Myles' first week home and Auntie Caroyn's Visit Pics

Almost ready for words again y'all - just catching my breath with the new baby and all. But in the meanwhile, here are some new pics of Myles and Co. in action:

Romantic Dinner Chez Nous, Tuesday

My aunt Carolyn came to town to help us with our new bundle of joy and to teach us some things about babies since we know very little. It's been 26 years since Bianca was a baby and that's the baby I was most involved with. I've done some babysitting and read some books, but nothing beats experience. It's really helped us feel safe knowing there is experienced backup around and that we're not totally winging it.

Additionally, she's been feeding us! Woohoo. It's been 12 weeks of Mark cooking and take-out, so a home-cooked meal is really welcome. I'm fairly mobile despite having giving birth last weekend, but the nursing of the baby really takes it out of me and takes up literally HALF of the day, closer to 12 hours than not. Feeding time is measured from start to start, not finish to start, so if I'm supposed to feed him every 2 hours (can be stretched to 3 sometimes) and it takes him 40 minutes to eat, I can have to feed him as frequently as every hour and 20 minutes! Doesn't leave much time for much else. And he's still at the stage where I can't always put him down and walk away. He's getting there. He's stopped the gagging/choking thing that kept me awake at nights the first couple of days. So now, I can at least walk away SOME time. And with Carolyn here, I can leave him with her and go bathe or whatever. Mark's trying to get back into the swing of things with work and went back to work today since we have help and I'm not left in the house alone.

Here' s a picture of the beautiful flowers she cut from the yard and dinner she cooked for me and Mark, replete with burning candles on the fireplace and music playing in the background. Very sweet, indeed.

I actually feel physically stronger than before the baby was born since I can move around, but I'm still not allowed to drive and I take some strong medicine for the stitches. So I can't wait until I can REALLY go out and do my thing. Also, I'd like for the baby to be older so I can take him out. People are too touchy and he's too new. At the pediatrician's office, this guy put the baby's pacifier back into his mouth without asking and he'd just gotten over some illness! I didn't know any of that, but I had a handy bottle of Purell and cleaned the freakin handle off surreptitiously. Don't touch my baby yet - he hasn't even made it to his prescribed birthday yet! I'm not a clean freak, or a germ freak but come on. So I can't really go anywhere with him just yet.

4 days old

More Miles of Myles..

Welcome Baby Myles - Updated

Born on March 13th at 1:13!
7lbs 11oz.
Lucky number baby, huh?

Thursday, my great aunts, Johnee and Olivia visited me along w/my honorary aunt, Loretta.

I was uncomfortable because it felt like the baby was going back up under my ribs and thought that was a step in the wrong direction, so I took a walk around the block to 'walk him down' a bit, after they left. I did a good little loop around the neighborhood, while panting on the phone to my friend Kenya.

Well, I must've walked him WAY down because at 2 am that night, I awoke to a pain and as I got out of the bed, my water broke. I told a sleepy Mark who bolted out of bed.

It was so early that I didn't want to call my OBGYN just yet. I'd awakened the other doctor covering for her last weekend (scary Braxton Hicks) and realized that they are humans are asleep like normal people at these hours. So I waited for another contraction so I could answer that question if she asked. But by 2:30, no contraction so I just called anyhow and she told me to go to the hospital, which surprised me. A video I'd seen, in place of Lamaze classes since I couldn't leave the house on bedrest, said that usually they tell you to hang out at home until the contractions are somewhat close together. She didn't ask that at all. Of course, it's 2 am. She's tired, and the likelihood of me falling back asleep and waking up too late is possible, so maybe they want you to get your butt to the hospital.

We took our time. I updated my Facebook status, texted a couple of friends and one of my voice students. I called Pam and she started to yell at me about looking for my power strip instead of rushing off to the hospital. I humored her, but usually first time mothers don't give birth that quickly. So I found my power strip (that HAD been in my hospital bag last weekend, but after a false alarm had gone back into use) and then we left for the hospital at about 3:11. Ten minutes later, we checked in and I had contractions by then. I didn't ask for the epidural until about 5am, then the nurses switched shifts and didn't relay that message so I didn't get one until 7am, at which point I wanted to kill someone. Natural childbirth is a crock. I hadn't been trying for it, but just having felt contractions for an hour or two, about 3 minutes apart, was excruciating!

After the epidural, I went to sleep. They came in and checked me every so often and then when I was dilated and dropped, they made me wait for the doctor because she was performing an emergency C-section. At 12:30 or 12:45 they set up the room and I got to push. It was fairly easy once I figured out which imaginary muscle was the right one. I was so numb, the only way I could figure out how to push was to isolate a specific ab that I COULD feel. Soon after, Myles was born. He defied all odds - technically full term and a normal delivery! Woohoo. Fibroid be damned. So anyone out there being told that you're going to automatically have a C-section just because of a large fibroid, have hope. Or those of 'advanced maternal age' or whatever else deems you a high risk pregnancy. My doctor was great and willing to try and it all worked out.

Mark, Myles and Dr. Sofya

My repeat nurse, Phoebe cleaning up Myles

Hello little bunting!

All epiduralled up and happy, waiting for Myles

Mark's bed at the hospital

Can you tell that I'm a little bored? Always the documentarian...

Baby Mark Photos

Update: lots of contractions last night but they all stopped when I went to bed. Not as many today, but some, so we're progressing slowly but surely. Let's see if we make it until the weekend. So here's some entertainment in the leisure...

Mark's parents did a much better job than mine with taking photos of their babies, so for your viewing pleasure, here are pictures of 'mybabydaddy' when he was a babe himself! He doesn't look very fat, but he was about a 10 lb baby when he was born.

Warning: it's strange seeing Mark with no mustache or beard - be prepared.