Saturday, September 10, 2011

This morning Daddy took Cole and Gwen to the playground while mommy and Reid caught up on our sleep. While they were gone Kristin and Madelyn stopped by for a little snuggle time with the Reidster.

Mimi and Grandpa arrived a little later and were excited to meet Reid for the first time. Neither Gwen nor Cole napped so we had an afternoon in the backyard complete with sand play while Daddy and Grandpa figured out the logistics for the new swingset. Gwen and Cole got ice pops from the ice cream truck for the first time. They both chose bubblegum flavor (YUCK!!!). Reid tried out the moby wrap for the first time and snoozed away :) Afterwards, we lounged and watched a USC football game.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Today we took our first family trip in the minivan and Reid went to his first store-- Babies R Us. Cole and Gwen were excited to "go as a family" and to sit next to Reid in the car. The logistics of taking an infant and two toddlers to the store weren't as difficult as i had originally thought. Andy pushed the shopping cart with Reid in his carseat on the top and Cole in the back and I pushed a cart with Gwen in the front so we had more room to load diapers and other bulky items. Overall it was fairly stress free and all of the kids behaved. Reid slept the entire way there; snoozed while there and slept all the way home. I guess it is safe to say he slept through his first big outing. That was fine with mommy because with as much as he has been nursing, we never know how long it will be until his next feeding. Speaking of which, the first few nights at home were rough because he cried whenever we put him in the pack and play. He would sleep at the breast or next to mommy in bed but we were not comfortable with having him in the bed. A few nights ago we started only swaddling him at night and he seemed to follow the cues well. Since then he's been sleeping anywhere from 1.5-3 hours between nursing sessions.

Thursday, 9/8/11

Reid's first walk around the neighborhood. Today was the first day that we did not have Nana and Pap Pap around to help with the kids. Daddy took G & C to storytime at the library in the morning and by the afternoon everyone was going a little stir crazy. We decided to try out Reid's new SINGLE stroller (I know most people wouldn't be quite so excited about a single stroller but i can't tell you how nice it is to push such a tiny/non-bulky stroller!). We didn't get out of the driveway before two of our neighbors came over to meet little Reid. Cole seemed especially proud to show him off and afterwards pushed the stroller the entire block without letting go. He kept saying: "It's ok, Reidster. We go for a walk. I push your stroller". Gwen held onto the side of the stroller as Cole pushed :)

Tuesday (9/6) and Wednesday (9/7)

On Tuesday, 9/6, mommy and daddy gave Reid his first bath at home. He was less than thrilled and cried the entire time. Poor little man :( He did seem to enjoy all of the snuggles afterwards, though.

Reid's 1st visit to the pediatrician was on Wed., 9/7. Our little man did very well at Dr. Rice's office. Mommy and Daddy took him while Nana and Pap Pap enjoyed a morning at the Science Center with G & C. Reid met Dr. Costello and she was more than impressed with his weight gain (he was up to 6 lbs, 11 oz.). She said that usually she recommends a 2 week visit but since his billirubin scores were extremely low and his weight gain was on track, she was ok with having him come back at 1 month.

**I think Reid looks exactly like Gwen in the towel picture. I'm now on the hunt to find the pic of Gwen in a duck towel over at Shutterfly...

Monday, September 5, 2011- GOING HOME!

On Monday, Reid was cleared by the pediatrician and I was given the Ok by the OB to go home. Daddy, Mommy and Reid had a relaxing morning at the hospital before coming home during Gwen and Cole's naps. Reid was not happy about getting situated in the carseat but finally settled down and slept during the car ride.

When we got home, we mostly just hung out and gave Gwen and Cole some time to hang out with our new addition. They seemed excited and wanted to help change diapers and hold baby Reid. So far everyone has adjusted extremely well.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

On Sunday we were finally settled into our room in the Mommy/Baby Unit. When i delivered, all 27 rooms on the Mommy/ Baby floor were occupied and there were 8 more of us who spent the night in the rooms where we delivered until there were openings. We had several visitors-- Jeff and Lena Wachter stopped by to meet baby Reid. Also, Nana and Pap Pap brought Gwen and Cole for another visit. This time Cole was very interested in his baby brother and kept asking to hold him. Gwen also enjoyed "patting" Reid and holding him. Both kids entertained themselves well with coloring, cutting, books etc. while we visited. Reid was a champion nurser and started to cluster feed. I think the food service staff was tired of me ordering food but i was SO hungry and so was Reid. The nursing staff got to the point where they stopped logging every time i nursed him because the list was extremely long.

Visitors on Reid's Birthday

On 9/3, Nana and Pap Pap brought Cole and Gwen to meet their new little brother. They ran into the room and went straight towards baby Reid. Both kids wanted to "Pat baby Reid" but Gwen was definitely more intersted in him. She insisted on holding and snuggling him. Cole turned around within five minutes and announced: "Dolden (Coleman) go home. Time to go home!". Thankfully he changed his mind when he saw that Baby Reid had bought him some new cars and Gwen a new doll. Cole played with his cars for awhile while we visited. Later in the day, Sarah N. came to visit and cuddle with baby Reid.

Introducing Reid Robert Stamps- Saturday, September 3, 2011

Reid came out crying and had an 8/9 on the Apgar scale. He was cleaned up across the room from me and I was so excited to be able to see him and hold him so quickly (totally different experience than being in the OR with Cole and Gwen). Reid's sugar levels were fine and he latched on fairly quickly to nurse. He went to the nursery and was brought to me every 2 hours to nurse.

Hospital Time

Daddy dropped me off at the front of the hospital to sit on the same bench i sat on when my water had broken with Gwen and Cole. The parking attendent kept asking if we wanted the van valet parked but Daddy refused. The man shook his head and i nicely said: "Don't worry, i'm not going to have the baby on this bench!". He left me alone after that!

When we made it upstairs to Labor and Delivery (around 11:30 am) I was told that I passed "the towel test" (yes, i had a towel in between my legs and my water was gushing. That landed us directly in a Labor room. Dr. Thomas was there and informed me that i was only 1 cm dialated. She started a low dose of Petocin and we waited...and waited... My contractions were getting close to together and more intense but unfortunately i was only 1 cm. again when I was checked. I was very uncomfortable and finally agreed to try a little Stadal to take the edge off. It definitely made me feel a little loopy but I was able to relax and breathe through the contractions. After it wore off, I was about 4 cm and we started talking to the anesthesiologist about an epidural. I was in a lot of pain until I got it and once it was in, only one side took so i could still feel intense contractions on one side. The anestesiologist was able to adjust it to get the other side to work, thankfully. After that i just hung out for a few hours and tried to get some sleep. I was checked about 2 hours later and was 9 cm. The Labor and Delivery floor was extremely busy so Dr. Thomas said if i was comfortable that I should rest and she would go do a C-section. That was fine with me so i just hung out.

Around midnight it was time to start the pushing process (yep, successful VBAC here i come!!!), which was very difficult because i could not feel anything. The nurse, Dr. Thomas and a med student told me when to push. I was having a difficult time figuring it out and also felt like i couldn't take deep breaths because of my acid reflux, allergies and asthma. I could take one good breath at the beginning of the contraction but the second and third breaths were not great. Also, i was feeling pretty sick to my stomach. I pushed for awhile and then Reid's heartrate went down so the doctors wanted me to lye on my side and to push through every other contraction. After a few times of trying that Dr. Thomas said that she was going to help with the delivery by using the vacuum. A few more contractions (and a lot of puking) and Reid Robert Stamps was born at 1:14 am. He weighed in at 6 lbs, 10 oz and was 19 inches long. I had to remind Daddy to put down the puke bucket and go take pics :)

We're a little behind here...

Mommy hasn't been very good about updating the blog recently. So here is the low down--

Wed. August 31, 2001, I was 40 weeks pregnant. We never in a million years thought you would stay in there that long! Don't get me wrong, i didn't want you to come early and have to endure all of the preemie stuff, but just thinking that Daddy and I considered the progesterone shots from week 14-delivery to keep you in there is really funny. I honestly was not very uncomfortable (up close to 30 lbs at 40 weeks) and continued the regular routine with Gwen and Cole in the last few weeks. I went to my 40 week OB appointment on 9/1 and was told that I was not dialated at all and was still 50% effaced. The doctor agreed to push back my scheduled C Section in hopes that you would come on your own.

On Friday, September 2, 2011, the kids and I were at Ricky Park for the morning enjoying the nice weather. We were heading to the bathroom before going home and i started feeling a little crampy. When Gwen was on the potty, my water broke. I quickly got everyone in the car, called Daddy and headed home to meet Daddy and to take the kids to Kristin's house. Gwen was singing happily in the back seat: "Mommy's water broke. Baby Reid coming today!". Cole was upset because he did not want to go to Kristin's house. He kept crying and saying: "Doleden (Coleman) and Gwennie go home!". He did calm down quickly when Kristin had him in her arms and he had his favorite comforter. WE took our time getting everything together and i ate some leftovers (meatloaf) along with some crackers. We waved goodbye to our neighbors (they were out packing for a weekend camping trip) and we were on the way!

Dearest Little Reid,

Let's see?!? I'm now 38 weeks, 2 days along and you are still very happy hanging out in your little oven. You have been positioned head down for many weeks now and your back/butt are always on my left side (you totally prefer that side!). You are constantly moving your little legs around my belly button on my right side. My belly does waves throughout the day and i have no idea when you actually sleep. You usually get the hiccups once a day in the evening.

Last week at my 37 week u/s you weighed in at 5 lbs, 8 oz, which put you in the 13th percentile. The doctors are not worried and mommy is perfectly happy having a small man :) I was checked yesterday and you are not trying to come out any time soon- I was 50% effaced (thinning out) and not dialated at all. I have been feeling warn down the past few days and sick in the evenings.

Gwen and Cole are getting very excited to meet you. Gwen talks about you often and requests to hold and carry you. Your big brother and big sister picked out some special presents for you and proudly wrapped them a few weeks ago. Your room is mostly complete besides a few random decorations. So, little Reidster, we are waiting for you. Waiting for you to make an appearance (Cole and Gwen want to sing Happy birthday!) and can't wait to share our love and make many memories with you.

Love, Mommy

Catching up...

So apparently I have a lot of catching up to do, Little man (or Reid as we've been calling you!). Following are some of the events that have taken place over the past few months:

Gwen is EXTREMELY excited to meet you. She announces daily: "We're having a baby, mama!". She has been practicing changing her doll's diapers and asks questions about carrying you and holding you often. She has also taken to reading books about becoming a big sister.

Cole also enjoys kissing my belly and saying "hi baby" to you. One of his favorite songs is Pat A Cake. He usually sings "C for Cole", "G for Gwen", "D for Daddy", "M for Mommy". The other day he asked for a letter for "Baby Reid" and has been saying "R for baby Reid" ever since!

On 6/9/11, I went for the dreaded 1 hour glucose tolerance test. I felt fine the entire time but completely failed it. Luckily i failed it enough that i didn't have to take the 3 hour test that i took when i was pregnant with your brother and sister. I went to visit with the nutritionist and have been on a strict diet ever since. I haven't been gaining weight but the doctors are happy that you're gaining and aren't a huge baby.

For Fathers Day we made Daddy a picture frame with Gwen holding the letter "D", you holding an "A" and Cole holding a "D". He took it to work and gets to see your adorable u/s pic every day!

On 6/25/11, we visited with the Pajerowskis and the Khans. Eileen is pregnant with twin boys and Deb is pregnant with a little man as well. We took some funny belly pics (see pics) and talked about how the four of you men will be the best of friends!

On 7/12/11, we took a few pics (see above) of you and mommy in your new nursery. This was a special day because it was the day i officially was the most pregnnat that i had ever been since i had your brother and sister at 32 weeks, 6 days. We have been working hard to get it ready for your arrival. I couldn't find any bedding/curtains that I liked so i had some custom made on Etsy. We bought your crib and dresser from Ikea and are now working on some wall decor.

On 7/14/11 we went for an u/s at the OB's office. I was 33 weeks and you weighed in at 3 lbs, 13 oz. The doctor was very pleased with your growth and we got to see that you were head down. You even had one of your legs straight out to mommy's side. You definitely are an active little man. You like to stay right in the center of my belly and I see you rippling around all.day.long!

On 7/15/11, I noticed that you had the hiccups for the first time. Since then you have had them a few times.

On 7/20/11, we had a maternity pic session with Christine Stewart. Our usual photographer had to cancel, so Christine stepped in to do the shoot. 

Kick, Kick, Kick!

You are an active little man. You've been moving around a lot more recently. In the past few days, you have been kicking Cole and Gwen when they sit on my lap. Daddy and i were laughing yesterday because your brother and sister haven't quite figured out that mommy's lap is getting smaller. Whenever they sit there, they keep grabbing on and pushing their little bottoms back further only to realize that you are taking up the space where they used to sit!

22.5 Week Belly Pictures!

We Know :)

Well...we finally found out on 4/13/11 that you are a little BOY :) We could tell within seconds that you were a boy. You were a little trouble maker during the big ultrasound. You had your feet over your head the majority of the time and you insisted on sucking your thumb and having your hand in your face. Thankfully, the ultrasound tech was very patient with you :) She said that you were measuring about 19 weeks and weigh about 10 oz. Gwen kept saying "no. baby sister" but she has gotten adjusted to the idea and is very excited for her little brother to arrive. In fact, today she was reminding me that we are getting a new car for "our baby brother". Both Cole and Gwen are insisting that we name you "Shoopa" but they realize that mommy and daddy are not thrilled with the name. IN the car the other day, Gwen said: "Daddy no like name Shoopa. Gwen like Shoopa. Cole like Shoopa. Daddy no like Shoopa".

19.5 Week Bellly Pics

A few notes for Baby C...

In a little over a week we FINALLY get to find out if you are a boy or a girl. I have been dying to find out and daddy thinks it is so funny how obsessed i am!

About a week ago at 18 weeks your little flutters turned to larger kicks. I can feel you moving around as i write this and daddy felt you for the first time a week ago :) I also started taking some zofran and have been feeling much better. you certainly had mommy very sick there for the first 17 weeks!

Gwen is such a little mommy. For the past few weeks she has been concentrating on taking care of her little dolls. This morning i saw that she had covered her baby in a stroller with a small receiving blanket just like she saw some moms doing at the park yesterday. She constantly asks: "mommy, baby wear this?' and "baby play with this?". Also, she likes to say things like: "baby come soon but grow in mommy's belly". Today at lunch she was chatting with herself (cole may have been listening) and she said: "mommy's baby kicks in belly". When i read to her, Gwen often reaches over and pulls my shirt up a little so she can rub my "baby belly".

Baby C, please don't think that your big brother, Cole, does not love you. he too is excited about your arrival but he doesn't seem to have quite the understanding that Gwen does at this point

15.5 Week Belly Shots & Family Visit

Yesterday we had our first turkey fry in 2 years. The Kreigers, Andersons and Rhoades visited. They noticed Cole's "big brother" shirt immediately and were very excited about our new addition.

Stuffed Animal Love

This morning Cole and Gwen gathered their favorite stuffed animals (as well as a bunch of random ones) and took turns holding each animal up to my belly so that he/she could say hi to thier "baby sister/brother". Sy Sy patted my belly and bunny even loved in my belly button!

Little flutters

I am pretty sure that i felt you fluttering around in there yesterday, little one. You certainly were active when we saw you during the u/s the other week so i'm thinking you're having a blast bouncing around in there. My only request is that you give me a little of your energy so i can stop feeling so tired and pukey sometime soon. Thanks, love mommy

A note for you

Dear little peanut,

Your big sister is very excited about you. She insists that you are her "baby sister". The other day she ran around the house gathering all of the "baby toys". She then made a pile of them and said: "Toys for our baby. Baby growing in mommy's belly".