It only took me two days short of two weeks to get on the computer again to report to the world that Jonathan has arrived! To say that the last two weeks have been the most stressful, yet most rewarding of my life would be an understatement. Through it all, I never knew how amazing it would be to be a mom.
July 24 is a day that changed my life, Matt's life and our marriage forever. Matt and I have both commented that we have grown even closer over these past two weeks than we have in the past three years. We thought we had it pretty dang good before, but there is a whole new level of closeness that we have been blessed to develop. I am sure it is not like that for every couple, but I am so thankful that God has blessed us in this way. The stereotypical idea of labor, where the wife tells the husband "you're never touching me again" never happened. In fact, our labor experience was quite the opposite. Through every contraction and every scary moment we shared trying to have Jonathan, I kept telling Matt how much I loved him, how thankful I was that he was there with me and how every contraction brought us closer to holding Jonathan in our arms.
After weeks of encouraging Matt to pack his hospital bag, he finally did so about 11:00 PM on July 23. He kept joking as soon as he packed, I would go into labor. Oddly enough, 8 hours later, my water broke. The day was starting as typical as a Friday usually would. We were getting up to go to work when our lives changed. Matt had just hopped in the shower and I was rolling out of bed. I knew without a doubt what happened...my water had just broken. I waddled my way into the bathroom and told Matt "You better make it a quick shower, my water just broke." Matt got so flustered that he put a whole glob of shower jel into his hair! I called my mom, who was getting ready to head Up North on vacation and told her she may need to change her plans. I called our doula, Clorrisa, to let her know the scoop and then called the doctor's office to let them know. Matt made a quick breakfast, knowing I wouldn't be able to eat once we got to the hospital and we enjoyed one last moment in our quiet house. I even had enough sense in me to call our friend Jami to take care of Clyde!
We got to the hospital around 8:30 and found that I still had not dilated past 2 cm, which I was on my due date. They moved me into our room and prepared for the long day ahead. Around 11:00, Dr. Keller came in, heard that I had not dilated and told us that we had to start on Pitocin to get the contractions closer and more intense. This was not what I had hoped and planned for, but I didnt have much of a choice. I begged for one more hour to let labor progress on its own, and he obliged. An hour and a half later, he came back, saw I hadn't yet progressed and started the "Pit." When people say Pitocin makes your contractions stronger, they aren't kidding! Progressively over the next 8 hours, they upped my dosage of Pitocin, until I was contracting between 80 and 90 percent of the peak, at every minute and a half. While contractions were the most difficult bodily pain I have ever endured, I was able to hold true to my desire to not have any pain medications. We had music going, watched a Michael W Smith dvd and even watched Wheel of Fortune. (Yes, even during contractions, I kicked Matt's butt!)
Around 8:30, Dr. Keller came in and told me that I still had not yet dilated further and that we had no choice but to have a C-Section. This was the one thing I had feared the most. Throughout my pregnancy, I had an overwhelming fear (probably irrational) that if I had to have a C-Section, there would be a complication and I would not make it through surgery. I don't know why this fear was there but my fear kicked into high gear. I was so tired and emotional after my day of contractions that I lost control of my tears. Those I had around me were so wonderful though and we all began to pray together. Dr. Keller, our nurse Jenny, Matt, Clorrisa and I prayed together before they wheeled me away. One of my other big concerns was Matt being able to make it through surgery. He has a very active gag reflex, to put it lightly. Several times we had discussed this concern we both had, which further served as the reason we hired Clorrisa. To overcome his anxieties, Matt has found sucking on hard candies to help. While the operating room is a sterile enviornment, we didn't know what he was going to do!! Jenny, our nurse, took a handful of jolly ranchers in her scrubs and told Matt she would look out for him in there. He was a trooper.
Once in the operating room, I was blessed to have an amazing anesthesiologist who I was able to joke with during the entire operation. We dissed each others football teams and talked about his garden. At the same time, I kept my eyes fixed on Matt, knowing that he was going to be just fine. After what seemed like an eternity of pressing and pulling, I heard the most beautiful cry in the world. All I could do was cry and say "Jonathan?" I asked if he was ok, found out that he was, and watched Matt become a Daddy. I will never forget them handing Jonathan to Matt and seeing the look on his face. I fell even more in love with the man I had married as I knew he was going to be the most amazing father in the world.
When I finally got back to my room, they brought Jonathan in for me to hold him. Words can't describe the feelings of holding him in my arms for the first time. They laid him on my chest, skin to skin, and almost instantly, he began curling his mouth to eat. I could not have asked for a more beautiful moment. That night, my parents, sister and Grandmother came to visit us and meet Mr. Jonathan for the first time. It was hard to put him down that night to let him sleep. I knew my life, Matt's life and our life together truly had changed forever.
Since coming home, we have been to the doctor twice, ER once and have called the experts countless times. This child has kept us on our toes, to say the least! We know no matter what challenges we face, Jonathan will have guardian angels watching over him throughout his life. Included in that band of angels are my grandfather, Grandpa Hassel, which is where Jonathan's middle name comes from. Jonathan's first name comes from Matt's father, John Wogsland, who never had the chance to meet any of his grandsons.
More to come later...but first I must go cuddle some more with my beautiful bundle of joy.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Due Date...has come and gone
So July 22 has come and gone. After so many weeks of the doctors telling us that Baby Wogs is measuring FIVE weeks ahead of schedule and that we could have a baby as early as July 1, they were wrong. July 1 came and went. July 11 came and went. July 22 has now come and gone, too. Last Friday, when I was 39 ½ weeks pregnant, the doctor gave me the less- than- pleasant news that I was only 50 % effaced and not yet dilated.
We had another appointment on our due date, which was only five days after my previous appointment, and we found out that Baby Wogs has been stirring things up! I was 80 % effaced and had dilated to 2 cm. This is definite progress! We did make another appointment for next Tuesday, July 29, but Dr. Casper didn’t think that he would be seeing us in the doctor’s office. He was feeling pretty confident that Baby Wogs would be here by that point…let’s hope so!
Now that the day is certainly upon us in the next week, I have taken the final steps in getting ready.. My bags are packed. Baby Wogs’ bags are packed. My birth plan and hospital papers are packed. Matt’s snacks are packed. Everything is loaded in the trunk ready to go…except for Matt’s bag. Guess who still has yet to begin packing for the hospital!! The mom in me must be coming out already as I went ahead and packed a few of the essentials in my bag without Matt knowing. If Baby comes today, Matt will at least have clean t-shirts and shorts, a toothbrush and deodorant at the hospital! Everything else he can probably do without for a little while. My good friend Angie had similar experiences with her hubby before their son was born, so I am attributing this to “being a guy.”
Some days, it still hasn’t sunk in that I am going to be a mother and I will be bringing home a child within the next week. While I have carried him for the past nine plus months, reality still hasn’t caught up with me. Just like when I found out I was pregnant, it didn’t seem real to me for a while. If I were not feeling like a blimp right now and having little elbows and knees protrude from my stomach every once in a while, it still wouldn’t seem real to me that I am pregnant. I am sure it will all seem real enough once we get home and are faced with the question of “What do we do now!?” Friends and family can be prepared for some phone calls from us asking “What do we do!?”
We had another appointment on our due date, which was only five days after my previous appointment, and we found out that Baby Wogs has been stirring things up! I was 80 % effaced and had dilated to 2 cm. This is definite progress! We did make another appointment for next Tuesday, July 29, but Dr. Casper didn’t think that he would be seeing us in the doctor’s office. He was feeling pretty confident that Baby Wogs would be here by that point…let’s hope so!
Now that the day is certainly upon us in the next week, I have taken the final steps in getting ready.. My bags are packed. Baby Wogs’ bags are packed. My birth plan and hospital papers are packed. Matt’s snacks are packed. Everything is loaded in the trunk ready to go…except for Matt’s bag. Guess who still has yet to begin packing for the hospital!! The mom in me must be coming out already as I went ahead and packed a few of the essentials in my bag without Matt knowing. If Baby comes today, Matt will at least have clean t-shirts and shorts, a toothbrush and deodorant at the hospital! Everything else he can probably do without for a little while. My good friend Angie had similar experiences with her hubby before their son was born, so I am attributing this to “being a guy.”
Some days, it still hasn’t sunk in that I am going to be a mother and I will be bringing home a child within the next week. While I have carried him for the past nine plus months, reality still hasn’t caught up with me. Just like when I found out I was pregnant, it didn’t seem real to me for a while. If I were not feeling like a blimp right now and having little elbows and knees protrude from my stomach every once in a while, it still wouldn’t seem real to me that I am pregnant. I am sure it will all seem real enough once we get home and are faced with the question of “What do we do now!?” Friends and family can be prepared for some phone calls from us asking “What do we do!?”
Friday, July 10, 2009
No Baby News..but new pictures instead
While I just updated the blog yesterday, we had an appointment today, so I thought I'd update it again. Unfortunately, there is no baby news to report! Baby Wogs hasn't made any progress as far as effacement or dialation since last week!! I guess our little Mustard Seed is just too comfortable chilling in the Mommy Suite. I can't say that I'd blame him. Life must be pretty good, although getting rather cramped right now. He has a constant hot tub to relax in, plenty of soft cushioning to take naps on and daily massages from Mommy, Daddy and Big Brother Clyde. However, if he decides to extend his stay too much longer in the Mommy Suite, he may get an eviction notice! I would much rather cradle our little one in my arms and not just my womb!We also drove our new car home tonight. Here are some photo updates we have been falling behind on... You will see our new Impala and the nursery before and after pictures. The cutest picture has to be Matt with his two favorite nephews (Lucas is the baby and Sawyer is the older one) and his sister Kari. I guess Matt and Sawyer are teaching Lucas early to be a Star Wars fan!
And this would be Clyde, showing that he is ready to be a big brother. After hours of not being able to find the cat, I finally thought to search the nursery. Sure enough, hidden behind the bedskirt, underneath the crib, in the tuck under drawer where the clean baby blankets are tucked away...so was Clyde.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
38 weeks and counting!
Yesterday marked week 38 for us…. Still no sign of Baby Wogs… Every night when I go to bed, I think to myself “Could this be the night I have to wake Matt up to go to the hospital?”
Every morning, I wake up disappointed that nothing happened through the night. If I can’t sleep, I might as well be doing something productive, like having a baby or something!
This whole sleep thing is now a thing of the past. I used to be the one who could sleep for 8 - 10 hours at a time and not even see Saturday morning, if I didn’t want to. Those days are long gone. If you have never had the joy of being pregnant, especially pregnant in the summer, it is hard to understand how miserable it can be trying to sleep. First of all, it is hot! The fan has to be on full speed, the air conditioner has to be turned down to 71 at the max and I can have no more than a sheet touching me. I had given Matt a “Chillow” last year to keep him cool, but I have since borrowed it every night for myself. It is a pillow made for those going through menopause or chemo treatments, who experience night sweats. It is supposed to pull the body heat from your head and keep you cool all night. It is designed to always stay cold. When I use it, I wake up and the pillow is hot… that is not normal!
Next, it is impossible to get comfortable and stay comfortable. For those who have never experienced being pregnant, imagine an average size bowling ball (8 pounds) attached to your belly. Now try imagining sleeping like that! I have to have a pillow between my knees, a pillow under my belly and a pillow under my head. Pregnant women are told to sleep on their left side to prevent cutting off circulation that is caused by sleeping on your back. I can only take so much on my left side before having to flip to my right side..which also requires the moving of all of the pillows, too. Just when I get comfortable and fall asleep, Baby Wogs decides to move himself on top of my bladder, causing me to have to roll out of bed. Even this is a chore, because I have to use my headboard to get a rolling start to get off of my bed! I am lucky to now sleep more than an hour at a time. Ah the joys of being pregnant. Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade it for all of the sleep in the world.
New this week in the World of Wogsland is the purchase of a new car! After what seemed like decades of car searching, we made our deal last night. We are the proud new owners of a 2007 Chevrolet Impala. We went around in circles test driving 2007’s vs. 2008’s, Impalas vs. Malibus and finally decided on this one. A word to share with those looking to buy a new car… never try car shopping with someone who is over 9 months pregnant. I tried to be a good sport, but I know towards the end, Matt was probably wishing that he did the whole process on his own. We did have a great salesman who was patient enough to meet with us three times, didn’t harass us with annoying phone calls and showed his human side. For that, he got our business and our sincere appreciation for putting up with my preggo, indecisive self!
Every morning, I wake up disappointed that nothing happened through the night. If I can’t sleep, I might as well be doing something productive, like having a baby or something!
This whole sleep thing is now a thing of the past. I used to be the one who could sleep for 8 - 10 hours at a time and not even see Saturday morning, if I didn’t want to. Those days are long gone. If you have never had the joy of being pregnant, especially pregnant in the summer, it is hard to understand how miserable it can be trying to sleep. First of all, it is hot! The fan has to be on full speed, the air conditioner has to be turned down to 71 at the max and I can have no more than a sheet touching me. I had given Matt a “Chillow” last year to keep him cool, but I have since borrowed it every night for myself. It is a pillow made for those going through menopause or chemo treatments, who experience night sweats. It is supposed to pull the body heat from your head and keep you cool all night. It is designed to always stay cold. When I use it, I wake up and the pillow is hot… that is not normal!
Next, it is impossible to get comfortable and stay comfortable. For those who have never experienced being pregnant, imagine an average size bowling ball (8 pounds) attached to your belly. Now try imagining sleeping like that! I have to have a pillow between my knees, a pillow under my belly and a pillow under my head. Pregnant women are told to sleep on their left side to prevent cutting off circulation that is caused by sleeping on your back. I can only take so much on my left side before having to flip to my right side..which also requires the moving of all of the pillows, too. Just when I get comfortable and fall asleep, Baby Wogs decides to move himself on top of my bladder, causing me to have to roll out of bed. Even this is a chore, because I have to use my headboard to get a rolling start to get off of my bed! I am lucky to now sleep more than an hour at a time. Ah the joys of being pregnant. Truth be told, I wouldn’t trade it for all of the sleep in the world.
New this week in the World of Wogsland is the purchase of a new car! After what seemed like decades of car searching, we made our deal last night. We are the proud new owners of a 2007 Chevrolet Impala. We went around in circles test driving 2007’s vs. 2008’s, Impalas vs. Malibus and finally decided on this one. A word to share with those looking to buy a new car… never try car shopping with someone who is over 9 months pregnant. I tried to be a good sport, but I know towards the end, Matt was probably wishing that he did the whole process on his own. We did have a great salesman who was patient enough to meet with us three times, didn’t harass us with annoying phone calls and showed his human side. For that, he got our business and our sincere appreciation for putting up with my preggo, indecisive self!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Full Term!
Baby Wogs has officially reached full term!! As of yesterday, July 1, Baby Wogs is 37 weeks along. We had our weekly appointment today to get the latest update as to where we go from here. Last week at our appointment, when we were 36 weeks, Baby measured at 41 weeks according to fundal measurement (measurement of the belly itself.) Our doctor became concerned about the size of Baby and therefore scheduled another ultrasound for today. His comment regarding scheduling the ultrasound was that we would need to "discuss our options." Upon further prodding as to what that meant, he said he wanted to make sure he didn't need to schedule a C-Section. Their practice does not induce before 40 weeks, so our only options going into today's appointment was to decide if Baby Wogs was going to be able start the labor process naturally or they were going to schedule a C-Section. Needless to say, I have gotten little to no sleep the last few nights. I have been fearing the news they would tell us today.
Today, Matt and I went to the appointment, got to see our little mustard seed via ultrasound again, and were told that Baby is measuring in the 85th percentile...that is one big baby! More specifically, Baby Wogs is weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, as of today. We were also told that Baby has an above average head, but is no larger in proportion than the rest of the body.
The wait to see the doctor seemed like forever, when it really only took about 10 minutes. Doctor H. made the decision that while Baby Wogs is measuring big, it is not so big that he feels a C-Section is in order!! Thank God!! While I am not yet dialated, I am 50 percent effaced, so that is a good sign. Baby Wogs can now come at any point! Whoo Hoo!!
Today, Matt and I went to the appointment, got to see our little mustard seed via ultrasound again, and were told that Baby is measuring in the 85th percentile...that is one big baby! More specifically, Baby Wogs is weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces, as of today. We were also told that Baby has an above average head, but is no larger in proportion than the rest of the body.
The wait to see the doctor seemed like forever, when it really only took about 10 minutes. Doctor H. made the decision that while Baby Wogs is measuring big, it is not so big that he feels a C-Section is in order!! Thank God!! While I am not yet dialated, I am 50 percent effaced, so that is a good sign. Baby Wogs can now come at any point! Whoo Hoo!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Daddy Diaper Duty
Baby Wogs due date is a little more than a month away and I think we’re almost as ready as we can be. Life is certainly going to change for Tiffany and I. One change I am not looking forward to is changing diapers. A few years ago a video was circulating the internet of dads with diaper duty and they were wearing gloves, goggles, and breathing masks and they were gagging and getting sick to their stomach.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly won’t make Tiffany change all the diapers, I will do my share of diaper duty because we both had a part in creating this baby. Actually, if you think about it, Tiffany has been raising this baby for 36 weeks already, so I owe her big time. Tiffany won’t allow me to pull that anyway so it’s not even a viable option.
Obviously I am going to have to get use to the smell of poop unless I can potty train Baby Wogs from the start. Maybe they make a product that will suppress my horrible gag reflex (which I inherited from my mom). I don’t buy the argument that the poop of breast fed babies smells better than formula fed babies. Who in their rightful minds would choose to smell poop anyway? For me it’s the whole package…the thought, look, and smell that gets me. It’s a good thing I never got a job emptying portable toilets because I wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly won’t make Tiffany change all the diapers, I will do my share of diaper duty because we both had a part in creating this baby. Actually, if you think about it, Tiffany has been raising this baby for 36 weeks already, so I owe her big time. Tiffany won’t allow me to pull that anyway so it’s not even a viable option.
Obviously I am going to have to get use to the smell of poop unless I can potty train Baby Wogs from the start. Maybe they make a product that will suppress my horrible gag reflex (which I inherited from my mom). I don’t buy the argument that the poop of breast fed babies smells better than formula fed babies. Who in their rightful minds would choose to smell poop anyway? For me it’s the whole package…the thought, look, and smell that gets me. It’s a good thing I never got a job emptying portable toilets because I wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Daddy writes again!
Baby is going to arrive before we know and we’ve been busy preparing.
In April we embarked on a basement remodeling project that took about a month or so. We needed to empty our spare bedroom because that is the nursery. So In April we embarked on a basement remodeling project that took about a month to complete. We put up new 2x4 walls, updated fixtures, and installed drywall. Tiff’s brother Lance visited us for about a week and deserves a lot of the credit for helping us move forward with the remodel. There are still a few things to do in the basement (closet doors, trim work, etc) but we have since been able to move our office and guest bed downstairs and we’re very pleased with the results.
Our friends Jay and Jami also came over a week ago to help us set up baby’s crib. We’ve been able to get the crib, dresser, changing table, blinds and curtains in the room so far. We still have to organize things and figure out exactly where everything should go but we’ve made quite a bit of progress in a week and Tiffany is happy that it is starting to look like a nursery. I know she was starting to get nervous that baby was going to have to sleep in a dresser drawer.
I can hardly contain my excitement to meet Baby Wogs. I am a little nervous about taking care of baby but I’ll figure it out. I have a great wife and good family and friends that will set me straight if I’m doing something wrong. We have an upcoming baby class that should provide some great advice.
That’s all for now
In April we embarked on a basement remodeling project that took about a month or so. We needed to empty our spare bedroom because that is the nursery. So In April we embarked on a basement remodeling project that took about a month to complete. We put up new 2x4 walls, updated fixtures, and installed drywall. Tiff’s brother Lance visited us for about a week and deserves a lot of the credit for helping us move forward with the remodel. There are still a few things to do in the basement (closet doors, trim work, etc) but we have since been able to move our office and guest bed downstairs and we’re very pleased with the results.
Our friends Jay and Jami also came over a week ago to help us set up baby’s crib. We’ve been able to get the crib, dresser, changing table, blinds and curtains in the room so far. We still have to organize things and figure out exactly where everything should go but we’ve made quite a bit of progress in a week and Tiffany is happy that it is starting to look like a nursery. I know she was starting to get nervous that baby was going to have to sleep in a dresser drawer.
I can hardly contain my excitement to meet Baby Wogs. I am a little nervous about taking care of baby but I’ll figure it out. I have a great wife and good family and friends that will set me straight if I’m doing something wrong. We have an upcoming baby class that should provide some great advice.
That’s all for now
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