Today, Coco giggled. She has been smiling for weeks but today she verbally giggled. We were of course discussing poop at the time but that can be ignored. My heart has yet to totally recover from the explosion that occurred. It was the most adorable giggle ever. I don't care what you all say.
In other news I return to work on Monday and can't help but be upset she will have these milestones daily without me seeing them. I know this is what must happen, but it doesn't make it easier.
Time to start buying lotto tickets again.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Coco's Arrival
Birth story!!!! The last month of my pregnancy I was obsessed with reading birth stories. I find them fascinating. This is my attempt to share such a story. Here is goes:
Friday Jan. 7th: Since my due date was January 23rd I wasn't expecting much from my doctors' appointment this morning. Much to my surprise I was already 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Lady Doctor got me all excited by saying she was so surprised at how far along I was already. Of course T and I take this as "OMG we are going into labor momentarily". She warned me following the appointment it was normal to have slight cramping. Naturally I forget this and starting timing the cramping. Even downloading an ap from the ap store to track them. This insanity continues all weekend long. If I felt a slight tinge at any point we would whip out the ap and get to work. We even went to the grocery store and picked up all of the things they say start labor. Again, we are insane.
Wednesday Jan. 12th:
6am: I wake up with contractions. I wake up Travis. He of course googles and determines, based on my symptoms we are obviously in labor. Awesome.
6:15 I get in the shower and do necessary grooming to ensure I am looking my best for this birth. Contractions continue.
7:15 finally done with grooming. My hair is straight, my legs are shaved and my makeup is applied. T is still googling and peppering me with questions. I find this incredibly annoying and adorable at the same time. We also call the parents at this time and they get overly excited. My father in particular packs the car and is waiting for the go signal.
8:30 we decide to go on a walk. It was approximately 20 degrees outside, so we bundled up the beagles in their winter wear (this includes, coats and booties) and started walking to the lake.
9:00 back from the walk due to the strong contractions (or what I thought were strong....so delirious). At this point we realize the walking is working but the cold is not. Head downtown to 900 N Michigan to walk around (this is the only indoor place we could thing of and it was close to the hospital).
OH, I forgot to say that we had packed our hospital bag. Like overly packed it.
12 we decide to call the doctor. My contractions are getting closer together however not intensifying. RED FLAG. Lady Doctor thinks something is going on but wants me to head home and rest and see how things develop.
Here is my huge belly:
1pm everything stops. Luckily I was getting my nails done at the time, so I didn't totally notice, but still. Everything stops. Heart broken, we head home.
3pm Lady Doctor calls with a pep talk. This is normal, blah blah, don't be discouraged, blah blah.
Thursday Jan 13th nothing happens. We both go to work, completely defeated. Come to terms with the fact the baby will never arrive.
Friday Jan 14th:
9am Lady Doctor appointment goes well. I progressed another cm and am totally effaced. My Lady Doctor is on call that weekend and seems excited that I will go into labor soon. At this point I am defeated, tell her she is crazy and head back to work thinking I have another few weeks left in me.
Noon I start having some contractions. Chalk it up to normal, after exam cramps and move on. I am not in labor. Start getting snippy with people at work. Red Flag anyone???
3pm T calls and I explain the cramps. We both determine they are nothing and get back to work. He has a happy hour for a friend who is turning 30 that evening, so he heads out to pick up the pups from daycare.
4pm I decide to reorganize my office. I clean everything and organize all of my work papers to ensure someone could take over...just in case. I thought I might have just jinxed us but I couldn't resist the urge to clean like crazy. Hello nesting!!! Table for one!
5pm T picks me up in the car with the Beagles. While walking downstairs to meet him I had to stop and breathe through a contraction. Obviously this should have been a huge sign that things were a go. But I would not allow such nonsense.
While dropping T off at the bar I realize these contractions are coming quickly and routinely. Don't mention this to T but instead send him on his way.
7pm Text T with a brief yet alarming warning that although I am not in labor things are looking strange. But he should totally stay there.
9pm T calls to check in. I am crying from the pain. T tabs out and heads home.
9:30 T arrives and it is clear I am in labor. I have to stand and walk around in order to get through the pain and am having mild panic attacks. T was so worried he smelled like booze he decides he must take a shower prior to us going to the hospital. So while I call the doctor he takes a shower. RUDE!!!!
10pm we get in the car and head downtown. This drive should only take 1o min. MAX. but for some reason it felt like we were driving 5mph and it was the longest car ride of my life. Not helped by the fact that I have a horrible contraction right in the middle of it all.
10:15 I check into the hospital. The receptionist does not seem too interested in me and I want to jab her eye out with the pen. It feels like T went to park the car in Indiana and left me to fend for myself.
10:17 we are lead back to the triage area when a nurse with hands the size of the green giant checks my dilation. Determines I am at a 5 and calls my doctor. T sends the mass text to our friends and family to let them know it is go time. I find this incredibly rude and yell at him that he needs to be present with me.
10:30 it feels like they have let us sit in triage for hours. I have yelled at T about four times at this point for a variety of things. First he asked me too much how I was feeling. RUDE. Then I felt like he wasn't asking enough. Then he wasn't checking in with the nurse like I wanted him to and finally I wasn't sure why he wouldn't just yell at the nurse for me and figure out why we had yet to be moved upstairs.
10:45 we are moved upstairs. They bring a wheelchair. I refuse and say I can walk. At this point I think I need to put on a good show for the nurse who is walking us up. I ask polite questions about how the evening has progressed. I discuss the weather. All the while it feels like the bottom half of my body is separating from the top half.
11:15 we are finally in the room. My L&D nurse starts asking tons of questions. Questions that I had already answered. I am still trying to be polite and not take off her head like I want to.
11:20 I snap at the nurse and say I can not answer another question without the epidural
11:30 I get my epidural. The doctor informs me he went to the University of Texas. I don't care at this point because my epidural is the best thing in the world. Even if it came from a longhorn.
Midnight we decide to get some rest. T lays down and instantly falls asleep. I sleep randomly but due to the nurse checking on me every hour I'm not sleeping that well. But I don't care. Because my epidural is magical. Also at this time the Lady Doctor resident tells me they won't keep checking my dilation. Instead I can just enjoy my epidural and when I have the urge to poop let them know because that means it is go time. Poop. Check.
8am I wake T up telling him I have a slight urge but not major. We mention it to the nurse. She says if it isn't major then the baby is just moving down and it isn't time to go yet.
9:30 I call my parents to see where they are. They left from OK that morning and were about a couple of hours into the drive at this point. My mom warns me that first time mothers sometimes take a long time to progress. I understand and am prepared for an all day affair.
9:45 the Lady Doctor resident comes to check me just for a point of reference. She can barely get her hand in the goods before she realizes the head is there and the baby is ready. Her eyes are huge but calm and says she is going to get my Lady Doctor.
10am my Lady Doctor arrives. walks me through the process but warms me most first time moms push for two hours. I understand. Excitement is starting to set in.
10:10 we can already see the head. T is kind of overwhelmed by it all. We were worried he wouldn't be okay with the gory details of the birth but he is holding my leg and is guiding me through what is going on.
10:15 Lady Doctor informs me I am not very good at pushing. I need to "bear down" more. Alrighty. I will get right on that Lady.
10:25 another lessen in bearing down.
10:35 while letting me rest a contraction moved the head almost out of the vagina. Lady Doctor's eyes get big and starts scrambling to get things together. I ask at this point if the baby will be huge. I was almost 10 pounds and T was almost 8 and almost three weeks early. Lady Doctor says the baby doesn't look too big. Probably 7-8 pounds. Relief.
10:42 out of no where I am doing my pushing (and what I thought wasn't very good pushing) and suddenly our flies little Coco. All 9pounds 1 oz.
The next few hours are a blur. She is totally healthy and crying up a storm. T doesn't want to cut the cord so I cut it myself. Just like that crazy Kardashian who pulled out her own baby. She instantly takes to breast feeding (who knew?!?!) but her glucose was too low so we had to give her a bit of formula. The nurse approached the topic really gingerly until I blurted out, "I am not a psycho breast feeding crazy woman". She liked us.
Around 1pm we were moved upstairs to the recovery floor and Travis learned to change his first diaper. Adorable. We spent the next few hours just staring at her and enjoying our little family of three.
Introducing.....
Why hello there. My name is Cyndi. I'm married to a tall funny guy named Travis. We are Oklahomans transplanted in Chicago, IL and are currently trying to make it through the brutal winter. This is our blog. Please know we are not so self centered as to think a blog about the two of us would be exciting. Trust me it would not. Our typical day consists of working, playing with the two beagles (Roxie and Lewis....they are insane) and trashy reality TV. Obviously a blog that does not make. On January 15th, 2011 we became much more exciting. Little Coleen Elizabeth Parr was born at 10:42 AM weighting in at 9lbs 1 oz (yowza!!!). Obviously she is exciting and adorable. She is in such high demand I receive threatening emails and texts when I do not provide enough pictures (looking at you Mr. Mansfield). In order to ensure I am not receiving death threats, this is our way of keeping people up to date with all things Coco (her little nickname). Oh and here is the first picture. It was taken the moment we first met.
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