Three Weeks

Here is Nate's three week photo.  I couldn't get a very good photo without a pacifier in his mouth... this was the best I could do.   Hehe.  We made it through out first week alone without any problems.  I'm not too tired, but I am looking forward to Dave sleeping on the bassinet side of the bed tonight so I can sleep better.  I still have to wake up to nurse, but Dave is going to do diapers and burping so I can get a good night of rest.  I think I have been doing a darn good job of letting Dave sleep through the night so he isn't tired at work.  One night this past week Nate didn't fall asleep until 1 am and and Dave had been rocking him so Dave was tired but he was able to catch a nap at work! I can't believe three weeks have passed already!

Nathan's First Bath

We gave Nate his first bath tonight.  He didn't cry or get upset.  He fussed a little when we took him out... the air was chilly for a naked wet baby!

For all of us amazed at how much Nathan looks like Dave I am posting a photo of Dave's first bath!

Speaking of firsts...Tomorrow Dave goes back to work and Nate and I will have our first day home alone.  It will be a long day too since Dave has Spanish Class after work, so he will be gone from 7-7.   I am sure we will be fine.  I cannot believe how fast time has gone by though...

kinda neat eh?

Two Weeks Old

We took Nate to his 2 week appointment today.  He weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces!  He has gained almost a pound!  I am so happy.  We know he is getting plenty to eat.  The doctor said Nate is 'Fit for Duty'.  Everything looks great.  His circumcision is all healed and he is ready for real baths now!  I wonder how Nate will like them.  He does OK with sponge baths just fusses a little but no screaming, so we will see how he likes a real bath.  I took his 2 week photo and decided to do a video because Nathan was making a bunch of funny faces, and I caught him taking a noisy poopie.  If you watched the video and were shocked let me just say so are we every time we hear those noises coming from such a small little guy.  If you watched the video and found it disgusting.. so do we.  I posted the two week photo in the album.

Nate sure keeps us busy

I thought I would post a new photo.  We have been up to our elbows in feedings, poopie diapers, and burpings.  But it is so amazing when he is awake and happy.  Dave has been experiencing things at the changing table that shock and disgust him. But its so worth it.  I love his little gas grins, even if I know its because he farted.  We are still trying to get all of this paperwork done to make him an American!  WOOF! 

No more stump!

Yippie, Nate's umbilical stump fell off today!  Man is time going quick.  Diaper changes will be much easier now! 

One Week Old

Someone told me to take a photo of Nathan once a week with the same stuffed animal so its easy to see how much he grows and changes.  So here is our little man at one week old!  The week has gone by quick!  Nate is sleeping pretty well at night letting us get a 4 hour stretch then after feeding usually we get another 3 hour stretch!  Can't beat that eh?

Everyday gets easier

Okay let me just say that I have the BEST husband ever!  I don't know how I got so lucky.  Dave has been so awesome.  He does it all!  He has been keeping up on the dishes, laundry, cooking, and cleaning.  Then he is on diaper duty all the time.  I can count the number of diapers I have changes on one hand seriously!( don't worry the baby is peeing and pooping a ton)  Dave has been a huge help as we are working on breastfeeding, and after a feeding he always scoops the baby up to burp him.  It is amazing. 

Luckily the nursing is getting easier and Nate has been exclusively on breast milk for a full 3 days now!  Today I was able to get him going without Dave!   I could tell Dave was relieved. I think we are both worried about where we will be when Dave has to return to work on the 25th.  We still have a few kinks to workout, but we have decided to continue working at it and if we have to keep feeding like we are( with a nipple shield), then we will do it as long as we can and if we have to go to formula feeding then we won't be upset.  I have lots of milk so we are just hoping it continues while we work at this.  Nate has been sleeping much better since we stopped using formula to supplement.  So have we!  We love this little man! Watching him is such a thrill.  He makes the funniest expressions.  We both really enjoy snoozing with him in the recliner with the boppy. ( one at a time of course)  It is a lot of work but it is so enjoyable and rewarding. 

UPDATE

We are home, Dave is rocking the baby so I have a minute to update!!  Thanks to everyone for the comments.  

So on Thursday, like I blogged before, I went to my weekly OB appointment.  Thank goodness I had Dave with me.  The Doctor checked my cervix and saw that I was dilated to 4cm.  I told her she could strip my membranes, and she did but couldn't reach all of it because baby was still pretty high.  After that fun part was over I mentioned that the baby hadn't been real active the past couple days.   Actually I was really terrified on  Wednesday because I went almost all  day without any squirming or kicking, but right when I was ready to call Dave and tell him I wanted to go get checked  of course the little guy started acting up so I decided to just bring it up at my appointment the next day.  Well, the doctor wasn't very happy with me.  after a lecture she sent me right down to Labor and Delivery to be put on a monitor to make sure the baby was okay.  They had me hooked up for an hour and he was fine, but she decided to do an ultrasound to check fluid levels.  When she did she didn't find the fluid levels high enough for her to feel okay with me continuing, so she told me I was having  my baby.  We begged to be able to run home and get my stuff and get things straight, finally she told us okay, but we had to return to L & D before 7 pm or she was going to come after us.  She actually asked Dave where we lived on base  and which street and our house number.  Haha.  SO with our 3 hours we ran to the grocery store to get some basics, then ate dinner, and picked up the  house a bit. 

We made it back to L & D before our 7 o'clock curfew and they took me back to the delivery room.  They didn't end up getting the pitocin started until 9:20 because they were medivacing someone out and everyone was busy with that.  Almost right away I started feeling crampy  and as they increased the dose they got stronger.  At midnight they were only as bad as my worst period cramps so I was really worried I would be in labor forever.  Anyhow, at midnight my doctor came in and checked me and I was almost 6 cm dilated.  She broke my water and the instant she did I thought I was going to die.  The contractions got SO intense I was really unable to get through them without groaning and grunting like some animal you see on discovery channel.  After about 15 minutes of these insane contractions I asked for an epidural.  They were sending for the guy ( he was home sleeping peacefully) but I couldn't keep control of myself during the contractions, I was really miserable.  The nurse was listening to my groans and grunts and when they went a few octaves lower she decided to check me.  I was at 9 and was pushing during the contractions, I didn't know I was pushing.   It had only been 30 minutes since they broke my water!  Well, she yelled down the hallway and about 10 people were there right away, breaking down the bed, getting the baby warmer started up getting tools and stuff ready and the doctor rushed in and was giving me instructions about how I needed to push when she said.  Dave and I were both still there saying 'Wait, what is happening'.  I pushed for 6 or 7 contractions and he popped out!  The moment he came out I couldn't believe it was over!  Just like that!  At 1:05am on Friday the 8th he was born.  Hey 3  hours and 45 minutes of labor is a piece of cake!  I can do anything for 4 hours of my life.   They took him over to the warmer and I was left laying there asking, "Was that it?"  So, I had my baby naturally just like I had hoped. 

He is healthy and happy and a really good pooper.  He looks just like his daddy, and it is so amazing to watch his expressions change and see Dave in all of them! We love him so much.  We are still trying to figure out the breastfeeding thing, hopefully we can get it together this week.  I feel amazingly awesome considering I just had a baby.  We are a happy bunch!  

 

Nathan Victor McMath   

Born February 8th 2008 at 1:05am

6 lbs 8 oz

19 3/4 inches

It's A BOY

Nathan was born!  February 8th @ 1:05 am.  Teresa was admitted at 7:00 p.m. She received Patocin at 9:20 pm to increase her contractions.  Then just after midnight the Doc came in and decided it was time to break her water.  half hour later she was fully dilated and it was time to push, only took 6 real good pushes and Nathan Victor McMath entered the world.  Look in Photos for updated pictures.
Thank you all for your Love and support!!  From The new Mom and Dad.

Will Nate be born on the 7th or 8th??

I went in today for my Dr. appointment.  I am dilated to 4 now!  She stripped my membranes which wasn't very pleasant.  I told her that the baby hasn't been very active lately, so she sent me down to L & D for a non stress test.  They monitored the baby for an hour and he is fine.  But she did an ultrasound to check fluid levels and found them really low.  Thank goodness I had Dave go with me to this appointment eh!  They let us come home really fast to get my bag and eat a quick meal, but we have to be back up there in an hour.  They are going to induce me TONIGHT!  I am praying it wont be a long terrible labor.  I am hoping that since I'm already at 4 cm, and have been crampy since she stripped the membranes that maybe my body is getting ready anyways.  Watch out for an update soon!!  YIKES!!

February 4th

Today is my due date!!  Still no sign of this little guy getting ready to make his exit.  I feel like I am a little kid waiting for summer vacation, my birthday, Christmas Morning, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, Trick or Treating, and water to boil all at once.  It's all I can think about. I know due dates aren't anything to set your watch by, but still I have been waiting patiently this whole time to get to the 40 week marker and I made it!!  Now more waiting!  Woof.  I was looking up something online and found this list of famous birthdays in February.  Wonder who my baby will share his birthday with... 

Famous Birthdays

1. Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Lisa Marie Presley, Clark Gable
2. Christie Brinkley, Graham Nash, Farrah Fawcett
3. Fran Tarkenton, Norman Rockwell
4. Charles Lindbergh, Dan Quayle, Lawrence Taylor
5. Bob Marley, Hank Aaron, Roger Staubach, Adlai Stevenson Jr.
6. Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ronald Reagan, Babe Ruth, Axl Rose
7. Garth Brooks, Sinclair Lewis
8. Jules Verne, Nick Nolte, Ted Koppel, Audrey Meadows
9. Carole King, William H. Harrison, Joe Pesci
10. Greg Norman, John Calipari, Mark Spitz
11. Mark Spitz, Jennifer Aniston, Thomas Edison
12. Charles Darwin, Abraham Lincoln, Arsenio Hall
13. Chuck Yaeger, Bess Truman
14. Drew Bledsoe, Jimmy Hoffa, Florence Henderson
15. Galileo, Susan B. Anthony, Jaromir Jagr, Galileo Galilei
16. John McEnroe, Sony Bono, Ice-T
17. Michael Jordan, Jim Brown, Chaim Potok
18. Yoko Ono, Vanna White, Matt Dillon, John Travolta
19. Justine Bateman, Eddie Arcaro, Smokey Robinson
20. Bobby Unser, Charles Barkley, Cindy Crawford
21. David Geffen, Barbara Jordan
22. George Washington, Julius Erving, Drew Barrymore
23. Peter Fonda
24. Steven Jobs, Enrico Caruso
25. George Harrison, Sally Jessy Rafael
26. Michael Bolton, Tony Randall, Jackie Gleason
27. John Steinbeck, Chelsea Clinton, Elizabeth Taylor, John Steinbeck
28. Eric Lindros, Mario Andretti, Bernadette Peters
29. Jimmy Dorsey

Don't you think its funny that Jimmy Hoffa was born on Valentine's Day?  Dave and I have joked that it would be our luck to have the baby on Valentine's Day.  We have yet to have a nice Valentine's Day together.  Here is what our past years Valentine's Days have been like-

2002- I spent the entire day on the train traveling from Flint to Dallas.  The total trip was 36 hours... So I mean the ENTIRE day.  I arrived in Texas on the 15th...

2003- Dave and I both had to work, I was employed at the IGA in Sun City at the time... but we did get to spend a few hours together because just before I needed to leave for work I was washing a bread knife and sliced across the knuckle of my index finger, so Dave had to take me to the ER to get stitches and that took like 4 hours. 

2004- I was filling in for a couple of weeks at the Military Clothing Store at LUKE and they ordered me to work a 12 hour shift on Valentine's Day...Dave had the day off for some reason and I had to work ALL day!!  But I did see him for a few minutes because I found a dead mouse in the bathroom at the clothing store and me and the other girls working didn't want to touch it so I called him up to come dispose of it.

2005- It wasn't as terrible.  We were actually in Michigan because we were PCSing to Japan.  We made plans to have dinner with Dave's friend and my cousin, trying to set them up.... and his freind stood up my cousin.  We felt so bad. So we ended up going out with my cousin and Jackie. 

2006-  I can't even remember 2006, I think I was in Michigan?  If I wasn't then Dave was working swings and I didn't see him.  

2007- We went out to a nice dinner in Hachinohe.  Dave's mom was visiting so she was with us.  It was a nice dinner, but still we have never gone out just the two of us. 

So will this Valentine's day be spend in labor and delivery?  I hope not.  I don't know if I can stand waiting 10 more days for this baby to arrive!  I can't wait to meet him!  I will be very happy if we spend this V-Day at home with our new baby. 

We went to Swan Park on Saturday, I felt like getting out of the house and I haven't been to Swan Park in a long time. It was fun to go feed the ducks.  I put up an album in our photos.  

I hope everyone enjoyed their Superbowl Sunday!  Dave woke up at 7 this morning to watch the game live.  I am so glad the Giants won, the Patriots got caught cheating and I hate it when people get away with cheating or breaking the rules!!