Busy Bees!

The last 9 days have been very busy for us- thank goodness Justin’s on vacation and for our help and visitors! So far, Brennon is a great eater and sleeper. We’re on a flexible schedule of eating about every 3.5 hours and sleeping most of the time in between.

He LIKES;
*car seat and car rides
*bouncy chair
*swing
*being swaddled, commonly referred to as Burrito Man

He DISLIKES;
*having his diaper changed
*sponge baths
*having his clothes changed

Brennon also had his first Pediatrician visit on Monday. We decided to take him to Priority Care Pediatrics and so far we’re very pleased. On Monday we saw Dr. Cattaino and he said Brennon is in great shape! He’s still 21 inches and 7pounds 14 ounces, which is the same weight from the hospital last Friday. It’s very typical for babies to lose close to 10% of their total body weight after birth. Maintaining and gaining are now the key!

Happy Birthday III

Tuesday, July 20th was a BIG day for us. I had a horrible time sleeping, hence the previous blog. I felt calm and ready more than anything. Poor Justin, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. We got to the hospital at 7:30AM, and I was admitted right away. We were the only c-section scheduled for Tuesday morning, which was nice because the pre-op and post-op area is very small and we had nurse all to ourselves. I have never in my life filled out so much paperwork and been asked so many questions, and I even pre-registered on NKC’s website! This was also our first experience with the renovations going on at NKC; the suction to the operating rooms had to be temporarily turned off and this ridiculous alarm went off for at least 15 minutes. Working with kids for so long, I’m a professional at tuning things out, but the alarm made Justin even more anxious. Meanwhile, my OB/ Hero#1 arrived and visited with us, as well as the Anesthesiologist/Hero#2. They both were both very upfront about the procedure and answered all of our questions and concerns. 10AM arrived very quickly and we were ready! The “worst” part for me came next; the spinal block. Between my natural anxiety of being in the operating room and my bulging disk, I was a hot mess. It took twice as many numbing injections than normal and then as soon as he got it in, I couldn’t stop shaking. Full body shakes and vomiting are my natural reaction to anesthesia. Then, after the longest 36 minutes of my life, baby cries and screams galore! This too I am so thankful for; c-section babies typically have breathing problems at first. We were then in recovery until about 11AM and Mr. Brennon headed to the nursery. We had LOTS of visitors waiting for us. Yet again, another example of how loved and lucky we are. Overall, everything at the hospital went perfectly. We both had great nurses and the entire experience was amazing. I feel and have felt a MILLION times better than I had anticipated. Thank goodness.

Hello Beautiful!

Brennon August Judd

Welcomed at 10:36AM July 20, 2010

8lbs 9oz, 21 inches

It’s My Baby’s Birthday!

It’s after midnight.
I am no longer allowed to eat or drink anything. For most, that would be considered a feasible task, however, in the land of Ridiculously-Pregnant-Insomniac, not so easy.
So, here I am blogging away.
Everyone keeps saying that my life is about to change in ways I can’t even fathom… honestly, I’m not even scared. I love the idea of being a mom and all that parenting entails. Maybe tomorrow will bring on a whole new array of emotions, but tonight, I’m pretty peaceful. On the other hand, my crazy-nervous husband who needed to vacuum the stairs before he could sleep; not so much. Gotta love him. I am however, trying to prepare myself for the Fanatical Grandparent Fanfare that tomorrow will bring. I can only handle so many sobbing adults. :O)
The lyrics to Michael Buble’s Haven’t Met You Yet keep running through my head. I know it’s a love song, but it seems somewhat fitting.
I promise you, kid, that I give so much more than I get, I just haven't met you yet!
Happy Birthday Brennon August, Mommy loves you.

Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, July 20th is the day and I CANNOT wait!
We went back to the OB today (my last visit!) to check my progress, or lack thereof. My blood pressure is still great, Brennon’s heartbeat is still in the 140’s, and I’m still not showing any early signs of labor. No contractions, no dilatation, no thinning. SO, the c-section is on! Everyone keeps asking why no induction and why not wait for natural labor and my OB really cleared it all up for us today. It really has nothing to do with how much they estimate he weighs, it’s literally about is size; head, femur, abdomen, and spine measurements. Induction with big babies causes complications and although we can wait for natural labor, I will still need a c-section. Without being too National Geographic, my pelvis is too small and even if his head fits, his shoulders and abdomen will not. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little disappointed at first, but all that matters is that my Lil’ Peanut is healthy. Although it could change at any second, I’m thankful to have a plan and be a bit prepared.
6 days and Brennon August will finally be here!

In other news, my good friend Lauren and I are working on a small photo business. Check us out and refer us if you like what you see!
http://bigpicturephoto.blogspot.com/

Maternity Pics

Here are just a few!

More to come, when the Hubby isn't on vacation! :o)

38 Weeks

Today may have been my first real parenting experience in “life is what happens when you’re busy making plans!” Today was my scheduled and routine check up along with a growth sonogram. The sonogram was ordered by my OB last week, because Lil’ Peanut was measuring big. Let me just tell ya, lil’ doesn’t describe my Peanut anymore! The sonogram calculated his weight at 8.5 pounds, his head measurement at 39 weeks, his abdomen measurement at 40 weeks and his femur measurement at 41 weeks- I’m not even 38 weeks until today! Overall, he’s in the eighty-second growth percentile, for a newborn.



So, I leave the sonogram office thinking that my OB will want to talk about inducing-wrong! She gave us until Tuesday (also known as 4 days) to deliver naturally; otherwise, we go back on Tuesday to schedule a C-Section. I’m not sure how I missed this in the four books about pregnancy that I read, but apparently there are more risks or complication factors, for me, when inducing a large baby. FYI; anything over 7.5 pounds, at 40 weeks, is considered big. The average weight gain for a baby, at this point in pregnancy, is roughly a half of an ounce daily. So theoretically, in 4 days, he has the potential to weigh 2 more ounces.


I was a little discouraged after leaving the OB’s office, because I thought we had moved away from needing a C-Section, but “life is what happens when you’re busy making plans!” More than anything, I am so grateful that both of us have remained healthy through the last 38 weeks. We are beyond blessed.


So, I will be a mom in roughly 4-7 days.

Today was a good day.