I got to watch my favorite team last night - the Gators! I tried to cheer them on using my super cool home run PJs, but sadly I feel asleep for most of the game. Luckily the gator softball team won and will play again Sunday.
PS - mommy added in picture of my new cousins below, check them out!
Deb & Joe had their twins this morning in Maryland. She just called to let us know all went well and that both babies arrived safely. Benjamin Joesph & Nicole Kathleen were both right around 7 pounds. When Dan was in Maryland last weekend Deb gave him a "Green Eggs and Ham" book for Dexter and today we decided to read it for the first time. I have to say Dex really enjoyed the book :)
So happy for Deb & Joe! Next Tuesday is Heather's turn to have her 2nd baby and then the big baby boom 2009 will be complete
This is me just hanging out in the morning with my PJs on. I cant seem to make my arms and head go where I want them to go just yet but I am working on that. I like to spend a good 30 minutes each morning after breakfast just looking around and playing with my mommy.
(Like most of my HD videos, best to let the whole thing load before you watch it so it doesnt pause frequently)
I got to hang out with my big cousin Cole today in Columbus. It was a lot of fun, I stayed awake almost the entire time soaking in everything around me. Cole is so smart, I know he will have a lot to teach me over the next few years. Cole even was willing to share me today with his mommy, my Aunt Heather, which was nice of him. 
So Nana and Daddy left this week, but in exchange my grandfather came up to play with me! So far he has been a lot of fun to lay on and he has helped feed me while mommy sleeps in. We are going to visit my cousin Cole tomorrow which should mean I get lots of kisses from him and get to play with his toys. Grandfather will be here until Sunday when Daddy comes back from helping his mommy move to Maryland. Cant wait!
Today was a sad day, my mom drove back to Florida after spending 3 weeks with us. She was such a big help playing with the baby, giving us time to sleep and helping feed the baby the breastmilk that I was pumping every few hours - she will definately be missed!
Today was fun though -- we went in for Dex's 2week checkup. He is back up to 8 pounds 12 ounces, 21 inches long and his head is a whopping 38cm around. This puts him right in the 50-60th percentile of other babies his age. After visiting the pediatrician we took Dexter to the oncology department to show him off to the nurses that worked on Dan during his chemo. They all loved him and were happy to see Dexter and Dan looking so good - hopefully the next time they have a young testicular cancer patient they mention them and the power of sperm banking!
On the day I was born the nice nurses gave me a bath. Well I guess I finally got dirty enough for mommy to give me another one. I wasn't sure what to think about it at first, but soon relaxed and enjoyed the warm water. Nana filmed the big event for all to see, hope you enjoy - and hope I don't regret having naked me on the internet in 20 years!
Since I am now 10 days old, I figured it was time to start blogging. I don't have the best coordination yet so mommy is helping me. I have had many adventures since I left the hospital a week ago. I love going on walks or rides in the car, there is so much to listen to and see. I am not sure yet how I feel about tummy time that mommy and daddy make me do but it does let me play with the dogs easier. When I am not eating, sleeping or pooping I enjoy just being held or looking at myself in a mirror - I am one handsome little guy!
This was Dexter's first day of tummy time exercise. The point of this is to promote head and body strength for babies. Well Dexter decided he wasn't a big fan of staying on the boppy and just raising his head so he just crawled over it!
There are a couple more videos on youtube of Dexter if you want to check them out. Link to them is on the left.
Saturday Heather, Jeff and Cole came over to visit Dexter. We had pizza and watched Cole play on the playground in my backyard and took turns holding Dexter. It was interesting to watch Cole's interaction with Dexter - for the most part it went very well. He was gentle and loving to him as expected, but he also got pretty jealous when his mommy was holding Dexter instead of him and was sure to tell her that "Daddy hold Dexter, Mommy Cole!"
Sunday we ventured back to the hospital for Dexter's 5 day recheck of his weight and bilirubin level. He has gained back a tad (up to 7 lbs, 13.5oz) and his bilirubin level was fine. By his 2 week check he should be back at his original birth weight. Dexter is eating well and often, he can easily nurse for 30-40 min and then 30minutes later want more, so its been a challenge to keep up. We have decided to start pumping in between feedings or on the opposite breast that he is feeding on to hopefully help with his demands and increase my supply. Its been cool to see how much more I produce since my milk started coming in. Friday I could only pump 5ml in a session, Saturday was closer to 10ml per try and now I am up to 20ml. Dan and I both are very analytical so seeing an actual amount Dexter takes in is comforting to us. Eventually he will be all breast pump fed but until I return to work in a few weeks it will likely be a combo of breastfeeding and pumping. Dan was able to feed Dexter today for the first time with the pumped milk and that was nice to see as well.
Here are some photos from the last couple days. For many more you can check the link to the left under Dexter James' vitals.
Dan has already posted the highlights of the birthing experience and honestly its still kinda a blur to me. I felt like Tuesday really went by extremely quickly. I has happy to experience contractions and also happy to feel them to a lesser extent once I asked for an epidural. Pushing was interesting trying all sorts of positions like squat bars, pulling on a rope and good old fashion chin to you chest pushing to get him to maneuver the last few inches. I did end up with a 3rd degree tear which was a fear of mine going in and they spent close to one hour stitching me back together again after Dexter was born. Its still very swollen down there and will be for several weeks I am told but I have like 5 different things I can use to lessen the pain and inflammation and they are making a difference.
The next few days in the hospital also flashed by, the main goal for my 3 days in the hospital was to establish breast feeding. Dexter, Dan and I worked on this every 2-3 hours around the clock and met with the lactation consultant twice to go over various strats and tricks of the trade to make breastfeeding work. Both of us are still learning, sometimes its hard to get him into a good position and about half the time his tongue doesn't want to quite work right but we are both determined to make it work.
Another highlight of my hospital stay was my visitors. Heather came over for the birth and will be back this Saturday with Cole and Jeff. Dan's friends came over - Jay & Ruth, Adam & Nicole, Jon, Kristin & Duncan- and everyone was happy to meet little Dexter (well except Jay and Adam who seemed scared by a newborn) My mom was there the whole time as well and was a wonderful help!
Our 48 hour stay turned into 72 hours because Dexter's bilirubin level was a bit high to go home (especially in dreary Ohio where the sun doesn't shine to get it naturally!) so we stayed one more night and Dexter got his first spa treatment with lights on him to promote breakdown of the bilirubin.
We are now home and our first concern was how our dogs and cat would respond to meeting Dexter. Each night we sent home a hat Dexter had worn during the day so they would have the smell of him to be somewhat familiar with. I was pretty happy to see that when we did bring him home all our pets were pretty calm and all wanted to sniff and lick him. When he cries they do get a bit concerned but so far so good.
Thanks for reading all this, I promise future blog entries will be shorter and have less pictures!! I just have so much to share and so many cool new things to discover and learn! I love you all and glad you're part of our new family.
I can honestly say that going into yesterday morning I had no idea what was waiting for me. Ali was scheduled to be induced with Pitocin, and we reported to the base hospital at 0700. Room five was ready for us, and Ali got all hooked up to the machinery. At 0800, the Pitocin drip began and Ali made it all the way to 1200 before requesting pain meds. At about 1500 the two nurses and Ali agreed that it was time to start pushing, and so she did. This was quite an experience for me to witness (from the chair where I couldn't pass out), as it wasn't anything like I thought it would be. Most of the time when I visit the hospital I am confused about what they are doing (and why and how), but this part seemed strangely similar to how an engineer might approach it: systematic pushing. Despite this, it was obviously difficult and painful, but Ali performed like a champ, and I must admit that I am still in awe at how strong she is.
After about an hour of pushing from various positions, the doctor arrived. I thought that we, along with the two nurses who had been coaching Ali along, had everything in control and were doing a good job. However, when the eight other nurses, doctors, and techs arrived after Dr. Newman I realized it had all been a big facade. All told there were 13 people in a room the size of our master bedroom (nine medical, Ali, me, Sharon (Ali's mom), and Heather (Ali's sister)). The entire experience seemed surreal, until with one solid push a baby miraculously appeared. I found that I couldn't stop crying, and have the urge still to do so now. I didn't think it would happen to me, but I find that everything is different now, and it is just beginning.
The series of events broke down like this:
0700: Report in
0800: Pitocin started
0800: Contractions begin
1200: Ali is 5cm dilated and finally asks for an epideral
1500: Ali is 8cm (?) dilated, and the nurses get her to start pushing
1600: Doctor Newman arrived with his entourage
1633: Dexter arrives :)
Dexter's stats:
Weight: 8lb 13.8oz
Length: 20in
Hair: blonde
Eyes: blue?
Both mother and baby are doing well, and so far Dexter has been pretty easy to deal with. I am sure that Ali will have a lot to say about the experience when she is released from the hospital tomorrow after a mandatory 48 hour stay. I look forward to introducing Dexter to the dogs and starting to learn what it means to be a parent.
Today I had my 40 week 5 day visit. Dexter's is still comfy cozy in there. He is finally engaged in my pelvis instead of bouncing around which is good. I am 3 cm dilated and ~75% effaced. Doc said I could really go at any time. They wanted to make sure he is doing ok in there so they did a quick ultrasound to measure amniotic fluid levels (which was fine) and a non-stress test where they just monitored his heart rate for 20min (also fine). The picture above is me during my stress test.
My next post should be a welcome to the world Dexter post, so stay tuned!
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