Lil Major is IT

At a whopping 3 weeks old, Lil Major has been tagged for a MEME by his cousin, Captain, aka Micah. His cousin wants to know 10 things about him. So, I sat down and interviewed Lil Major, and here's what he had to say:

1. I was born 3 weeks and 2 days earlier than my due date. My mommy and daddy weren’t exactly ready for me, but I think they’re glad that I’m here now, even though Mommy had to stay in the hospital for 5+ days to make sure that both of us were ok.

2. I have 2 cousins with birthdays in April, also. But, mine is the first in the month. One of my cousins turned 11 a week after I was born, and the other one – his sister – turned 10 fifteen days after I was born. I can’t wait to meet them!

3. People say I look just like my daddy. I have curly hair, eyes shaped like his, and big blue eyes. I already have facial expressions like my Daddy, too, and I sleep like him, too. I also look a little like my mommy. I got her little mouth, but Daddy says her mouth is ANYTHING but little.



4. I will get to grow up in the same town where both sets of my grandparents live. Daddy’s parents have lived here for a long time, and Mommy’s parents moved here just before I was born. That will be so fun to have them close by.

5. My big cousin, Micah (but I call him Captain), was born 5 months before me. He’s so cool because he loans me all of his clothes after he outgrows them. And guess what?? He’s on a plane RIGHT NOW to come meet me. He’s bringing Aunt Jana along, and we’re going to have SO much fun. Right now he seems really big compared to me, but we’ll actually be in the same grade at school once we get big enough.

6. Mommy and Daddy are very tired these days. Sometimes Mommy falls asleep while she feeds me...but I guess that’s ok, because sometimes I fall asleep when I’m eating. I’ve had bad tummy aches lately, and it makes me cry a lot. This makes Mommy sad and Daddy confused. He always tries to change my diaper when I get fussy.

7. Even though I’m the first “real” kid in my family, I came home to meet my furry brother and sister, Rerun and Lucy. They aren’t sure what to make of me. But, they’re very friendly and nice. Lucy always wants to help Mommy calm me down, but Rerun runs away when I start crying.



8. Lots of people have done really nice things for my family since I got here. Some of the people at our church bring Mommy and Daddy dinner every couple of days. Mommy and Daddy really like this because they say they get to eat "real" food on those nights...since Mommy doesn't really cook much. We also have received flowers and plants from people who love us. Mommy's good friend Shell, who is having a little girl this summer - I bet she'll be cute - sent some really pretty flowers when Mommy went into the hospital.


Mommy also got some flowers from people she works with:




And because I got here early, I got to go to a shower for Mommy. It was kinda weird though, because no one got wet. But, I got a bunch of cool stuff! Here's a picture of Mommy and her friends who gave the party.



9. Mommy laughed really loud, and scared me, when she opened a gift from her good friend Brenda in CA. Mommy and Brenda used to work together. This was the first thing Mommy saw when she opened the box:


But, we don't like the Cowboys very much, so Mommy said I can suck on them.

Then Mommy saw this in the box next.


Mommy told me it's ok if I wear them, so I can puke on the Raiders.

And then we got to the good stuff...



10. Right now I might be little...



...but Daddy says I'm going to be a GIANT someday. Daddy checks my arm span every couple days, and instead of tummy time, we do calisthenics. I did a push up on Daddy's chest a few days ago!




UPDATE: So, after I posted this, my sister reminded me that Lil Major needs to tag some of his buddies, so let's tag Hudson, Gray, and Ollie.

Monday

The Colonel had to go back to work today. I miss him. I loved being home together. I wonder how he's doing after getting less than normal sleep last night? We're working on ways to become independently wealthy so we can stay home together always!

There are SO many things that I want/need to do in the hour to three hours I have while Lil Major naps. And it never seems like enough time to get done what I really need to. I HAVE managed to write a lot of thank yous, do a bunch of laundry, and get a shower pretty much every day. But, my floors are disgusting, as are the bathrooms, I need to wash our sheets, vacuum the floor and clean off the counters. I suppose I'll eventually get to it all.

In the meantime, Carrie posted a prayer that she prays for her little one every night, and I LOVE it. I'm going to steal it and start using it to pray for Lil Major. Check it out here.

Thirteen Signs that I'm a Mommy

I've never done this Thursday Thirteen thing before, but I thought I'd give it a shot this time. Here are 13 signs that I'm now a Mommy...

1. I no longer can eat a meal from start to finish without being interrupted by a hungry or dirty baby.

2. I now do laundry every day where I used to be able to stretch it to every 2 weeks.

3. I started this post this morning, and only got this far - it's 12 hours later and I'm attempting to finish.

4. I've been puked on more times in the last 3 days than I was in 5 years of college.

5. When it's the middle of the night, and I'm exhausted, I still get up and smile down at my son as he starts to wake up looking for a meal.

6. When I shop, I (willingly) bypass the women's clothes and head straight for the adorable baby section.

7. I drive an SUV with a stroller and a car seat inside.

8. My house is full of baby items, most of which I had no idea about until very recently.

9. My heart aches when the little guy starts to squeal, and I almost burst into tears when his little chin starts quivering.

10. I call my girlfriends and talk about spit up, bouncy chairs and feeding schedules instead of shopping trips, books we've read and our next vacations.

11. My counter is covered in bottles and breast pump accessories.

12. The pediatrician is on speed dial on my cell phone, and we've already been to her office 3 times (4th visit will be tomorrow).

13. I'm too exhausted to think of a 13th thing -- that should be evidence of a mommy right there.

My Boy

Ok, ok, so Lorie is tired of my rambling about hospitals and needles and all that other stuff, and she's demanded more photos. I'll give it my best shot. I'm not not not a talented photographer like my Sis, or Lorie, or Davi or my buddy Amanda who did my maternity photos...so, we'll just have to rely on the uber-cuteness of my little son, who is squirming away on my chest as I type.


A few nights ago, Mema came over to help us give Lil Major his first bath. We ended up with a clean kid, but an angry one.





Why do I have to get naked?? Don't I get any sympathy for that bandaid on my foot??




Well, this is alittle better...at least I'm covered up.


Never mind, I still don't like it...are we done yet??


Today was a little less traumatic. We just hung out in the boppy (Thanks, Aunt Agnes!)


Just chillin'


Aahhh Choo!


Thriller!

Just a few more details

As if my delivery experience wasn’t weird enough (at least for me), there are a few things that seemed to make it even more unique. Here’s my short list:

At one point, in my delusional state I’m sure, I counted how many tubes, hoses, and cords were attached to and coming out of my body. There were 12! Yes, 12. IV’s (yes, more than one), monitors for me and the baby, leg compressor things (something about circulation), catheter (oh fun), all kinds of crazy things. Every time I wanted to turn over or change position, I had to get the nurse to help me so I wouldn’t disconnect something.

The epidural was HEAVEN! I wish I would have talked the doctor into giving it to me even sooner, but once it was in and took effect – oh boy, life was good again. And the epidural is the only thing that got The Colonel a little queasy. He saw the needle as the doctor took it out of my back, and he almost hit the floor. He did GREAT during the entire c-section though. I’m so proud of him – not much will probably phase him now after going through labor with me.

Every single nurse and doctor that we had in the hospital was AMAZING. They were friendly and helpful and reassuring. They chatted with my family and commented about what a great support system I had. As much as I was ready to get out of the hospital, I was sad to say goodbye to them.

In total, I was in the hospital for 5 ½ days. That’s a long time. But, the first 2 days were the worst because I didn’t know what was going to happen or what to expect.

I may have been quoted as saying, “This is going to be an only child.” I might feel differently now – not that I’ve forgotten all the scary and crazy things, but if I could schedule a c-section for the next one, and feel pretty confident that I at least have a good chance of NOT getting preeclampsia again, then I might do it again.

Lil Major was born during the Final 4 basketball game that KU ended up winning. And we joked all day Saturday that he had to be born by 7pm so we could all watch the game. We’re KU fans, and almost all of the doctor’s at the hospital most likely went to KU. As it turned out, we were wheeled into the surgery room in the middle of the first half of the game. As we waited for my doctor to show up to start the surgery, we talked about the game. And the first question that was asked as the doc walked into the room? What’s the score?? We got back to my room to see the last 2 minutes of the game and to cheer KU on to victory. We were still in the hospital for the championship game on Monday night...and again, KU won! What a fun story to tell Lil Major when he gets older! Too bad the same can’t be said for the Chiefs v. Colts game that the Chiefs lost just seconds before my nephew was born last fall.

I mentioned a car seat test a couple posts back...apparently, since Lil Major was born pre-term (just 2 days shy of 37 weeks), the hospital mandates a car seat trial where they strap him into a car seat for 2 hours, attach some monitors to him and see how he handles being in a car seat. They’re checking to make sure he keeps breathing and his heart keeps beating. I guess some babies that are very small have a hard time in the regular infant car seats. So, if the babies fail the test, they have to ride in a car seat where they can lay down until they’re big enough for the regular car seat. Lil Major passed with flying colors though!

When we left the hospital on Tuesday, we expected a hospital employee to make sure we had a safe car seat installed in the car. They didn’t. And when The Colonel asked about it, they said they didn’t do it – we could just whatever we wanted. Weird!

Everyone was right

I would not be surprised if every one of my friends who became a mom before me came to me and said, “I told you so!” All of those things that I could not understand about pregnancy, labor, becoming a mom, holding your newborn – I now completely understand.

Friends told me that by the end, any fears of labor and delivery were replaced with the feeling of just being done…and ready for that kid to be out. Well, I only made it to 36 weeks and a few days, but I was READY for Lil Major to get here. Especially after sitting in the hospital for 2+ days just waiting for something to happen.

They also told me that ALL modesty went out the window in the labor room. I thought, there’s NO way I’ll feel like that. Yeah, right. By the end, I didn’t care who was in the room as they checked me, or adjusted my catheter, or grabbed my boob to help me nurse. Yeah, the first few hours were a little weird, but after that? What’s the difference anyway? I was uncomfortable, drugged, in pain at times, frustrated, I looked like crap (there are pictures to prove that, but I WILL NOT be posting them here), and I was ready to do whatever I had to to just be able to finally see that little babe.

And when that little guy made his appearance, and I was finally able to hold him and change him and love on him? My heart was full. How can you INSTANTLY love someone? So much? I don’t know, but I did. And I could sit for hours and look at his sweet face, and watch his expressions change and hold his little hand, and kiss all over his body (that is still covered in fur since he came so early). And it hurts to hear him cry and not be able to instantly console him, or to watch him squirm in pain as they poke his little foot for the umpteenth time...and I’ve only known him a week! I didn’t get as emotional as I thought I would when he first came out, but then again, I couldn’t feel anything in my body, I was exhausted, flat on my back, and couldn’t hold him for an hour or so still…but those emotions came on full force, and they are still there.

He’s amazing! And I’m so grateful that he’s here, safe and sound...perfect in my eyes, loved by so many, and truly, a child of God.

My Little Glow Worm

I have a few more details to tell you about the dramatic arrival of Little Major, but something else has come up that I want to share first.

My son is a Glow Worm.

He glows with a bluish/green hue. And he's still so stinkin' cute!

We had our first appointment with his pediatrician yesterday (and how weird was it to hear them call out for Little Major - The Colonel and I looked around, realized they wanted us, and had to scramble to get up and go). His doctor has gotten rave reviews around town, and she's also very nice. She looked over the squirt, and was concerned about his bilirubin levels (jaundice), so she ordered a blood test to check his counts. Now, the kid had already had this test done twice at the hospital - once when I was in the shower and once when they took him for his car seat test (more about that later), so I had never seen it done. It's HORRIBLE!! They stick his little heel and then SQUEEZE blood out until it fills a tube. The boy was screaming his head off, and the nurse had blood all over her - I felt like screaming, you're wasting it, get it in the tube!! At some point, Lil Major gave up his fight and just went comatose in my arms - poor guy. It took forever, but they finally got enough and let us take the pipsqueak home for a long nap.

We got the call last night that his levels are high enough that they want him to undergo phototherapy. I thought that would mean a trip back to the hospital, but no, this nice man brought us a bili-light/blanket that will allow us to give him the treatment at home. I was scared at first, my mom told stories of me going through jaundice treatment as an infant, with cotton patches over my eyes, lying naked under a lamp. But, this isn't like that. We wrap Lil Major in a lighted blanket and then cover him up with his blankets. He's done very well! And his mama only cried a little bit the first time I had to put him in it - Daddy had to come help out.

We go back to the doctor in a few hours to check again (does that mean ANOTHER heel stick??), and I'm praying that his levels have gone down. He's sleeping pretty well, and the fan from the machine may actually help soothe him.

Here's a picture of my glow worm - he's wrapped up pretty well so it's hard to see the light, but the hose comes out on the right side of the photo.

I'm home, finally -- and oh yeah, I'm a mom!

The Colonel, Lil Major and I made it home this afternoon. We were chomping at the bit this morning to get out of the hospital, and we were on the road by 11:30am.

Both Lil Major and I had to get checked out by multiple doctors, with promises of follow-up visits over the next week.

I'm SO exhausted. The little pipsqueak didn't sleep a wink last night, and so neither did we. My eyes are closing and my head is nodding as I type this. I promise more updates in the next day or so.

Thanks so much to my sis, Jana, for updating you with my crazy life over the last week. She did an amazing job!

Here are a few photos as my attempt to appease you for a bit.

Our Little Major makes his debut...




Look at all that curly hair! Just like his daddy (used) to have.




Wearing the shirt Aunt Jana made for him:




Our little family:

HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!

FINALLY!!!!

Lil' Major has arrived!!!!

Born at 9:08pm (CST), he was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long!! So far everything looks good and he's perfectly healthy! As far as we know, he won't even have to stay any extra time in the hospital! Sally, of course, will have to stay an extra day or so due to the c-section for recovery but everything seems to be good, otherwise!

I'll let her do the rest of the updates and post pics when she gets a chance (unless, of course, she instructs me otherwise). ;)

Thank you SO much for all of your prayers and words of encouragement!

Already taking after his mother . . .

Looks like we have a stubborn one on our hands . . . hopefully, soon to be IN our hands! Sally has stalled out at 8 cm. Her uterus is just not contracting the way it needs to to push this baby even close to out and he's under such stress that they've decided to do a c-section.

I just got the call from my mom. Sis is relieved. She's exhausted and didn't think that, by this point, she'd have the energy to push the way she would need to, anyway. Within the next 1/2 hour (it's currently 8:30pm CST) they'll be taking her in to prep for the surgery. Doctors say from that point it should be about an hour and a half or so for the surgery, clean-up, assessment of baby, etc.

MAN, it feels like this day is never ending!! And Sally's situation is ever-changing!!

Keep praying!

The waiting game . . .

About 12:45pm CST Sally got her wish . . . the magical epidural! If you've never had a baby then you can't possibly understand just how incredible this miracle drug truly is!! From what she (and my mom) said, Sally went from a comatose state to a lively, what?-i'm-in-labor-this-ain't-so-bad state! She is now (at 4:30pm CST) 7 1/2 cm dilated and sleeping (finally)!! When I spoke with her an hour ago she seemed to be much more relaxed and much less anxious about the whole pushing-a-baby-out-of-me thing. :) She even assured me that she wasn't nearly as scared as she had been and thinks she just might be able to do this thing!

My mom asked that you just keep praying for a healthy and safe delivery for both Lil Major and Sally.

Until next time . . .
J

Major changes!

Sally sat on her hospital bed, fixing her make-up and preparing to be discharged . . finally! After all, it had been over 30 hrs. since she'd been admitted into an out-patient room for a few simple tests, and she was told that as soon as her urine tests came back she'd be released!

Then the phone rang. She answered it to find her OB on the other end of the line.

Has your doctor there at the hospital been in to talk to you yet?

Um . . . no, Sally said hesitantly.

Oh. Well, we got your urine tests back . . . your doctor should be in there soon to talk to you about them.

WHAT?! What does that mean?!!!Not long after, the doctor entered the room and explained that, in fact, they did have the results from the urine test . . . and it wasn't looking good. They found protein in it, evidence of preeclampsia, which only meant one thing. Sally would not be going home today.

------

That's right. My sister is still in the hospital . . this time, for good. They have ordered her to be moved into a birthing room where she will be given two types of hormones, in addition to Magnesium, to help induce labor. Lil Major is on his way!!! Depending on how quickly/slowly her labor progresses, at some point she will also be given pitocin. Sally's a little freaked out by how quickly everything has changed and is very nervous (and scared!) about what's about to happen. Please continue to keep her, Lil Major, and my family in your prayers during the next few days.

- Pray for labor and delivery
- Pray for Lil Major - that he would be born healthy and well
- Pray for Sally's health, BP, and anxiety levels
- Pray for The Colonel - he's a little freaked out, too, not fully understanding all that is going on

Right now our entire family (except me, of course) is in town (brother included) to be with her and support her - Praise God! Not sure when D and I will make it out there due to finances but we're hoping to meet this little guys SOON!!! Thanks for your prayers for my sis and our family.

For now,
Jana

Quick Update

Hello, again (yes, it's still Jana). Quick updates to last night's post . . .

1) I was wrong - they did NOT give her magnesium last night. The nurses set her up on an IV for it, but Sally was concerned about the side effects and asked a bunch of questions . . . long story short, it was never administered.

2) She's still in the hospital as of now (10:30am CST). They're still monitoring her BP - it's gone down, but is still pretty high at 148/90. They still have not gotten the original test results that they were waiting on yesterday. The dr. says that after a few more BP tests and some more BP medication (she's been on low doses since yesterday) she may be able to let her go w/o Sally having to finish the 24 hr. urine monitoring/testing that she started yesterday.

3) The doctor is very reluctant to go ahead and induce now for fear that Lil Major would have to remain in the hospital for at least a week or so. Therefore, if all goes according to planned, she will let Sally go home and do whatever they can to maintain the pregnancy until the 39th week, at which case they WILL induce. As of now, she will not let her go beyond week 39.

All that to say, hopefully my sister will be back home by this afternoon and will be able get on here herself to keep you all posted! :)

Update on Lil Major

Hey, all! This is Jana checking in, on behalf of my sis. I just got off the phone w/ her and, because she's stuck in a hospital room w/ no access to the internet, she asked me to come on here and update everyone on what's going on.

First off, my parents made it safely into town yesterday afternoon! Thanks for any and all prayers that went out for them.

My mom and Sally went to her dr. appt. this morning for her blood pressure check, with hopes that it had dropped after everything that happened on Tuesday. No such luck - it was 164/98. So, they sent her to the hospital for more tests and observation. She arrived at the hospital about 10am and, at some point, when they took her BP it was back to normal - YAY!! But, her doctor ordered an ultrasound and pelvic exam so they couldn't be discharged until they got the results back. So they waited . . . and waited . . . and waited. About SIX HOURS LATER they came back in to let Sally know that they still didn't have the results, and they refused to let her go home until they had them back. By this time, as you can expect, she was tired of being at the hospital and agitated w/ the nurses. Finally, they came back in to discharge her but decided to first check her BP again (b/c that's what you should do after you've made a pregnant woman wait for hours, letting her anxiety build!). . . this time, it was 178/108!!! The absolute highest it had been! :( Just when she thought she'd be heading home for the night (or to the huge consignment sale she'd been dying to go to all day!), they informed her that she was going to be staying overnight.

They have since given her Magnesium to help w/ the blood pressure and to prevent seizures and, at this point, we have no idea what they'll decide come morning. I think The Colonel is going to head to the hospital tonight to stay w/ her, but don't quote me on that. Someone will be there with her.

Also, FYI, Sally's screen is broken on her cell phone, so she can't see her phone book to make any calls. Which means, unless she knows your # by heart (which, she's assured me is probably not likely), don't be hurt if you're expecting a call and it doesn't come.

Hopefully she'll be back home tomorrow to update you all herself . . . if not, I'll do my best! Thank you for all who are praying for her and my little nephew.

Oh yeah, and at this point, she has dilated to 1cm and is 50% effaced.

Jana

2nd verse, just like the first

Needles, urine, heart monitor, ugly hospital gown -- that is what my day consisted of.

Yesterday was my weekly doctor's appointment. I met with my regular doctor's partner, just so I would know her in case my doc is unavailable when I go into labor. Which is why it caused some concern and confusion when my blood pressure was again elevated -- higher than it's been yet. The doc decided that I should go back this morning for another BP check. We were all hoping that it would have come down by this morning...

but, no, it was even higher! Which meant I was sent right back to the hospital. This time with the very real fear that I might not leave the hospital before I had a baby, since I'm so close to my due date.

I went through all the same test that I did the last time I was there. And the results all came back the same - NORMAL. My BP came down a little while I was there, but it was still higher than we were comfortable with. So, I was sent home with my super-fun 24 hour urine test to complete and orders to go back to my doctor for another BP test on Thursday morning. Whew...no baby yet!

I know this kid could show up any time now, and my doctor could decide to MAKE him show up at any time -- but I still have a bunch of stuff to do! Shopping to do, showers to go to, pedicures and hair cuts to get...but, we'll see. And we'll do whatever we have to in order to keep me and Lil Major healthy and safe.

To complicate this a little more -- here's the latest on my parents arrival in Wichita. They were scheduled to pull out of Bako with all their stuff on Sunday morning, which would have put them at our house this evening. But, their plans didn't go according to schedule either. They left a day late, with an additional truck and trailer to fit all their stuff! So, they should FINALLY arrive tomorrow sometime. Their trip is going well so far, and we're so thankful that my brother is there to help them, especially since they have an additional vehicle to drive now. Anyway, mom gave me strict orders to NOT have the baby before tomorrow night. Ok, mom, whatever you say! =) Luckily, it looks like she'll get her wish.

This isn't what I was expecting, but does it ever work that way? We are so excited to meet Lil Major, but we're also a little nervous about all of these surprises.