Simon's newborn photos

Last month, we had our newborn portrait session with Shannon Squires Photography.  Shannon also did our maternity photos and I was so happy that we were able to work with her again to do Simon's first pictures.  Just as before, we had a great session with Shannon and we got to meet her husband this time as well.  The two of them are expecting their first child later this year, a girl, which they learned the gender of the day after our shoot!  It was fun getting to share the experience of our first family photos with a couple who is just about to start their own new family.  

Here are our beautiful photos of Simon at 5 weeks old; Shannon did such an amazing job of hiding the fact that he didn't enjoy much of our portrait session... especially the naked part!

 

in the shop

I mentioned during my pregnancy that I had to take off my engagement ring due to discomfort caused by swelling in my fingers.  The ring had become so tight that taking it off brought great relief, even though I was sad about not being able to wear it.  I had even gotten used to and kind of liked the comfort and ease of only wearing my low-profile wedding band, even though it lacked the extra bling of my engagement ring.  While the swelling hadn't quite gone down 100%, my engagement ring was back on my finger before 2 weeks postpartum, and I was happy to be reunited with my favorite piece of jewelry once again.

While out and about on Monday, Eric, Simon, and I stopped in to our jeweler so I could get the 6-month check for the diamonds and prongs on my rings per our diamond warranty.  After alerting the jeweler about one of the prongs recently repeatedly snagging one of my delicate scarves, she discovered that one of the prongs holding the center diamond in place was indeed loose, and after removing some dirt found that the prong was loose enough to cause the diamond to wiggle in place.  She seized my ring and said she'd call us with a quote for the cost of the repair.

The jeweler called yesterday and said it's only going to be $60 to repair the loose prong, plus they're going to re-dip my ring so it's a glistening white gold again.  I'm happy that it will be good-as-new, but I've been sad being without my engagement ring yet again.  Now that my fingers are back to pre-pregnancy size, my loose wedding band is back to spinning around my finger without the support of the tighter engagement ring to hold it in place. 

And before you ask: yes, I tried looking at new rings before we left the jeweler.  And no, Eric was like, "No way, I just gave you a baby."

Simon [1 month]

Out of nowhere, my baby turned one month old!  It's true what they say: they grow so fast.  The first 4 weeks after Simon's birth passed by incredibly quickly, but we're happy to say that they were the happiest, craziest, and most exhausting 4 weeks of our lives!

on our way home from the hospital

my sleeping boys

at our pediatrician's office

Our first two nights at home were spent in the living room.  I was too sore and too exhausted to trek up our stairs and had very little interest in moving around whatsoever unless I absolutely had to.  I was also terrified of putting Simon down to sleep in the Pack 'n' Play; the thought of not being able to see him sleeping or, God forbid, stop breathing (new-parent paranoia) freaked me out.  So, he slept in my arms on the couch, which made his frequent nursing that much easier.  We were also at our pediatrician's office the first two days after we'd been discharged from the hospital because of Simon's jaundice.  Our doctor was concerned with Simon's bilirubin level and ordered us a biliblanket to use on him for two days.  The light treatment plus a vigorous nursing schedule significantly lowered Simon's bilirubin count.  He was also able to quickly gain back the 10% body weight lost in his first few days of life!

out on Valentine's Day

 Valentine's bib from Pappy

Happy Birthday, Cho-Cho!

Because Simon arrived 2 weeks early, he was here for Valentine's Day and my dad's birthday.  Our first Valentine's Day as a family of 3 was laid back and relaxing, starting with one of our appointments with Simon's pediatrician, followed by some shopping at Target.  Eric got me coffee from Starbucks and pretty flowers, and we had delicious take-out sushi for dinner (it had been a long 9 months without it!).  For my dad's birthday on the 17th, we celebrated at our house with Eric's dad, Lester, and his girlfriend over dinner and gifts.  Being only 7 days apart, I see possible future joint birthday celebrations happening for Simon and his Cho-Cho.

cute naked sleeping baby

silly fingers

Courage & Simon: best friends

Courage was of course very interested in Simon when we all came home.  Being his curious and excited little self, Courage eagerly wanted to sniff and lick Simon to his little heart's content.  Eric and I were surprised, yet pleased, that it only took Courage a few days to understand that he needed to be gentle around the baby.  By the time Eric went back to work, Courage assumed "Guard Doggy" status and began spending his days curled up with Simon and me on the couch, constantly on guard and barking hysterically at any potentially dangerous noise he heard coming from outside.  It's obvious that Courage always wants to be close to Simon, and he can now calmly lie next to the baby without licking him all over.  Although, when Courage does give in to giving kisses, Simon doesn't seem to mind at all.

10 days old

taken on my due date, 13 days old

Uncle Ben holding Simon for the first time

Benjamin came to the hospital with Eric's dad twice after Simon was born.  We decided it would be best to wait until after we went home and Simon was just a little older before letting Benjamin hold him.  Benjamin was bummed but understood, and was still very interested in his new little nephew.  He mostly wanted to see Simon with his eyes open, and I told Benjamin he could take some pictures with his iPod to show to his mom and his teachers and friends at school.  When Simon was 2 weeks old, Lester brought Benjamin over to our house again to finally hold the baby.  They looked adorable together, and Benjamin did a great job.  Becoming an uncle at 7-years-old might come with some big responsibilities down the road, but for now all Benjamin needs to do is love on his nephew, which he clearly does.

another adorable sleeping picture

Mommy's little dinosaur

19 days old

While Simon was born with my skin tone and dark hair, he definitely looks a lot like his daddy.  Eric doesn't see it (nor does he really see me in Simon, either), but I think it may have become more clear to him once I got a good picture of the two of them together.  To be honest, I didn't see much of Eric in Simon at first either, and I was sad thinking that our son would only look like me.  But, as more and more of our friends came over to meet Simon, everyone agreed that he looks just like Eric.  Simon has a lot of Eric's mannerisms as well, from the way he yawns, stretches, and makes certain silly faces.  Our boy even breaks wind just like his daddy!  It's tough being the only girl in the house, but I love that my son takes after his father in so many aspects.  I wouldn't want him any other way. 

just like Daddy

silly sleeper

first time using his swing

To my surprise, we've been co-sleeping with Simon.  Before he was born, I didn't think co-sleeping would be something I'd ever be comfortable with.  I feared rolling over on him or dropping him off the bed.  When we finally began sleeping in our bed with Simon in the bassinet after 2 nights in the living room, Simon would not stay in the bassinet longer than 5 minutes before starting to cry.  So I'd take him out and hold him, feed him, and then we'd both fall asleep.  The routine continued and was practically the same as when we spent our first nights at home on the couch.  After a few more attempts, it was clear that Simon wanted nothing to do with the bassinet so we stopped even trying to get him to sleep in it and instead brought him straight into our bed.  It's worked out really well for us so far, and again it's convenient for nursing in the middle of the night when he's already in my arms.  I started to worry that he'd only be able to sleep when lying with me, until we decided we were ready to introduce him to his swing and he LOVED it!  It has 5 different swing speeds, a vibration mode, and plays music.  He now takes naps in it once or twice a day and we're so happy he likes it.  It's also nice to have a little break from holding him so I can do laundry, grab a snack, or go pee! 

in Mommy and Daddy's bed

how is this position comfortable?

both Daddy and baby fell asleep during burping

Simon's first month of life was filled with so many wonderful moments.  Eric and I are still in awe of how perfect and beautiful our son is, and we can't help but stare at him and be mesmerized by all of his movements, grunts, and expressions.  Simon's beginning to grab at things like my hair and my shirt (particularly when he's hungry), and he's had a very strong grip since the day he was born.  It's amazing how quickly we've completely fallen in love with Simon in such a short time, but it's also so easy to love our incredible boy.  We look forward to seeing him grow and get older, even though it would also be just as nice for him to stay small forever.  Unfortunately, we know that can't happen... we'll still love you anyway, Baby Boy!

Simon's birth story

Saturday, February 9th

The day began like any normal day.  I woke up feeling normal with a reasonable amount of energy.  I ate a small breakfast and decided to do some work in the nursery before getting ready for the day.  Having just washed Simon's brand new crib bedding, I assembled the crib skirt and wrestled the mattress pad and sheet onto the mattress and the mattress into the crib (not quite an easy task to do alone with such a big belly).  I then jumped in the shower and quickly got ready for my lunch date with my best friend, Vanessa.  We met to eat and spent about 4 hours visiting and catching up, and after spending so much time on my feet I decided to go straight home afterwards to rest rather than running the few errands I had planned on doing.  I relaxed at home with the dog for a couple hours until I had to leave to pick up Eric from work.  We had talked about going out that evening to his friend's restaurant, but by the time Eric was off (30 minutes late) he was exhausted and was only in the mood to go home, get off his feet, and do nothing.  So, we did just that... assuming we were in for a pretty uneventful evening.

8:25 pm

We were home no longer than 10-15 minutes when I had my first contraction.  It lasted kind of long, but I figured it was nothing out of the ordinary since I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks.  The second contraction came 10 minutes later, and the third 10 minutes after that, and by 8:45 contractions were coming every 5 minutes.  By 9:00 I realized I should have been timing them, and once I started I found that they were each lasting a minute long, if not longer.  It was hard to tell at first if the pain was worse than any contractions I'd had before because they were so close together, but after an hour had passed with no change it was clear that something was going on, and that maybe we should start getting ready.

But that was the thing; WE WERE IN NO WAY READY.  My hospital bag wasn't packed, my diaper bag wasn't packed, none of Simon's clothes had been washed, the car seat hadn't been installed, the nursery wasn't finished, and we had a list of to-do's planned for the next day, such as grocery shopping and picking up things for the baby's room and my impending hospital stay.  Basically, everything that you're supposed to have done by 35 weeks wasn't done.  So between contractions and holding my breath, I grabbed my list and directed Eric on which items to grab for which bag and what load of laundry to begin first as I bounced on an exercise ball, wincing in pain every 5 minutes.

10:00 pm

It had been over an hour, and following the 5-1-1 rule (contractions coming every 5 minutes, lasting one minute each over the span of one hour) I decided it was time to call Labor and Delivery.  When I spoke to the nurse, she interviewed me about my contractions and pain level and told me to come in when I could no longer walk or talk through a contraction.  While I was starting to really be in pain, I could still walk and speak--albeit not easily--through the contractions.  Eric and I continued packing our bags and sorting through Simon's laundry, figuring out what needed to be washed for the hospital and our return home.  My frantic, contraction-ridden search through his clothes and blankets left the undone nursery looking worse than it did before I started.  Both Simon's room and ours looked like they'd been hit by tornadoes; crap was everywhere.

Sunday, February 10th

Somewhere around midnight I decided to lie down in bed, and Eric suggested I try getting some sleep.  I don't think I really slept; I went to this place somewhere between consciousness and dreaming, feeling the pain begin and end every 5 minutes but not really being wakened by it since I wasn't really awake or asleep.  I somehow managed to lie in this state for about an hour and a half, feeling no better when I finally got up to go to the bathroom.  Thankfully, Eric was also able to attempt getting some rest while the last of the laundry finished up in the dryer, because by 2:30 I'd had it with the contractions.  They had become worse and more painful, and I was ready to go to the hospital.

2:55 am

I checked-in to triage, struggling to fill out the sign-in form during a lengthy contraction, while Eric was cleared with security and obtained his visitor badge.  I was sent to the bathroom for a urine test and Eric was briefed by triage personnel and given my paperwork.  After being shown to a triage room and changing into a gown, the fetal monitors were strapped to my belly and we got a look at my contractions and the baby's heartbeat.  The doctor came in to check me and to my surprise announced that I was dilated to 3 centimeters, 80% effaced, and starting to lose my mucus plug!  We were informed that I would be monitored for about an hour to see how much progress I'd make in that time.  The nurse ordered some food for me and I snacked and got hydrated while Eric drifted in and out of consciousness at my side, waking when I'd squeeze his hand for support and pant through a contraction.  They were still on schedule at every 5 minutes, and I watched the monitor show each one peak at maximum strength. 

An hour and a half later, the doctor returned to check me and found I had only progressed half a centimeter.  She explained to me that because not much had changed since I had been in triage, they were unable to determine whether I was really in active labor.  Lying in bed also wasn't doing anything to help move things along, and her suggestion was for me to get up and walk around to allow gravity to aid my body in helping labor to progress.  However, because I had yet to be officially admitted to the hospital, I wasn't allowed to walk the halls without being a patient.  The doctor recommended discharging me from triage and advised me to go walk around for 2 hours to see if my contractions would become stronger.  We decided to follow her plan and were told we could come back in 2 hours if my pain was worse.

5:30 am

The minute I stepped foot outside the hospital, my contractions hit an all new high.  It felt like a cruel joke; the triage doctor wanted me to be on my feet, and as soon as I was the pain level kicked it up a notch!  Being so early in the morning and not wanting to go back home (I didn't see how I'd be able to walk around the house for 2 hours), I suggested we go to the 24-hour Walmart to take care of at least one of the errands I had put off the day before and was obviously not going to have another opportunity to take care of before it was baby time.  It ended up being a good idea because we were able to pick up a few items we needed, including snacks for Eric to have at the hospital, and it took almost the entire 2 hours to get around the store because we had to stop moving every 5 minutes so I could wail through a contraction.  Walking was definitely making them more intense, and I was at the point where I couldn't help hunching over our shopping cart and moaning in agony.  It was clear that my body language and noises were frightening the few customers shopping in the store and the Walmart employees who were restocking shelves.

As we made our way back to the hospital after 2 hours of dutiful walking, contractions were continuing every 5 minutes and I continued to wail in pain.  When we arrived, Eric offered to drop me off at the door while he parked the car, but I was too terrified to take even a few small steps alone in case another contraction came.  Instead, he parked in the 20-minute parking zone right in front of the hospital entrance and we waited for the next contraction to pass before I managed myself out of the truck.  We weren't even able to make it to the door before another one came on and I had to stop moving.  Security saw my obvious pain and rushed out with a wheelchair and whisked me back to triage.  I was quickly resettled into another triage room and with delight, I had dilated another centimeter and progressed to 90% effaced!  I heard the good news that I would be admitted to the hospital, and the triage doctor commended us for getting my body to do exactly what she had wanted: get my active labor in full swing!

8:00 am

After announcing that they would be "keeping me," the hospital staff prepared for my admittance as I dressed in a labor gown and got ready to make the short trek from triage to my new room.  It started to seem like my contractions were getting closer together, and I had to stop a few times during our walk to wince through the sudden onset of pain.  My labor and delivery nurse who led us was kind about my need to take my time getting to my room.  When we arrived, she instructed Eric to help me in the bathroom with wiping down my abdomen and lady area with cleansing wipes.  A task that should have only taken a few minutes seemed to last upwards of twenty; the contractions felt like they were coming one right on top of another, with no time in between to finish wiping down my body before we'd need to stop again so I could cry out in pain.

Once we were finally finished in the bathroom, I made it to my labor bed and got plugged back in to the monitors and had my IV line placed.  When the contraction monitor started tracking, it confirmed that they were in fact coming every 2-3 minutes, still lasting a minute each if not longer.  By this point, I couldn't even breathe through them with the pain coming so fast and so often.  My nurse helped me breathe by coaching me through exhaling, since before I hadn't been fully releasing my breaths.  Eric got on board and took over coaching my breaths, breathing with me so I could mimic his pace.  He was so wonderful with jumping right in to help me and keeping me calm, and once I began inhaling and exhaling correctly I felt better able to manage the pain during my contractions.  I was finally able to smile, though, when my doctor, who just so happened to be the scheduled resident for the current shift, walked in to greet me and asked if I was ready for an epidural.  My answer was a sure fire OH, YES.

9:45 am

The anesthesiologist placed my epidural flawlessly and I immediately felt like heaven!  I was surprised that the placement was virtually pain-free and that I was able to stay still through the contractions as he completed the short procedure.  The epidural took effect right away and it was such a relief to no longer feel the contractions after having been in labor for 13 hours thus far.  I almost felt like myself again and was relaxed, happy, and couldn't wipe the beaming expression of delight from my face.  My nurse checked my progress and found that I was dilated between 6-7 centimeters, so Eric began notifying family and friends that I'd been admitted to the hospital and visitors were welcome.  It was clear that Eric was excited; he laughed and smiled as he texted each individual person with the news and even exclaimed, "This is fun, we should have babies more often!"  It was such a joy to see him so enthusiastic about our son's coming birth.

When our dads and friends began arriving, we felt so special to have some of the people closest to us share in our experience and willing to wait out the rest of my labor by our sides.  Eric and some of the guys got my movies started in the DVD player (I brought the complete 'Star Wars' saga haha) and the girls crowded around to hear the wild story of our night and morning.  The fun was just getting started when both my nurse and doctor came in to urge me to ask my guests to leave so I could get some sleep.  I was wide awake and jazzed and didn't even feel tired, but I knew they were right.  Having been up the entire night (Eric, too), it was smart to try to get some rest while I still had the chance, as the minutes were ticking away before Simon would arrive.  So, I sadly announced to the gang that I needed to try to sleep and they all retreated to the waiting room.  Eric got cozy on the couch and we both drifted off to the sounds of 'A New Hope' whispering from the TV.

 epidural smiles

 our visitors

 group shot

12:45 pm

I "woke up," unsure of whether or not I had actually fallen asleep.  I was checked again and was still only dilated 7 centimeters, so my doctor broke my water.  The epidural was still flowing flawlessly so I didn't feel a thing.  I asked Eric to send my dad in to my room since we hadn't gotten to visit long before everyone was sent out, and Eric went to the waiting room to catch up with the rest of our visitors.  As my dad and I were chatting, I began feeling pressure down there and wasn't sure what to make of it.  My initial instinct was to hit my epidural button, but I thought twice and instead decided to hold off and wait to see if I felt the pressure again.  It came a few more times and after asking my dad to check the monitor, we realized that the pressure was happening simultaneously with the onset of my contractions.  I called my nurse immediately.

1:15 pm

My nurse came right away and after explaining to her about the pressure and the timing matching that of my contractions on the monitor, she checked my progress again.  In only 30 minutes after breaking my water, I had dilated the last remaining 3 centimeters to 10 and was 100% effaced.  It was time to prepare for pushing!  I couldn't believe it!  We notified our family and friends and because Eric and I had decided we wanted to experience this event by ourselves, everyone remained on standby either in the waiting room or by their phones.

waiting for Simon!

1:35 pm

I began pushing.  And to be completely honest, I had no clue what I was doing the first few times.  My nurse and I decided it would be helpful if I used the stirrups, and after I got into position I had an easier time.  It seemed like with each contraction I wasn't able to get a good push until the 3rd or 4th try, like I had to get a few practice ones out before getting an effective push out of the way.  Once I started to move Simon along, I distinctly began feeling not only the pressure of the contractions, but pain, down there.  My nurse assured me that it was normal and we continued; she coached me on when to push and Eric helped me with my breathing.  We went on with just the 3 of us for about 25 minutes until my doctor was called in, at which point I was panting and writhing in pain.   

Once my doctor joined the party and saw the look of distraught on my face, she gave my nurse permission to hit my epidural button.  Unfortunately, it was too late at this point and I could feel everything down there.  I was immediately upset with my nurse for instructing me to hold back on the epidural so I could feel the stupid pressure, but I had to quickly let it go because the contractions were still coming and I still needed to push.  It wasn't long before I was screaming bloody murder through every push and wailing about how much it hurt in between.  Eric continued to assure me that I was doing great and that Simon was almost here.  I continued shrieking like a maniac as I pushed, and it turned out that the more noise I made, the stronger my pushes were.  So, I howled as dramatically and intensely as I could and moved Simon toward his exit.  Eric watched and kept telling me, "You're moving him! He's almost here!" and I pushed and pushed with everything I had, bellowing like crazy, until my doctor said I could stop and she pulled my son out from me and into the world at 2:30 pm on the dot.

 Simon's first photo - meeting Mommy

official weight: 7 lbs. 11 oz.

 proud Daddy

 meeting Cho-Cho

 and Pappy

I never believed in love at first sight until Simon emerged from me and I finally got to see him for the first time.  The moment was so emotional and unreal, and I was in shock from the excitement of it all.  Becoming parents was such a whirlwind experience for Eric and me, and even just hours after giving birth I was able to laugh about our story of my 18 hours of labor and proclaim that the pain from delivery really wasn't all that bad.  Simply staring at my baby and watching Eric hold our son, so naturally and with so much joy on his face, made me the happiest I've ever been in my entire life.  We are incredibly lucky to have experienced such a flawless birth and given such a perfect little boy.