment today and we're still processing everything mentally.  But we can't deny that Baby Van Heest will be here before we know it!

Here's an updated picture.  Notice that my face is not included...it's too far gone for photos at this point :)

Random Ramblings Part 2

This post was such fun, I decided to give it a sequel...

• I officially have lost my ankles.  You don't realize how much skinnier your ankles make your legs look until they are gone.
• I have developed what Tom lovingly refers to as "the pregnant lady shuffle".  In general, moving around has become a very slow process for me.  When I need to do it quickly, I pump my arms really fast and scoot my feet across the ground.  Picture power walking, but slower, and much more waddle-y.  It's a ridiculous spectacle.
• The best part of pregnancy (besides the miracle of life): I could show up somewhere unshowered, with no make up on, in sweat pants, and be really grouchy, and no one will care because, hey, I'm pregnant.  Also, someone will inevitable tell me that I look great because, hey, I'm pregnant.
• The worst part of pregnancy:  The pain in my hips.  No, the back pain.  No, the inability to get off the couch/out of bed/out of the car.  No, the peeing, the constant peeing.  Yeah, definitely the peeing.
• The part we were most excited about that turned out to be not that exciting: Expectant mothers parking.  The only place we've really seen it is at Babies R Us, and most people who go there are pregnant so it didn't really count.
• Tom's favorite part of pregnancy: He'll get back to me on that one, after it's all over.  He doesn't like to form opinions without having all the facts first :)

That's enough randomness for now, though I'm sure there could be more to come.  My next appointment is Wednesday.  Only 6 more weeks to go!!!

Love, 

Ashley

Nursery Update

We still haven't completed the nursery, but it's getting so close!  It's coming together great, and in my humble opinion, is just too cute :)

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but the walls are a light mint green color.  We also got new blinds, and will soon be replacing the floor.  Tom did a great job painting, and we just have some touch-up work to complete.