Introducing Samuel Isaac

Samuel Isaac Warren

May 26, 2013, 6:57 pm

9 lb 11 oz 21''

Depending on how you look at it my labor was really long or really short.   I have technically been contracting since week 35 (and by that I mean 3-5 min apart for hours) but since there was never any cervical change they did not count as active labor.   Speed ahead to Sunday, May 26.   I felt similar contractions around 11am but wanted to be sure they were the real deal (already been to the hospital 4 times).   So I waited until they were 2-3 minutes  apart and painful for 2 hours.  We get to the hospital @ 2 pm and they said there had been no change (once again) but that i had "really good contractions".  At this point I was annoyed, in pain, etc just like the previous 5 weeks.   They encouraged me to walk for a bit to see if that did anything.   They definitely grew in intensity.   At 4 pm they checked me and said I had "only changed a cm" which wasn't enough to admit me yet.   I said, "are you kidding me?   If you've been me the last 5 weeks 1cm is like a boulder being moved!"   She said I was most likely in active labor but it will be awhile so I could either continue to walk there or go home, have dinner and come back more than likely early the next morning.   

Based upon what I was feeling I chose to walk more.   1 hour later I could barely stand through the contractions so I went back to the room to have her check me and beg for an epidural at the same time.   She said "Oh... you've already gone another cm, we can admit you."   I think my water broke as soon as she made that statement.   By the time she had me signing papers I was in intense pain and begging for the epidural.  She said she had to get an IV in me first.   I truly didn't know how I could wait, but I did.   What seemed like an eternity later they got the epidural in (actually 30 min after admitting me, so fairly quick) and she said it would take 15 minutes to experience the full effect.   They checked me again and the baby was crowning.  Three pushes later Sam was born.   So from true time of admitting me to birth it was less than 1 hour.  Id like to say at this time that I birthed an almost 10 pound baby without drugs nor child bearing classes (I always meant to take one).  Dont recommend it.  

Some scary parts (from Todds persective ... I was in too much pain to notice, thankfully).  

* I had meconium in my amniotic fluid so they needed to bring the NICU team in. Read about why here.    

*I tested positive for Group B and they didnt have time to give me the antibiotic to pass to Sam.  read about why here.

*His heart rate dropped to 80

So, there was a team of 11 doctors in there.  I feel very grateful for that kind of care when so many dont have that available to them.   Turns out all they could talk about was his size... I heard "he's a toddler" before "It's a boy".  Its a fairly new hospital so they dont have much of a spectrum ; )   He received a 9.9 Apgar score, didnt show any signs of Strep B (they kept us in hospital for 48 hours, but I still need to keep a look out for symptoms), passed his 12 hour glucose test  (a blood prick every hour for 12 hours, because he was so big), and is my first baby Ive taken home WITHOUT jaundice (and I had them check 100 times).   So you can say Sam is a strong and healthy lil' guy!   

Meet Samuel Isaac! 

9 lb 11 oz

Meeting Mommy

Meeting big brother

Meeting big sister

Meeting Grandaddy. 

Out of labor and delivery and safe and sound in our room. 

Meeting Grandma

Meeting Grandpa

Eli explaining to us how many days it would be until he felt comfortable holding you (7...but it only took 2)

Snoozing on Mommy

Snoozing on Daddy

Letting Mommy take her first shower at home.  : ) 

We LOVE YOU Samuel Isaac!  

EAisms

Some of these are so old I already forget the context : (   Anna is at that age where EVERYTHING that comes out of her mouth is an "ism"...I love it. 

Anna:

* In the above picture, she's wearing a swimsuit top under her shirt, "just like Mommy".   Glad that phase is over (for now)
*Ever since the Superbowl she has been going on and on about how she wants to be a "Turbie" (???)  We had no idea what she was talking about, but knew she always wanted to 1)wear a skirt 2) go topless and 3) walk provocatively.    I finally showed her a Beyonce video (who performed at half time on Superbowl) and she SQUEALED with delight saying "Look MOM!  There are lots of Turbies!!)   (So basically Turbie = something we aren't encouraging.) (I did point out that they were wearing tops, although slight, before shutting it down) 

Before you think we are HORRIBLE PARENTS, here are some more innocent 3 year old ones (but we are aware we need to keep our eyes on her!!)

*Anna sings... a lot.   Sometimes it's more than we can handle.  One time we asked if she could "sing in her head".   She was quiet for 30 or so seconds and then whined, "It's not wooooorkinggg...."
*When moving her rooms in Feb, she headed for the hills one night (aka as her old room) and said "I want to go to sleep in my non bad dream room".   : (
*"Look Dad I'm gerbel-ing".   (aka dribbling; a basketball)
*"I hear my echo....where is he?"
*When Dad was growing out his facial hair, she asked, "Do you have ants on your face Daddy?"
*She's really starting to read into songs...I never do.  I just like to sing them without thinking.   She wants to know they why on every single lyric or just make it up.   For example the Mumford and Sons song, "I will wait for you" she said "awwwwwwe.  That's nice.  He's waiting for his friend to go potty.  "



 or the Christina Perri, "Jar of Hearts" song... she asked, "Why did she forget her name?"  



*The other day she looked at me and said, "I have 2 problems mom.   My Hello Kitty cup is broken, and my picture I made is falling apart.   That's it.  2 problems."   (Well that's a relief.) 

Eli on the other hand is becoming much more thoughtful and less "ism" ish.   There are still some great lines he come up with. 

* "Mom I think you are 'neeker' "  (Unique)
*"I can't wait until the baby is 16...I will be 36 and have my own phone.
*"The Devil is tricky.   He will call the police on you when you've done nothing wrong." (can't wait until he tries that line on the police)
*I like using my vampire teeth. 
*He called something we did (don't remember!) "so homeschool".   I think he meant "old school".
*While his Dad was reading and highlighting in his book Eli asked, "are you circling your sight words Daddy?"

Have a great day!!!!   

E Man Food List!

Eli has done AWESOME on his Gluten and Casein Free (GFCF) diet and we've had some really good results.   I can say confidently that we have almost no more problems in relation to his sensory processing disorder.   Could he have grown out of it? Maybe.   All I know is that I finally feeling like he is uninhibited by something that was out of his control.   For those of you that are interested in this diet for various reasons, or are taking care of Eli ever (like those who are graciously up to the task when ever baby #3 comes!) I wanted to have an extensive food list of his favorite foods and the easiest go to menu refer you to.

Breakfast foods:
-Eggs and Nitrate Free (Hormel or TJ's*) Bacon.   (We make the eggs with either the bacon fat, or his dairy free Earth Balance butter)
*Tj's = Trader Joes
-Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal
-Gluten Free Cereal with Almond Milk (a popular one you can find anywhere is CHEX otherwise just look in the gluten free aisle for your favorite)
-Gluten Free pancakes (our favorite brand thus far is Namaste) just make sure you make them with Almond Milk
-T'J's Wheat and Dairy Free Frozen Waffles (these are his absolute favorite and they are only $1.99!)

Lunch/Dinner foods:
-T.j's canned chicken chili
-Hormel Natural lunch meat (his favorites are ham and salami) and gluten free crackers (his favorite is GLUTINO brand).
-Peanut butter and honey or jelly on either rice cakes or gluten free bread (his favorite is UDIS).
-Chicken Salad and Gluten Free Crackers and/or spinach  (make sure the Chicken Salad is not made with wheat...it IS dairy free.  Mayo contrary to what most people think is not a dairy product)
-Hebrew National hotdogs
-Gluten Free noodles (they are everywhere...look for brown rice or corn pasta) with Gluten free Tomato Sauce (again, just look at the label...popular brands are PREGO and BARILLO) and ground beef.
-Tacos with hard corn shell.   When using a taco seasoning either make your own without wheat or buy Old Elpaso.
-Any meat and rice or quinoa combo.   He really is not picky at all. 

Snacks:
-popcorn made with olive oil
-Almond Yogurt
-T.j.'s natural black cherry jello
-Cracker Jacks
-Potato chips (as long as they don't have seasoning)
-Tortilla chips (most are gluten free just look at the label)
-ANY of the gluten/dairy free cookies/desserts out there.
-trailmix with dried fruit
-Fruit Snacks (most are gluten free just look at the label)
- All fruit Popsicles

Fruit/Veg:
-ANY (isn't that funny?) 
-he will really eat just about any...his pallate has broadened : )  His favorites are: carrots, bell pepper, frozen peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli & green beans (cooked)...ALL fruit except pineapple (his personal preference)

Fast Food/Restaurants:
Just look up a restaurants menu before you go...there are a lot of option out there!   Our go to's are:
-Palio/Durkins/Bj's/Dominoes pizza.   Just ask for gluten free without cheese and his fave toppings are sausage and olives.
-Wendys.   He can have their chili, fries, and hamburgers (without bun...we just bring an UDI's with us)
-Chick Fil A : Grilled Nuggets kids meal with fries or fruit
-Jason's Deli: They have a FANTASTIC gluten free menu...just let him choose and remember no dairy!
-Macaroni Grill: Gluten Free pasta with red sauce


                   


 

She is CRABBY...

...my uterus that is.   For the past three weeks I have been to the hospital 3 TIMES!  I  know I said I couldn't wait to go but, I didn't mean it (like that).   The first time I went in they ultimately gave me a shot of terbutaline to stop the contractions because I was only 34.3 weeks along.   The next time they hooked me up to an IV and gave me a sweet pain med to stop the contractions.   The THIRD time, they did actually let me walk to see if I would progress but...nothing.  She is just CRABBY and not wanting to let the little one out : )  So what is a crabby utererus?  Well it's a actually called an Irritable Uterus (IU) and basically means that you look and feel like you are in labor, but you aren't.  Fun, eh?  You look on their fancy monitor to see that you are in fact not crazy, and sure enough you are contracting every 2 minutes but nothing is happening to your cervix.   

At this point (now that I am basically 37 weeks) I have been told to go in if they don't go away with a tylenol.   So embarrassing, and frustrating all at the same time.   Todd and I jokingly call them our very expensive date nights because we get to spend so much quality time together : )  Regardless, the baby is healthy and I am too!   Those are both blessings and I am very excited to meet him/her when my uterus finally allows it.   

Until then here are some pictures from the "recycled shower" that my sweet, sweet friends threw me here in Mckinney.   When we moved here we got rid of pretty much all of our "baby baby" stuff (anna was 18 months old) and so we were in need of all the gear once again.  I really didn't think it was necessary to buy all new stuff, since we are SURE this is our last ;), so we had a recycled shower.   People basically pulled things off of the list of items I needed and took them out of storage to give to me : )  They were incredibly generous, and I felt so loved and celebrated!  

Here are some pics of the fun day: 

There was a lot of loot!  THANK YOU!

 I LOVE these girls.  They are my hostesses, my TX wolfpack, my sisters, my friends. 

L-R Kelley, Misty, me, Betsy and Rachel

 

 

 

 

My fellow pregnant friends: Kelley and Stephanie (everyone thinks we are sisters!)

Some of my small group ladies from church.  Tina, Kelley and Amy (who also lives 2 streets over!)

My family here in TX!  Cousin Lynn, Second cousin once removed?!? Becki, and Aunt Jane

My fellow Nertz loving friend Katie who was introduced to me by my sorority sister Kristin who also lives here in Dallas.  (She had a GMAT class so couldn't make it)

Some of my MOPS friends: Christie (the photographer!) and Stephanie.

My bootcamp buddies!   (all already introduced : ) )

The cake Kelley made!  Isn't he so cute?!?  

As you can see I am MORE than ready to bring Baby W into the world!  Hopefully we will meet him/her in the next blog post : )

Boy or Girl?...

...Trains or Princesses?  Isaac or Lydia (or Ethan or Lily)?  The million dollar questions in the Warren household these days.  Come join us and take your vote!   We are taking a tally (even the lady at the bank who thought she needed to be in on the vote...if you knew our bank it wouldn't be AS weird).   Here are some things I want you to keep in mind when voting...

*I have received comments from A LOT of people (including my doctor) that say "WOW.  That's the highest baby I've ever seen".
*I was sick my entire first trimester.  By sick I mean 5 vomit sessions a day sick.
*I have not tried the Drain-O test.
*When I put one or both of my rings on a string over my belly it goes in a circle.
*My favorite snack is the cereal "Oh's" with almond milk.  
*My teeth have been DESTROYED.  I've had 5 cavities filled and 2 that need crowns.
*Eli thinks it's a boy.  Anna thinks it's a girl.  Todd thinks it's a girl.  I think it's a boy (Please note that intuition is not one of my strong suits).

So what's your vote?   We will add you next to the lady at the bank (who thinks it's a boy by the way). 

I know my mirror needs to be cleaned, and read into the pink shirt only if you want to.

Current vote count as of 4/16/13

Texas Tuesday

After visiting Baylor Mckinney last night (no worries!  Just a maternity tour...), I thought it was only fitting to do a Texas Tuesday blog (esp. b/c not too many of my MO folks will ever see inside).  I wanted you to be rest assured that Baby W and I will be in good hands : )  

"Baylor Medical Center at McKinney is a 95-bed, full-service hospital serving the more than 128,000 residents in McKinney and surrounding communities. Advanced treatment highlights include: women's health, heart and vascular, orthopedics, oncology, digestive disorders, emergency care and more.
You’ll experience a healing, supportive environment supported by advanced technology to enhance patient care."   (Baylor Mckinney ABOUT page)  

This hospital was just completed in July of 2012 so it is brand.spanking.new.  While Baylor Health Center facilities have quite an impeccable reputation here in Texas, I felt like we needed to check out this new location because I know no one who has been in there yet.  

Now I can't say much about the hospital in and of itself, I can speak for the maternity ward...IT ROCKS!

Here are a few of the highlights:

* Level III NICU with Private Suites: While I hope to not use this part of the maternity services, this is pretty cool.   If you have a baby that needs the NICU, you get a private room so are thus able to stay overnight with them!   Most of the time they are in a nursery with other NICU babies and you have to leave them at night...sounds heartbreaking. 

*Labor and Delivery Rooms:  These rooms have a place for the Dads to sleep if need be!  Pretty cool because some times that labor can be LOOOOOONG : )

*Wireless Monitor for baby HR and Contractions so you don't have to stay in bed during labor...you can actually walk around and they can still keep track that the baby (and you) are progressing.  

*AUX input (this is Todds fave part)...he can play his Spotify or Pandora throughout the room (although I would prefer HGTV while giving birth)

*After you give birth...Dads clean up baby and hand them to Mom.   They really try to give dads lots of jobs so they can feel like they are part of the process.  (Although some would probably say, "what are we paying you for?!?" I think it is good esp.  for first time dads)   That being said, after bonding occurs between mom and baby they ask Dad to then give baby a complete bath : )

*Family Center: This is where you go after you give birth and stay the remainder of your visit.   It didn't seem too terribly different than the Labor and Delivery Rooms to me.   They do however have showers with 5 shower heads that are completely adjustable for where you need them : )  It also resembles a hotel bathroom in that they have everything you need in there (shampoo, etc.) 

*4 o'clock:  MILK AND COOKIES!!  It's the little things that impress me....they make fresh cookies on the maternity floor and deliver them to everyone at 4pm : ) 

*Spa Services: They have spa services for new moms readily available (and they conveniently have a huge sign up in the waiting room so that visitors while waiting can see it... ; )  )   Umm...I would gladly take a foot massage please!  

*Simply Mom's Boutique: The maternity ward also has it's own boutique that is filled with all you could ever need or gift to someone.  (psst...if I end up having a girl go easy on the tutu's and fancy headbands...I have a 3 year old princess that may not want to give her crown away or share it very easily : )  )   

*Take home gifts: We get a SWADDLE ME blanket (those no brainer swaddle blankets) and they let us choose a take home meal for our family for that first night at home.   How awesome is that?!?  

I know this was a shallow blog, but aesthetics and service are my thing so I am now LOOKING forward to my delivery and stay at HOTEL BAYLOR.   (and OF COURSE meeting Baby W!)

Rehab Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Finally got around to ordering a "REHAB BOOK" from when we lived in Maplewood.  Brings back lots of memories : )  Just an FYI, photobooks (up to $29.99) are free at Shutterfly until tomorrow (Wed, March 27) if you enter coupon code "MYBOOK".   Make something great!