Month Three

Monday April 4th- Edwin is sleeping for 3-4 hours solid
each night. Edwin's baby shoe came in the mail today. We
got the official results from his 2nd hearing test back:

Tympanometry Summary:
Right Ear: Flat, no peak
Left Ear: Flat, no peak

DPOAE Evaluation:
Right Ear: The presence of significant otoacoustic emissions
(greater than or equal to 8 dB DP-NF) at some
frequencies, while absent at other frequencies when middle
ear status is normal suggests abnormal outer hair cell
function for only portions of the cochlea. This may be
consistent with at a least mild hearing loss at those
frequencies where emissions are absent.

Left Ear: The absence of significant otoacoustic emissions
(no emissions equal to or greater than 8 dB DP-NF) when
middle ear status is normal suggest abnormal outer hair cell function in the cochlea.

This may be consistent with at least mild hearing loss.

Summary: Today's test results are consistent with slight/mild,
conductive, hearing loss for the right ear and a moderate,
mixed hearing loss for the left ear.

Saturday, April 9th-
Edwin pulls himself forward and falls over. I guess he doesn't understand he's only 2 months old! He's drooling a lot lately, we think it's because he's teething, or pre-teething. He really soaks through clothing. He's talking and smiling with everyone now, especially men and small children. A little old man tickled his feet in the store one day, and lots of older people tell me about their grandchildren. He is King of the Grocery Store.

Monday, April 11th-
Edwin sucks his thumb with more coordination. He still gets his whole fist in his mouth, but when he does get only his thumb, he curls his little index finger around his nose. He is beginning to try to suck his thumb when he's sleeping. He virtually sleeps the whole night, though he does get very wiggly around 1am and doesn't settle down until 3 or 4am. He barely sleeps during the day. Talking to him and enforcing the 'M' sound seems to work, because he says 'momomom' but no 'ma' or 'da' yet.

Saturday, April 16th-
Edwin laughed for the first time today. Usually it was only in his sleep, but he gave a great giggle when Dad (grandpa Mike) was making facing and talking to him.

Tuesday April 26th-

My 20th birthday!
Edwin starts to try to consciously reach for objects. We hold his rattle or his stuffed duck just slightly within reach. He studies them for a while and then attempts to grab, but he always gets caught in trying to open his hand or caught on his other hand. He can do this for maybe a minute or two at a time. He's getting much better at laughing, and now laughs for Mom, G.Grandma, J.M. , and most anyone who will try. I don't know if he's actually ticklish yet, but when we 'tickle' him, he giggles.

Saturday, April 30th-

Edwin is 3months old! He weighs 15.5lbs & is around 24-25in long!

Month Two

Friday March 11th-

Edwin spent most of the day smiling at daddy. He is very much awake during the day, napping only for an hour or so a few times a day. We are visiting Grandma Pam, so his schedule is a bit off from being in a new place. He is awake several hours of the night and is fussy. He also is ravenously hungry, so Grandma feeds him his bottle with a small scoop of infant cereal mixed in. It helps calm his tummy and puts him to sleep. We stay a week before I have to go back home for my 6 week check-up.

Tuesday March 15th-

Edwin has a rash on his face & neck. It might be from the dog landing on his face when we were visiting Grandma Pam, or simply from not being used to her house. It clears up more after a bath. He's very awake now, especially at night because of the time change. He's all smiles as well. He's 12 lbs at 6 weeks old!

Monday March 21st-
Edwin went for his first long walk in the stroller. He slept mostly,despite the bumps. We walked nearly an hour, until the sky started to darken & rain drops fell. We got home just as the storm broke.Edwin is talking so much. He gargles & coos, it feels like he could start talking at any moment, but he has a long time before he will form actual words of any sort.

Week of March 26& 27th to 30th-

We took Edwin for his hearing examination follow-up. They told us that he had mild hearing loss in his right ear, and moderate to severe loss in his left. It is most likely fluid or waxy build-up, but with the left being so much worse than the right I'm a bit concerned as to if there is an underlying physical cause such as problems with ear structure, etc. They also said he had no membrane movement of the left, even at louder sounds. His hearing is muffled on both and can only hear high pitched sounds from his left at very high volumes. It's scary to think your child isn't 'perfect' or even normal in their health, even if only for a short duration.

We visited Great great Grandma for a few hours to take a 'five generations' photo. Edwin slept well in the car, but was a bit cranky when we finally arrived. He cried and nursed several times, but Grandma was thrilled all the same to see us. I can't wait until he gets bigger and we visit with daddy also.

He has begun to sleep more through the night, in 3-4 hour stretches. I'm tempted to wake him up to eat, but for now he seems content so letting him sleep is a much better idea for the both of us :)

Thursday March 31st-

Edwin is 2 months old, nearly 14 lbs!

Month One

-February Week One
Edwin has slightly elevated levels of Jaundice, so we have to take him to get tested. This goes on for 3 days. He's not very fussy, he barely whines when they stab his heels. It's the squeezing of his feet to get the blood out that irritates him. He hates having his feet taken from him, perfectly stubborn like daddy. :P He screams & screams until mommy rubs his forehead to calm him down. He's really straining getting used to eating & using his digestive/endocrine system. Hopefully everything evens out soon, I hate seeing his face get so red.
-Sunday, Feb 11, 2011
Edwin rolled over from his front to his back, twice. He also got his very first bath today! He really liked it until it came time to wash his hair. Babies don't seem to like people messing with their heads very much. He's looking more & more like Bryan each day. He seems to have his own schedule all set. Sleep from 9pm-11pm\11-1am\1am-3am & awake every 20min from 3am-6am. It's a bit hectic, but he's really gaining weight.
-Thursday February 24th
Edwin begins to cry tears this week. As if him crying wasn't enough, now we get to see tears roll down those fat little cheeks as he strains. Trying out all sorts of new bottles & formulas to see what works best to have him in less pain. It's heartbreaking :( He's sleeping much more soundly, and is wearing size one diapers; his little newborn size can't keep up with how much he eats.
-Tuesday March 1st
Edwin screams with a high voice & puckers out his bottom lip to cry. He makes more cooing sounds, and follows faces. His gas gets better after we switch from super sensitive formula, to sensitive. He still gets confused about when it's time to eat & when it's time to wet his diaper. All stomach pains have him pushing until his face gets red. He spits up much more this week (had a nice spill all over his Uncle :D ). He's a super noisy sleeper now. He constantly grunts or makes horse noises. He snores all night.
-Wednesday March 2nd
Edwin is one month old!

Baby

January 30th, 2011

8:30 AM- I open my eyes, suddenly awake, & stand up. I feel a slight pressure & see the water hit the floor. It's baby time. I soak through 2 towels waiting to get my bag & the car ready. The excitement is lurking like a wave under the surface, ready to break on the shore. The towels are really getting squishy. There's no way the human body can hold this much liquid.

9:00 AM- At the hospital, the contractions come very slowly. I can barely feel any movement at all. I'm at 4 cm, so the doctor approves my stay. It's all about to begin. Mom & Bryan stay with me while Dad heads home to prepare the family. They put the heart monitor on my abdomen, and the wooshing of the baby's little heart fills the room. We will spend the next several hours listening to the little guy.

12:00 PM- What feels like 30 min is actually 3 hours later. I lay in bed & feel as the contractions get slowly more intense. They are still very weak compared to the ones from the week prior however. Bryan & mom spend the time calling all the relatives to let them know the big day is here. I'm very excited & eager for things to speed up.

Sara, Wes, Rusty & Erin visit throughout the whole process; Erin brings me cookies & milk;Bryan runs to get snacks & unwind.

3:00/30 PM- The contractions get a little more intense. I get stuck at 6 cm, the doctor wants to give me Pictocin to push past. I opt for an IV of Nubain to take off the slight edge I'm feeling, & feel instantly groggy & spacey. This stuff kicks morphine's ass. They never give me the Pictocin because I begin to progress again.

6:00 PM- Finally decide on an epidural, just as a precaution. I'm not really in pain, but really am aching and want things to go smoothly. Each contraction causes Edwin's heart rate to slow, so they give me an oxygen mask. The doctor comes in to check me, and gives the verdict "We can begin in 20 or 3o min." I ask the nurse to get Bryan & Mom from the hallway.

6:20/30 PM- I'm in the midst of pushing, Bryan by my head holding my hand, Mom at my right leg. I'm not feeling anything other than the pressure below, and with each push Edwin gets a little closer. However, his head refuses to cooperate, so they grab the 'baby vacuum' to help him out. (laugh)

6:48 PM- Edwin David . Born 7 lbs 10.3 ounces, 21 inches long. Bright blue eyes & curly light brown hair, and a curious gaze at everything & everyone in the room. Bryan & I couldn't be happier.

When you think about it...

It's been a really really long time since I've had any sort of motivation to write. Guess that happens when your brain starts getting sucked out by your uterus (ha). I've got about 5 weeks to go, though it feels like this is going to be ongoing for the rest of my life. In a way, it is. I mean, minus the obvious of there being an infant in the picture, I don't think once your brain & body have gone through pregnancy you're ever truly back to homeostasis afterward (baby to full term or not).

When you consider not just the mental & physical drain on the mother-to-be but also how it affects those around her, I doubt even the world snaps back into any kind of order. You hear lots of people say:

"My life wasn't complete until I had my kids.."

They're wrong. Well, they're right AND wrong. Sure, they have a sense of fulfillment after taking care of kids, a sense of 'productivity' by readying them for the world and the society they will shape. However, they're wrong if they think they were not 'whole people' before. That's like saying anyone who does not have children is a shell of a human being. Many many people never have children and they are perfectly rounded and content with who they are.

The point is that while they were whole people before, they are more conscious people now. They are more in tune with the needs of others, or at least aware of them regardless of if they take action. Being aware of the others around you is so physically and emotionally important, that once we lose that feeling of other people, we lose part of our humanity. Considering that new parent/s will have the presence of another human being(baby) around practically 24/7 they have a stronger feeling of 'oneness' with themselves for taking care of another human.

That mental connection with another person on top of learning to tend to their own physical needs will stick with them no matter what. As much as moms are self-sacrificing, they really do not give so much as they receive. For each hour of sleep lost, a mom gains resilience. For each tipped over plate of spaghetti a mom gains patience. For every scraped knee, a mom gains compassion. For every temper tantrum a mom gains restraint. For each kiss goodnight a mom gains love.

In their lives with their children moms do nothing but receive and receive, much more so than they give. They are physically & mentally different people, and will be more themselves now than they have ever been.

Survival of the Fittest

Having suffered through many of the usual symptoms and effects I can't help but draw the conclusion: pregnancy makes no damn sense. When you take into account all the mental effects and physical illness it's a wonder anyone is alive at all. Here are the typical signs:

*Nausea

*Morning Sickness

*Headaches

*UTIs

*Kidney Stones

*Lack of appetite

*Heartburn

*Lack of mobility

*Stiffness of limbs

*Rapid weight gain

*Breathing difficulties

*A tiny person kicking your insides..

Any number of these on a non-pregnant person would be cause for alarm or immediate hospitalization. Also, without proper access to medical care if a person in an underdeveloped nation were to get any of these their chances of dying from it would be extremely high.

So, despite this being 'normal' for pregnancy consider how the following affects the chances of an infant's survival:

*Nausea,Lack of appetite, Morning Sickness & Heartburn:

This one is pretty simple. You don't eat, you don't get the food your body needs to make a baby. You'd figure evolution would prepare you so that you can get all nutrition possible, but this is sadly not the case. Sorry baby, if I can't eat, neither can you. Add on top of that the nations that already have a food shortage, and it's a wonder there's such a mass population in those third world countries.

*Headaches & Forgetfulness:

Inflicting mental anguish on a body already under physical attack is a wonderful idea. Not.

*UTIs &Kidney Stones:

Apart from exposing your unborn fetus to painful and possibly deadly diseases near the birth canal....wait? Where was I going with this?

*Lack of mobility,Rapid weight gain & Stiffness of limbs:

Although we don't have the same worries over running away from a fanged predator in the night, any modern threats like say, a bad driver or a falling heavy object could still kill off the slow waddling pregnant lady.

*Breathing difficulties:

Like being able to eat, if the mother can't breathe, neither can the baby. Babies without oxygen are kind of a huge problem.

*A tiny person kicking your insides..

Self explanatory. Be thankful they cannot rupture organs. Maybe.

Sure, you can argue it's this way so that only the strong and healthy babies survive this ordeal. I mean, yes, we're stretchy and able to overcome many diseases thanks to modern medicine, but our ancestors had to live through all of these great pains without technology and suffered greatly compared to our pampered lives. Even in this modern world the infant mortality rate in several countries is no less a disturbing statistic. The human body is not built adequately to care for both a fetus and a mother. When thinking about all the aforementioned, it's surprising anyone is born without severe damage.

...

everyone can go away now.