Best Seat in the House

I hadn't intended to use this blog to review baby paraphernalia, offer parenting tips, etc., but this morning I felt inspired to share about our favorite piece of baby gear: the Graco Duo 2-in-1 Swing. We owe our friends Sylvia and Mike a huge thanks for allowing us to borrow theirs (which they haven't actually used yet--their boys are too big, and they are saving it for baby #3).

This thing is a swing with a removable bounce chair. When I first started researching swings, this sounded like the perfect option--why would I buy two separate pieces of equipment when they are available in combination? What I hadn't considered was how awesome the combination would prove to be when trying to cope with a fussy baby and still get things done. Babies like swinging, and babies like vibrating, and unlike most pieces of equipment, this allows babies to do both at the same time. With the addition of a pacifier, it is baby calming magic. The thing I love the most about it is that once the baby is asleep, you can move him to another part of the house without taking him out of the seat. I owe this morning's shower to the Graco Duo Swing. Once Asher was finally asleep, we moved into the bathroom. Normally, I would just leave him in his room with the baby monitor, but on a fussy day like today, who wants to run back and forth with every peep? In his vibrating throne, he was happy, and I had a little "me" time. Love it!

A New Aunt

Congratulations to my brother, Chris(topher), and his new wife, Robin. Asher now officially has two aunts, though we have thought of Robin as family since before he was born. Their wedding was on Saturday at the Clos La Chance winery in San Martin, California, and we stayed at the adjacent Corde Valle resort for the weekend. Not a shabby place for Asher to spend his first night in a hotel--in fact, one of the nicest hotels I have been to (which is saying a lot, as I have been lucky enough to stay in some amazing places). It was a lovely wedding in a beautiful setting with perfect weather all weekend. We couldn't have asked for more!

The weekend went well overall. We were reminded why we have Asher stay in his own room at home: he is a very noisy sleeper. We also learned that in a hotel with a baby, no one really gets any sleep because when one person is up with the baby, the whole room is up with the baby, no matter how spacious the room. It was also a good thing we had such a huge room because of the amount of stuff we had to bring with us to keep us all comfortable. I don't think we could have fit anything else in the car. Amazing. I don't think we'll attempt another hotel stay for a while, if we can avoid it.

We were fortunate to have another visit from Asher's Dunn grandparents, who stayed in the room next to ours. We had a nice visit with more quality time than we had had in the hospital. It was also nice to have them right next door so that if we needed a baby watcher for a few minutes, they were available. It gave me a place to hang out for a while on Saturday morning to let Crockett sleep. Buttercup, who also got to come along for the trip, always enjoys Daddy Brad's company, as she got many handouts from the room service tray.

Asher had the honor of being the ring bearer for the wedding. He did a great job, all things considered. We had a bit of a panic because he woke up hungry just minutes before the ceremony was to start. We loaded him up as much as we could. Then he managed to dirty five diapers during a single change. It is probably a world record. Finally, we were ready to go, and just seconds before he and I were about to head down the aisle, he let out a big shriek and spit up a bunch. Not having any other cloth on hand, I wiped his mouth on his "tux" shirt--very classy. Then I bounced him a couple of times as we headed down the aisle. Fortunately, he quieted down long enough for us to hand off the rings to the best man and get a kiss from his uncle, and then we met up with Daddy, who had a stash of emergency supplies. Asher let out a few more wails during the ceremony, which were quickly staunched, and no one noticed them. Thank goodness for outdoor weddings.

Asher's growth the last couple of weeks has been phenomenal. I had altered the pants and cummerbund for his little tux a week before the wedding. When I put them on him on the big day, the waistband was so tight that it made him spit up, and the cummerbund was about 2 inches too short. To make them fit for the ceremony, I had to snip the elastic and use a safety pin for the cummerbund. I figured I had measured them wrong. I knew he had grown, but I didn't believe he could grow that much.

Our weigh-in with the pediatrician yesterday showed clearly why nothing fit: he has gained 1.5 lbs in the last 2 weeks, putting him up to 6 lbs 13 oz. He is finally on the growth chart, with his weight at the 4th percentile and length at the 6th. Judging by the length of his feet (he has already outgrown 0-3 month size socks), he has a ways to go. I suspect the every 2-3 hour feedings will continue for a while. At least now we're seeing the fruits of our labor and are so relieved that Asher is healthy and is catching up so quickly.

Three Weeks, Many Firsts

Asher is three weeks old today! Yesterday was his official due date, and I have to say that I am thrilled that I've gotten to know him an extra three weeks. We have been so busy since he came into the world that I feel like I have a lot to update the blog about. I'm realizing I'll never get caught up, but here's a shot.

5/27: First night at home. Not nearly as bad as I had feared.

5/30: First night in his own room. Initially we had him sleeping in a pack-and-play in our room, but since I have been pumping with every feeding since we've been home, which is not something that can easily be done in bed in the dark, having him in our bedroom didn't help anything. In fact, it just woke up the whole family needlessly. We might be the exception, but in our case, Asher in his own room with the door shut and the monitor on helps everyone get a little more sleep.

5/31: First outing. To Babies R Us and Costco. Horrors for parents and not very exciting for a 1-week-old. He slept through the whole thing.

6/1: First cosmetic surgery. Yep, he's circumcised.

6/2: First roll-over. For real. He actually did it 3 times that day, and from my observations, it was a very purposeful thing. He really hates tummy time, so from the start, he was working on getting onto his back. He has repeated the move several times since. For a little guy, he is very strong!

6/4: First trip to Grandma and Grandpa Marki's house. There he met the four crazy Aussies and found his own personal guard-dog in Hobie, who is very protective of him.

6/5: First hike. We took him with our friends Cristy and Fred on a short hike behind our development. Asher loves riding in his Ergo carrier and had a nice nap on the way. Mommy and Daddy had a harder time, considering how out of shape we got while I was on bedrest.
Also, First Real Tears. Apparently he really did not want to get out of the Ergo and into the car seat.

6/7: Two weeks old and back to birth weight. Hooray!

6/10: Belly button!

6/11: First real bath. And only real bath to date...he wasn't a fan.

6/12: First thumb-suck. He's a big fan of the non-nutritive sucking.

6/13: First major spit-up. Lucky Mommy. Good thing crib sheets are washable.

6/14: First trip to the beauty salon. Good practice for me, as I get used to getting out of the house with him and going about everyday life.

Later this week, we will have many more notable firsts, as we head to his Uncle Chris's wedding. We look forward to his first wedding, first "tux," and first stay in a hotel, as well as a wonderful second visit from his Dunn grandparents, Mama Katie and Daddy Brad.

A Grand Entrance

Asher is here! It's been a couple of weeks since I've had time to write, so I guess it's time to document the basics.

Birth Date: 5/24/11
Birth Time: 0939
Weight: 5 lbs., 5.5 oz. (2424 grams)...we thought it was very cool that this was his weight on 5/24
Length: 17.75 inches
Delivering doctor: Rachel Beck, assisted by Erica Chan
Anesthesiologist: Sergio Estrada
Nurse: Dani Robison
(I'm making a note of all these things in case somehow my memory fails me in a few years.)



Asher's delivery was a blissfully uneventful elective cesarean section. Maybe I'll explain in a later post why we decided on that delivery route. For now, suffice it to say that that was simply the best decision for us.

Asher was born screaming, which was quite a relief. Despite his tiny size, it was clear immediately that he is a very, very strong little boy. Crockett did remarkably well in the operating room too.

Our time at the hospital was relatively unremarkable. Asher's Grandma and Grandpa (Marki) and Uncle Chris and Aunt Robin were there to see him shortly after his birth. His Mama Katie and Daddy Brad (Dunn) made a very quick trip from Alabama to California to see him the following day. And of course, he got to make friends with many of the Salinas Valley Memorial community during his stay there.

The only speed bump we hit at the hospital was more than expected weight loss. By about 72 hours of life, Asher had lost about 14% of his birth weight, which was worrisome. After careful evaluation by one of the lactation consultants, we figured out that he was having trouble coordinating sucking and swallowing, which meant he wasn't getting as much nutrition as we had thought. After we developed a feeding plan with one of the pediatricians, we were able to go home that day with plans for a weight check the following day. The new plan was cumbersome, involving nursing and pumping every 2-3 hours, but it seemed to work. He gained 2 ounces in less than 24 hours!

Since then, he has continued to grow, slowly but surely. His next weight check is in 2 days, and I am eager to see how much he has put on. He is starting to have a little chub on his arms and legs, just like a baby is supposed to have, which makes us happy. Also, happily, Asher has finally figured out how to nurse effectively, so we have been able to make modifications to his feeding regimen in the last few days, which has freed up a lot of time for me, as I am not constantly engaged in a feeding-related activity. Hopefully that means more blog posts in the near future!

Aside from the feeding issues, Asher is a very easy baby, and for that, we feel very fortunate. He only cries if he is hungry, if his diaper has leaked, or if he needs to poop (in which case he cries for about a second, then poops, and is immediately done crying). I am holding my breath, waiting to see if he suddenly becomes difficult and colicky, but so far, so good. So despite chronic sleep deprivation from frequent nighttime feedings, we have had a lot of fun interacting with him and can't wait to see him grow up. I just hope that doesn't happen too fast!

Single Digits!

We're down to six days to go! Bags are (mostly) packed, the nursery is (mostly) ready to go, and we might even have a nanny lined up soon. The best news is that Asher's non-stress tests continue to look great. We had one final ultrasound yesterday to check his fluid and umbilical cord blood flow, and it was excellent. Phew! Seems like we might actually make it to term!

After nearly five weeks in bed, I am dying to get mobile again. There is only so much TV you can watch, and after the first few days, the antsiness takes over and precludes any sort of productive activity. I really wonder how anyone did this before the internet, TiVO, and Netflix. And online shopping has been a godsend--it's wonderful that Amazon has such great deals on those last-minute baby things (and free 2-day shipping if you register for Amazon Moms!).

The strange thing is that because I'm so anxious to get out of this bed, I forget a lot of the time that getting out of bed also means getting a new baby. I was thinking the other day that bedrest is a very good reason to find out a baby's gender. When you can't "enjoy" the last few weeks of pregnancy with all that nesting, baby showers, hanging out in the nursery, etc., it can be hard to feel connected to the baby. I can't imagine how much harder it would be if the baby were genderless and nameless. I've always hated calling fetuses "it" when my patients don't want to know the gender, and it really makes me wonder how you prepare emotionally when the gender is a surprise. I realize that for centuries women have survived pregnancy without knowing the gender, but given the situation, I feel very fortunate that Asher has been a real person to us for months already.

Of course, we have so many surprises waiting for us in a few days. Despite all the 3-D ultrasounds we have done (one of the advantages of having your own, brand-new ultrasound machine), we still wonder what Asher will look like. Around 28 weeks, he looked just like Crockett and our nephew Aldo. More lately, we're not so sure. He definitely has Dunn lips, but sometimes I think he might have a little Marki and Brown (my mom's side) in him after all. Probably the biggest question for me is what his hair will be like--Dunn babies are blond, ours are brunette. Like I said, we still have so much to learn about this little boy!

For now, fingers crossed for an uneventful six days and a safe and uneventful delivery on the 24th. Next post, maybe we'll have some new pictures to replace that 28-week ultrasound!

Out, Out, Damn Placenta!

My crummy placenta strikes again!

I was fortunate to be able to return home last week, after 11 days in the hospital. It's been wonderful to be in my own space and reunited with my furry kids. Since I've been home, we haven't any more labor or abruption scares. Crockett was quite certain that we'd be back in the hospital within a day or two, and I am happy to have proved him wrong.

Unfortunately, it seems that my placenta is continuing to misbehave. We had our last ultrasound to check Asher's growth yesterday, and he is definitely starting to show evidence of growth restriction, indicating that he is not getting what he needs through the placenta. He currently in the 15th percentile for size overall, which is down from 24th in the last 3 weeks and puts him right at 5 lbs. He is not technically growth restricted because that diagnosis isn't given until babies dip below the 10th percentile, but the trend is concerning. Even more concerning is the distribution of his growth: his head is continuing to grow at a normal rate, but his abdomen is measuring a 2-3 weeks behind schedule, which is the pattern we see in babies whose placentas are not functioning well (it's called "head-sparing" or "asymmetric" growth restriction). This pattern of growth indicates that he isn't simply a small baby, which you might expect given my tininess, but that this is actually a pathological change in his rate of growth. The one bit of good news is that so far, he doesn't show any signs of the distress that can occur with poor placental function.

None of this is particularly surprising to us. From the beginning, we have known there was a high likelihood of this happening, given my chronic high blood pressure and abnormal first trimester Down syndrome screening results (that darn low PAPP-A level strikes again!). But it is disappointing because it is just one more thing to worry about, and from a maternal standpoint, I feel awful that my poor baby is figuratively starving and there is nothing I can do about it right now.

All of that said, this doesn't change the plan for the next couple of weeks at all. I will continue going in for fetal monitoring a couple of times a week, and delivery will still be at 37 weeks, so long as testing remains reassuring. We have a c-section scheduled on May 24th at 9:00, which happens to be our 8th wedding anniversary. I can't imagine a better anniversary gift! (I mean the baby, not the surgery.)

For now, I just hope this crummy placenta holds up for the next 12 days, but I won't be at all surprised if it doesn't. And whenever delivery happens, I will be ready and SO very happy to be separated from this stupid placenta once and for all!

Desperately Seeking Mary Poppins

The one very good thing about being off of work longer than expected is that I have had plenty of time to work on finding a nanny for the little one. I'm planning to return to work mid-July, which means that Asher will be about 8 weeks old when it comes time to entrust him to a stranger. We do feel very fortunate that Crockett works from home and will be around in case of any emergencies and has some flexibility if our nanny arrangement does not work out. Plus, no need for a nanny cam! But I have no idea how I would find time to sort through all the applications we're receiving if I were working full time.

The nanny search has been interesting thus far. We have found a couple of great-sounding candidates and are interviewing one of them today. However, we have also run across some doozies, which has raised a lot of questions for me about the intelligence of job-seekers in the area. Some of my personal favorites include a woman who said she had a lot of experience with kids because she babysat her friends' children on occasion (her real jobs have been in other areas) and another whose resume only listed jobs at car dealerships. It has also been interesting to see what some people's concept of a "nanny" is; one woman said that she would like to be Asher's nanny but that she needed to watch him out of her own house (and we would have to drive him there and pick him up) because she needed to be home to take care of her SIX children as well--not exactly the one-on-one attention we were hoping for him to receive in the first few months of his life.

In the long run, I'm sure we'll find a great arrangement. But it is a real challenge for me, as a planner, to remember that it might not work on the first try. Maybe we'll get lucky. For now I'm keeping my eyes open for carpet bags.