Life at home

Well we've officially survived our first week at home! What a week it's been though. Hayden still prefers to sleep during the day and be awake at night. But now his awake time at night is a little quieter. He's alert but not crying, so we'll take it. We move around, from the bassinet to the rocker to the bed to the swing downstairs, depending on what kind of mood we're in. We have NO schedule to speak of, which is made easier by Jay's 10 days of paternity leave (thank you, Army). He signs back in tomorrow, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, so when it's all said and done he'll have had two whole weeks with us. And the Christmas holiday is just around the corner!

A big thanks to Leigh, Amanda, Judy and Megan who were Hayden's first visitors in the hospital! Since then he's been lucky enough to meet the Meyers, Millers and Pollards, but most importantly, Oscar! Everyone has been asking how Oscar is doing with the baby, and truthfully he just kind of tolerates him right now. He likes to sniff him, understands that we need to give the baby lots of attention, and is fine as long as we share some of that attention while the baby sleeps. I think once Oscar can lick him and play with him, he'll be just as smitten as we are.

So far it's been a busy life for little Hayden! We have survived our first sponge bath; took our first trip out of the house (in the snow!) to visit the commissary and the Pollards, which of course included our first round-trip in the car; we've tested out the swing and come to love the bassinet-level of the playpen; and mommy even managed to cut and file his nails without a tranquilizer (for me!). Hayden's umbilical cord stump fell off rather quickly, as did his plastibell cover from his circumcision, so we're ready for our first real bath! We're also learning the tricks of the trade to avoid getting peed on, but he can be tricky. I did have to wake Jay up in the middle of the night once this weekend to change Hayden's clothes while I changed the sheets in the bassinet.

Next week starts our rounds of paperwork to get Hayden firmly entrenched into the military system. This week, however, we're still just relaxing and looking forward to Thanksgiving with our Army family!

A baby story: Part III (going home!)

Tuesday morning came early, since Hayden doesn't really sleep much at night. Neither do I, and I want to look at him when he sleeps, so tired was the name of the game. I was so anxious to get home, it seemed like the day was dragging. When they came in at 6, luckily I didn't have to get out of bed since we'd be leaving that day. They told me the pediatrician would be there at 8:30 to see Hayden, so I waited until a decent hour (7am) to call Jay and tell him when to be there. He had been up most of the night himself, doing his own "nesting" by doing dishes and vacuuming so the house would be ready for us.

I got us dressed and ready, leafed through my book a little while time draggggged on. Seriously, slowest morning of my life. Dr. Stadlbauer stopped by to give us some going-home rules (I did NOT know I still can't take a bath, what a bummer) and said he'd see us in 6 weeks for my postpartum appointment. The nurse finally came to get Hayden to see the pediatrician a little after 9, and Jay had just called to say he was on the way. I wheeled Hayden down the hall and met the pediatrician. He had to do an ultrasound to check both of his hips, and I know how cold that gel is, so it was no surprise that Hayden howled and howled. I have a feeling I will NOT be any good at consoling him when he gets shots, as I will need Valium to just get through it. What a terrible sound, to hear your baby wail like that. He checked his circumcision, looked him over and we were all done.

We got back to the room and Jay was waiting for us. We packed up, and headed upstairs to "check out". For a decent sized hospital, I was surprised that there was only one person working to sign people out. We waited about 15 minutes, then I went in to finish up the paperwork and head on out. We took our little man to the car, strapped him into the carseat, and were on our way. I sat in the back to watch him, while Jay drove at an unusually slow speed for him. Babies make you more careful drivers, that's for sure. We got home, laid Hayden in his playpen (it has a little bassinet attachment that is AWESOME) and sat on the couch, just taking it all in. I have never been so happy to be home (though my run-ins with Space A travel come a close second), and was so grateful for my little family. All that was left was Oscar, but we decided to give ourselves a day to get used to Hayden at home before adding him to the picture. Besides, he never minds an extra day at the farm!

A baby story: Part II

Well our first night was long, but fairly uneventful. We all slept in the same room, with Jay in the other bed and Hayden in his little nursery crib. They took him away for a few minutes to check his vitals and whatnot, but for the most part he hung out with us. Since it was Sunday when we woke up, we were guaranteed a pretty relaxing day as the Germans don't do anything on Sundays. We hung out mostly, trying to rest and get the hang of nursing, and Jay left for a bit to take Oscar to the farm and get stuff from the house. He came back to hang out with us, and I took what was probably the best shower of my life while Jay held Hayden and read one of my baby books. All in all, our first full day of being parents went by pretty quickly and without much going on.

Monday came early, because the nurses wanted to change my bed at 6am. While I was still in it. Nothing if not efficient, those ladies! They kept coming to check my belly with their very cold hands, and taking Hayden every once in awhile to check on him. Possibly the hardest thing to get used to is German food, or more accurately, the meals. Germans eat a light breakfast (bread, coffee, a little cheese), lunch is the main cooked meal, and dinner is usually more bread and cheese. No one told me how hungry I'd be after having a baby, so Jay was in charge of bringing me extra food and lots of water. I was also very thirsty, and luckily the hospital had a water dispenser with normal (non-bubbly) mineral water.

That morning around 10am, they came to take Hayden for his circumcision. It was quick and painless (so they say) but I still felt pretty bad for my little guy. The nurses said I needed to let them know when Hayden peed, so they knew everything was still in working order. So we waited and waited, but nothing was happening. By that evening, I was getting a little worried. They told me if he didn't pee, we'd have to give him some tea (from a bottle) which I was very leery of. They say if you're nursing, not to introduce any pacifiers or bottles until you both have the hang of it, to avoid confusion for the baby. But pee he did not, so they brought him a tiny bit of water to get things moving, and gave him a suppository. Boy did he not like that! A little bit later I checked his diaper and there was plenty of poop, but the nurse said no, he hasn't peed yet. I was way stressed at this point, and started to change his diaper with a million thoughts whirling about, hoping my little man was okay. As I was changing him, he decided now was the time to pee, and proceeded to pee all over EVERYTHING. Luckily, most of it missed me but hit the bed, his clothes, the wipes case, the whole 9. I called the nurse back in (who was surely irritated at this point) and she walked in to me up to my elbows in urine, changing him. I said "He peed", and she took a look at the bed and everything around us. She chuckled, and said "He is fine", and walked out still laughing.

By Monday night, Jay was going a little stir crazy in this empty house. No me, no Oscar, pretty boring apparently. He now has a new appreciation for what I did for 15 months while he was in Afghanistan. But we had one more day to go, since the pediatrician wanted to check Hayden out the day after his circumcision, which couldn't be done on Sunday. One last night, and we'd be homeward bound!

A baby story: Part I

It's still so hard for me to believe I gave birth. But here's how it all happened, with some details left out in good taste and for the squeamish.

Saturday morning around 11:30 Jay and I were walking around the PX, running some errands. I noticed some slight cramping in my belly, and assumed we were dealing with Braxton Hicks contractions. I mean, I can't be in labor, that's silly. We walked around some more and I was getting increasingly uncomfortable, so we headed home. Jay had a ruck march planned with some of his soldiers, so he headed out but not before I made sure he had his phone. I told him I was a little nervous, and just wanted to be on the safe side. He assured me I'd be fine, but to call him if I needed anything. He was pretty sure I wasn't in labor, just had gas. He blames the egg salad.

I spent the next two hours laying around, eating a little, and trying to pay attention to the clock to see if there was any regularity to these contractions. None whatsoever. When Jay got home I was still uncomfortable, but didn't see any need to go to the hospital. By 5pm, I told him I thought we might go to the hospital at some point this evening, just to check things out. I'd rather be sent home than give birth in my living room, after all. By 7pm I was in more pain, and laying down was about the only option to be somewhat comfortable. Jay came upstairs and finished packing mine and Hayden's bags, and we finally left for the hospital around 8:45pm.

We checked in to the maternity ward around 9pm, and hung out in the waiting room for about 15 minutes. At this point, I was bent over an ottoman because my back hurt so much with each contraction. Jay was rubbing my back and I was certain this had to be labor; if not, I told Jay, HE was having this baby. The midwife came to get us and took us down the hall. She hooked me up to a fetal heart rate monitor that also measured my contractions. She checked my cervix, and to my surprise, I was dilated to 7cm. Basically almost there! I think it was then that Jay and I fully realized this was happening tonight. The midwife also told us she could feel lots of hair.

This is also when we realized my internal debate over the epidural had been solved for me, as I was dilated too far to have one. They gave me a little something in my IV to "take the edge off" which made me sleepy more than anything. Turns out another doctor was already there, so it wasn't technically necessary for my doc to be there, unless this labor progressed past midnight when he would be "on call" again. Since my water hadn't broken, the midwife did it for me. My friends have all talked about this hook-like contraption that was used to break their water, so I was pretty terrified. Apparently they do things differently here, because she did it by hand, which was literally quick and painless. The contractions started coming closer together, and I was definitely experiencing what is known as "back labor". This means Hayden's head was pushing on my spine during contractions because of his position. This also meant we had to try to shift him around a little for delivery. She had me basically get up on all fours on the delivery table, which was probably one of the worst parts of my delivery. I got extremely nauseous, and thought I might vomit, which is pretty miserable when you're in labor. Luckily I didn't stay that way for long.

It wasn't too long before they told me it was time to push. I think my midwife thought I wasn't trying hard enough, but the tiny busted blood vessels on my face after delivery say otherwise. After about 15 minutes of pushing, the doctor told us he was worried about the baby's heart rate. It was plummeting during my contractions and he said there was a possibility the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. Pretty scary! He said we'd try a little bit longer, and would use a tiny vacuum to help the baby out. He was so close, but just not wanting to come out. Two more pushes, and they told me to stop pushing, and to look at my baby. He was out! A messy little thing with tons of hair, but he was beautiful :-)

They handed Jay the scissors to cut the cord, and we heard a strong little cry come out of our baby and knew he was fine. They cut the cord, gave me a shot to induce a quick contraction for delivery of the placenta, and we were DONE. During my pregnancy, I had joked to my friends that I didn't want to hold my baby until he was all clean and pretty. But when they handed him to me still covered in, well, everything, I could not have been happier. At that moment I knew I was holding the most beautiful baby in the world, dirty hair and all. They let me hold him awhile before we got all cleaned up and worked on nursing. They gave him a little bath, weighed and measured, took some pictures, dressed him and handed him over to the happiest parents in Germany. That's when Jay looked at the clock and realized it was after midnight. So he had to ask "Was it today or yesterday?"; Hayden was born on November 15th just in the nick of time, at 11:59 pm.

In Germany, they take a much different approach to birth. It seems that they favor natural deliveries unless c-sections become medically necessary, they do not favor the epidural, and they adhere to the policy of skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible instead of handing you a more aesthetically pleasing version of your baby. They wholeheartedly endorse nursing, rooming-in and overall a more natural approach to birth. Turns out it was pretty much exactly how I wanted to have Hayden.

While the nurse was cleaning him up, she did say she thinks my due date was wrong. Had he been really two weeks early, she told us, he should have been more covered in vernix, and smaller. Later when she escorted me to the restroom and saw me standing up straight for the first time she said (in broken English), "Ah, now I see this was very big baby for you". Forgiven, for thinking I wasn't working hard enough. We hung out with our 8 lb, 9 oz and 20-inch long baby in the delivery room for a little over an hour until I was moved to my private room. We requested a private room with a bed so Jay could stay, which is not standard procedure but certainly possible in Germany. Hayden was right next to me in his little plexiglass crib, and would stay there unless I requested otherwise.

So that my friends is the story of Hayden, the little (big) baby that could (and would), and of his proud parents. I have to say that I didn't think it was going to happen for awhile, and it never would have without the amazing support of my wonderful husband who, as it turns out, is a pretty awesome dad too.

When I have more time, a little more about our hospital stay and what life is like at home with Hayden!

He's here!

Welcome to the world, Hayden Alexander!

He was born at 11:59 pm on Saturday, November 15 by natural delivery. At 37 weeks, 6 days he measured an impressive 8 lbs, 9 oz and 20.4 inches long. He has a full head of blonde hair, and is more amazing than we ever dreamed.

We just got home from the hospital today, but when I have more energy I'll give a play-by-play of what's been going on since Saturday! For now, we're getting used to each other and are so glad to be home. Jay is glad to have us home too; the house was lonely without us!

Just a little fun

Hayden has some SERIOUS hiccups right now, and it makes me giggle.

Our baby has some seriously cute stuff he's obtained, but I think Jay and I have decided the absolute cutest thing he has. Surprisingly, it's his newborn diapers! Have you ever seen these tiny things?? They look like they'll fit a doll. Most books tell us not to buy too many of them, since most babies don't last long in them. So we have a handful, and I started setting up changing stations this weekend and pulled out a few to stock. I squealed my "look how cute this baby stuff is" squeal, which Jay has probably come to abhor, but he takes it well. He looked up, and agreed that they are pretty darn cute.

Good news! Amazon is re-shipping our lost wipes warmer, and we have a Diaper Champ on teh way as well! I finished my book on nursing and haven't decided what to work on next, but suffice to say my brain is FULL of information I'll most likely forget at the first real contraction. More baby progress this weekend (hopefully) along with some relaxation time for us, and an appointment on Monday. We'll keep you updated!

Movin' right along

Busy weekend in the Rogers' house as usual, but Jay did have a four-day thanks to the Veterans' Day Holiday, so we spent some time relaxing, sleeping in and being bums. I figure we have to take advantage of those lazy weekends while we still can!

I'm starting to feel a little more pressure, especially when I stand up. This past weekend I started experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, according to my book. I was having some intermittent cramping and looked it up in my books and on Babycenter.com, and am pretty sure that's what's going on. They don't last long, they're completely infrequent with no rhyme or reason, so I guess my body is just gearing up for the big event. Lucky me!

We also started doing more getting-ready-for-baby stuff this weekend, which was awesome! Jay put together the swing, the pack n' play and the bouncy seat. I tried to help, but Jay assured me it was his job to put this stuff together, and my job was to have the baby. Glad we got that cleared up! He also wanted nothing to do with having his picture taken, but I told him I didn't want our baby thinking some strange man put his stuff together! So now he'll just think his daddy is silly. We moved around some furniture, and continue to pick up essentials for Hayden (more baby wipes, vaseline, etc.) and I'm working on packing his diaper bag and my hospital bag a little at a time.

I also started a new book, So That's What They're For, about breastfeeding. I really like it so far (I'm about halfway through) and it helps me feel a little more comfortable about nursing. I'm having a little more luck lately with sleeping, depending on when we get up and how much we do in a day. We set up one of his changing stations downstairs, and are waiting for our changing pad to get here to finish up his room. Pictures when it's clean! We ordered a wipes warmer from Amazon a long time ago and never received it. I sent an email to their customer service last night, and they're sending us a new one to replace it! Super excited. Germany is cold and the heating system is a little different than that of the states, so we don't want him to be cold downstairs. I'm sure we'll have no problem keeping his little room warm, and we have some great swaddling sleepers.

Seems like my belly keeps getting bigger! Just a few more weeks and he'll be out, and I think we'll both be grateful for the extra moving room :-)

Doctor's Appointment 36 weeks, 3 days

I'm a little behind, since my appointment was Monday! We did the fetal heart rate monitor for 30 minutes again (but it seemed like much longer this time!) and Hayden's heart is pumping away. No contractions, and I'm starting to like this 30-minute relax time.

We did a quick ultrasound and found that he's measuring about 6 lbs, 7oz right now, so he's right on track. "Not too big" was the word on his head size, which is good news for me! He was very active for most of my appointment, as he usually is while I'm laying down. Quick check of the cervix (no dilation yet) and swab for Strep B and we were all done. No ultrasound pics, because Hayden has pretty much settled into a head-down and turned-around position, but he's doing fine in there.

I'm getting very excited and also feeling very unprepared at times. This weekend Jay has a four-day weekend so we'll be getting more organizing done, and maybe putting the car seat base in the back of the car. I'd like to get some packing done for the hospital, since our time is running out. It's not easy when Hayden wants me to sleep, but only at weird hours of the day and NOT at night when Jay sleeps. In my "fun time" these days I'm reading, but also catching up on the scrapbooking I'm SO far behind on. But it's moving quickly, and would move a bit faster if the post office would ship my stuff as soon as I order it. The things you don't get used to here, even after 2.5 years...but it's a lot of fun looking back at the fun stuff I did last year with some of the great people who have come to visit.

Now it's off to clean while I still have the energy!

What a productive weekend!

Well yesterday Jay and I decided to tackle our crazy messy house and get down to business. We're in one of those catch-22 situations where it seems like we can't do one thing before doing another, but something else has to be done before we can do that. So, like any expectant parents, we've just been doing nothing :-) I did tons of laundry for all of us while Jay got to work on his and Hayden's collective room. Our chair we ordered three months ago FINALLY got here on Saturday, so we got that set up and half of Hayden's room is now ready. Pictures forthcoming, once we turn the dresser into his changing table. We also finally got his humidifier, the cutest little frog you've ever seen, and tried it out last night. It's a shame we didn't purchase one for ourselves, with our stuffy noses in this dry German air!

This morning I spent some time shopping online for some of the smaller, essential items we haven't yet procured for him. Time is coming fast (four weeks left!) so I figured we should get it all ordered and here. I was very excited to compare consumer reports and customer reviews for things like thermometers and playpen sheets. It's funny how impending motherhood changes things. I remember the same excitement for a sale at White House Black Market, and how my shoes used to be so cute. Now it's all about soft blankets and little socks!

We still get a kick out of watching him move around in my belly, and are getting more and more excited about meeting this little fellow who has already changed our lives so much. Doctor's appointment later today, and maybe some packing of diaper bags and whatnot. We'll see!