More pics!

Ok everyone- here are the long awaited photos of the nursery :-)

I will pat myself and my husband on the back because we had the nursery COMPLETELY finished (that's- painted, the wall border (thanks mom), the crib the bookshelves, etc) well before the baby arrived. Here are the pics- enjoy!

The walls are 2 shades of Aqua with a Ralph Lauren Candlelight Sheen on top to create the pearly shine.

The crib and the changing table are a custom made match that were actually MY crib and changing table and have weathered the storm of my siblings as well... It is still in beautiful condition and I managed to get the most wonderfully comfortable rocking chair with wood that matches the set!

I did these two pictures myself and had them framed... I wanted to ad something personal to the room and they came out great! I even signed them "Mom'07".

Ok- more photos!

These were taken last thursday and today :-) The sleeping ones are from today :-)

Enjoy~

Our first outing...

Hey everyone- it's been a while...

No news is good news, right? Well- everything is going great here! Bahboo has been putting on weight and is starting to develop those darling little rolls- his little thighs are getting kinda chubby :-)

I haven't taken new photos of him yet- I know SHAME ON ME! I'll take some soon and post them... We should be getting some family portraits taken soon so then we'll have the WHOLE family in the shot!

Anyway- the picture I'm posting was from his first outing... we went out to Los Reyes 2 weeks after he was born (it was a tribute to my water breaking since that was the restaurant that Rob and I had eaten at the night I went into labor.)

Also- keep your eyes peeled for a slideshow- I'm learning Picasa so I can post some more fun things :-)

Big enough for his britches!

It has really been a busy couple of days!

So- he had a pediatrician appointment Friday and he...did... FANTASTIC! His stitches healed like a charm and get this- he put on a pound in ONE week! That's totally awesome considering he'd lost a pound and a half due to the PS. The pediatrician (Dr. Heaven- really, her name is Jordana Heaven) was thrilled at his progress and said that he looks great and is doing wonderfully! We're all so thrilled... and now that he weighs 7lbs 9oz we've graduated OUT of Premie diapers and he's into wearing Ones!

He's also eating a lot more now... his little tummy can only hold about 31/2 oz per feeding but an hour after he's finished that- he tells me he's still hungry so I give him another oz... so all in all- he's taking down about 41/2 oz per feeding- which I think is fantastic because he's so little anyway and he definitely had some catching up to do! So I say- EAT AWAY BOY!

What's more is- we've reached the one month mark and that means no more sleeping with Mom and Dad. For the past 3 nights he's been sleeping in his crib in his room instead of with Rob and I and the transition has actually been pretty seamless! In all honesty he could have been sleeping in his crib a lot sooner but I am the one who couldn't bare to be so far from him... Luckily I have come to learn that all of the mommies that I've talked to did the exact same thing for their first month and that there wasn't anything strange about my separation anxiety. :-)

Good to know!

Lastly in our biggies of this weekend- bahboo was cleared by Dr. Heaven to graduate to regular baths instead of sponge baths and so tonight he had his first bath! We're trying out the new Johnson & Johnson's Bedtime Bath and Lotion and while I don't know if it actually soothes and calms him and get's him into sleep mode- but it smells terrific and I think I'm going to be making the switch for my own use!

Oh yeah, one more thing- during one of the 3am feedings, I think Friday, it was- it occured to me that he's growing so quickly and I know I am going to miss all these little precious moments of his cut new born faces and what not- so I begged Rob and he let me order a videocamera! I've been kicking myself that we don't have a video of our wedding or of our honeymoon and various trips that we've been taking over the past year and 7 months and I just really don't want to harbor that same regret with our perfect little guy. So- new camera is one the way...

UNFORTUNATELY the budget didn't warrant me to shell out the unreasonable bucks for one of those fancy ones that you can upload to the computer (we have to buy $30 cans of formula and diapers you know) so we'll only have for videos for here- HOWEVER, my sister go one of those videocameras that is SPECIFICALLY designed for putting videos on the internet-so I will snag her one of these days and hopefully get some good footage to post for all to see!

All is green again!

We are one week out of the hospital and EVERYTHING is great again! He eats so well now and I don't have to keep changing my clothes feeding... the laundry was getting ridiculous!
But he's so happy now and he sleeps well and he eats well and he makes funny faces and talks to me while he eats and coos when we cuddle... and Rob is so awesome for watching him on Tuesdays and Thursdays ALL day so I can go to school.
Anyway- Robby is one month and 2 days and it has FLOWN BY! Already- life is just blinking by.

Let the games begin!

My father-in-law likes to say to me "You never know what comes with wedding cake..." Boy was he right! It takes someone to be a parent before they realize what a constant sense of fear and joy feels like... It's this presence that is always looming in the back of my mind... sometimes in the front of my mind- like when I stand over my son while he sleeps and will him to keep breathing because I just know that he'll quit breathing as soon as I look away or try something selfish like going to sleep. But that kind of fear is small potatoes, I now realize, compared to the genuine panic you experience when you realize that your son has to go to the EMERGENCY ROOM because he's been projectile vomiting for a week and now you're worried that dehydration will start and that the little M.D. in your head is telling you that there is DEFINITELY something wrong with your baby.

Being a parent, a mom for sure, comes with a whole new realm of education- you get your medical degree and you don't even know it. All along the way of motherhood you learn all sorts of fascinating terms. Today's term is "PYLORIC STENOSIS" (pronounced just as it looks).

Pyloric Stenosis (PS) is the over development of the Pylorus Muscle - the muscle at the bottom of the stomach that controls the food transference from the stomach to the small intestines. When the muscle is over developed it prevents ANY food from being digested in which case dehydration becomes a real concern because he's now projectile vomiting all over you after every feeding! The only way to correct this little problem is surgery. They go in laparoscopically, making 3 tiny holes like the points of a triangle and then they insert their camera and tools and cut the muscle to relieve some of the tension so the opening can spread and allow for normal digestion. They don't cut it all the way down they just loosen it. Over time it will heal with scar tissue and should not cause any future complications. As I have learned this is the 2nd most common problem requiring surgery in newborns. For more info click

http://www.schneiderchildrenshospital.org/peds_html_fixed/peds/hrnewborn/pyloric.htm

Now enough with the medical mumbo-jumbo- let's get real for a minute. This was THE LAST thing I was expecting. When my son has been throwing up formula for a week, I start experimenting with different types of formula just in case its actually an allergy. To no avail and TONS OF LAUNDRY and a week later (yes, I did call the pediatrician 4 days into this little circus act and they told me to keep trying different formulas and to give it 2 weeks!) I call the doc back and tell the nurse that it ain't working and I can't even get him to keep Pedialyte down. She tells me to take him to the hospital because they are worried about dehydration. So, New Years Eve my husband and I rush off to the hospital and wait in Emergency for the doc. He comes in and I explain everything to him and right off the bat he pre-diagnoses Robby with PS. I have never even heard of this! They admit him to the hospital and we wait the night out for the Ultrasound tech to show up in the morning to confirm visually that it is in fact PS. Yada, yada, yada... time passes, curtain falls and the Ultrasound confirms the PS. An hour later the Surgeon comes in to explain to me what all goes with the surgery. It takes about 45 minutes with a 45 minute observation to follow. The surgery is scheduled in 3 hours and by 6pm yesterday he was in the OR getting everything taken care of. It's a day later and he hasn't really been in the mood to do anything but sleep- but the doc said that the surgery was just fine and that he's healing well. We won't be out of here until tomorrow maybe Friday depending on how he takes to eating...

I really wish I could say that I held it together and didn't quiver a lip at all... but that simply isn't the case. This precious little boy- he has such a dear soul and the most pure gaze when you look him in the face... I was truly worried Monday night about what I didn't know. I'm grateful that I have a family surrounding me with the faith to pray and to be supportive and confident- especially when I'm the one falling to pieces. My love and appreciation goes out to everyone who hopped to and answered my call and never thought twice about my request for a prayer on behalf of my little angel. I know that all of you were just as necessary and effective as the procedure and the doctors who have been taking care of my son. He's recovering well- we're just waiting for his appetite to return and for him to be able to keep food down. No luck yet but I know it will get better.

Anyway- in the mean time- I've posted some more pics of him just because I know EVERYONE agrees that he is so stinking cute! Even the nurses like to tease me that they might just walk out of here with him cuz he's cute enough to take home. :-) Love to all and I hope everyone had a Happy New Year!