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| Jessica and TJ |
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| Megan, Jess, and AV These girls have been friends and played soccer together Since they were little girls. |
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Jesse Prom 2012
Seriously, how cute is this girl. I hate that she lives in Dallas, way too far away for me to be there for all of these fun moments. Thank goodness for email, cell phones, etc. so I can at least be a part of everything from afar.
Week Two
Week 2 of Luke's life passed so quickly. I was exhausted at the end of each day, but not sure what I had accomplished other than keeping the little man fed and changed. And really, what more could I want than time to love and snuggle my boy. Wednesday I ventured out of the house for an appointment and a quick trip to the grocery store. It was the first time I had left Luke and it felt strange to be out on my own. My friend Melissa came to visit that afternoon, sorry Lis, I'm not sure how I missed getting a picture with you. Wednesday night we attempted newborn shots with Jami. She tells me that he is not the hardest baby she has ever shot, but it was a little rough. He was not a fan of the outfits she put him in, or being posed. He spent way too much time without a diaper and seriously peed on me at least 5 different times. Ada was the best helper and had to stay up till we were finished to do her work at Jami's "assistant". By the time the session was over, we all were exhausted.
It's been so fun just getting to know Luke's personality, although I'm already a little worried that he may have inherited a little of my stubbornness. We are all adjusting to each other and our new (and improved) lives. It still sometimes feels like a dream that he is really ours, but I can imagine any better dream.
It's been so fun just getting to know Luke's personality, although I'm already a little worried that he may have inherited a little of my stubbornness. We are all adjusting to each other and our new (and improved) lives. It still sometimes feels like a dream that he is really ours, but I can imagine any better dream.
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| Hailey and Roman surprised us and came from Arizona to visit. Hailey also brought a cooler full of milk, Seriously, the most generous gift ever. |
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| Roman is no longer the baby in the family, I can't believe that he has turned into such a little boy, He spent most of the visit playing with the basketball, Foootball, exercise ball, etc. |
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| Saturday Tim's sister Shauna and her family Came from Syracuse to meet and visit Luke. Jordan and Joshua were so good with the baby. |
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| Carl was such an old pro. |
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| Not only did they come to visit, but Shauna brought us some amazing muffins. Thanks for the visits! |
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The first week
The time is passing so quickly, I love having pictures to document how quickly Luke is growing. The first few days we were home were kind of a blur. He had jaundice when we left the hospital so on Tuesday, the day after we brought him home we had to go back to the hospital to get his bilirubin checked - luckily it was fine so we didn't have to have any more follow up. That night I got really sick with a 102 degree fever and chills that made my entire body shake. So, Wednesday we were at my doctor's office first thing and then off to the pharmacy for medication for the infection trying to ruin my day. Later that afternoon we had to take Luke to the pediatrician's office to make sure he was gaining weight and eating ok. It's amazing how exhausting all of that can be a few days after having a baby. The rest of the week was pretty mellow comparatively. The kids came on Saturday morning which was great - the first time they met their new brother. Sunday afternoon we all went for a walk - a very slow one - but it was great to be outside and moving. Hard to believe we already had one week with our boy.
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| Grandma and dad gave him his first bath. |
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| I think grandpa kind of likes him. |
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| After a long night, this is where I found my boys. |
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| So fun to have a visit from Cory and Jenna, Calvin brought his Batman for Luke to play with. |
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| Luke loved Cory, All of my brothers are kind of baby whisperers. |
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| First time meeting their new brother. |
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| B was so cute with Luke |
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| Even T got a chance to feed him. |
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| It was so sweet, B brought several of his toys to see what Luke liked best. |
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| These monkeys think the baby is pretty great, They are just so excited that he is finally out of my belly. |
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Hospital
I know a lot of people can't wait to get out of the hospital, but I kind of liked it. It was nice to have the nurses checking on us, bringing drinks and snacks, and basically making life easy for everyone. Everything was pretty smooth other than the first day Luke wouldn't eat which was concerning. They finally had to put a tube down into his stomach and pulled out some fluid and air, after that he finally started to eat and did better. Tim stayed with us the entire time and we basically just rested and recovered. We had several visitors which was so fun, we loved having people come to celebrate his birth. Mostly we just kept watching the baby in amazement that he was ours. After a day of him being Baby Boy Whitesides, we finally decided on Luke William Whitesides as his name. It took months of debate and trying out various names but once we settled on Luke William, it just felt right.
We had lots of visitors,
Not sure how I missed pictures of so many who came to see us.
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| Ada and Miles love their new cousin. |
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| Jenn, Cory and Calvin |
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| Grandma and Grandpa Whitesides |
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| Brothers |
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| I didn't get a shot of Ryan, Lindsey and Nic all together. Oops |
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| Talk about a serious surprise, My brother Sean flew in from Texas to meet Luke and be with us. |
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| Finally headed home, The only shot we have of all of us together. |
Saturday, April 28, 2012
The Birth Story
It's been two weeks and I finally am finding time to get Luke's birth story written, or at least started. Right now it all seems so clear in my mind, but I know the details will start to fade. So, two weeks ago on Saturday morning I got up early to go to the gym. I had been feeling crampy since Thursday, but no signs of labor so I just went about my normal routine. I went to spin class and then went to the treadmills to run. Shortly after I started running I had some pains, but I wasn't too concerned and really didn't pay too much attention. But, they kept coming and were bad enough that I had to stop and stand on the side of the treadmill each time one hit. I finally started watching the clock and noticed that they were pretty consistent at 5 minutes apart. Hmmm, maybe they were contractions? I wasn't sure and really wanted to finish my 5 miles so I just kept running. I'm sure people watching wondered why I kept stopping, but after the initial shot of pain, I was fine to keep running. Once I had my miles in, I went to the weights section to lift. Tim was at the gym and came to find me. I told him I thought I might be having contractions so we spent some time reading on his phone how to tell if they were real or not. It seemed like maybe this was the real deal, but I figured we still had quite awile before the big moment. Eventually the pains got progressively worse so I finished up my lifting and we decided to leave. Tim got a kick out of watching people watch me at the gym. I had really dropped so I looked quite pregnant by then.
After all the time at the gym I was hungry and didn't want to go to the hospital hungry so we stopped at In N Out Burgers for lunch. On the way home I called my mom and Jami and put them on standby, then went home to finish laundry and some last minute details in the nursery. Tim kept saying the we should head to the hospital but I didn't want to go and be sent home, or spend hours laying n a hospital bed waiting for some progress. He finally came in from the garage and said that he could hear me making pain noises when I had a contraction and that he thought it was time to go. By that time I was pretty uncomfortable and getting cranky when a contraction would hit so we got in the car and headed to the hospital.
We parked in the front of the hospital, didn't realize there was a back entrance for the women's center. It was a very long walk, made longer by several stops for contractions. We finally made it and were put into a room. Apparently we arrived at a very busy time - three births right before we got there. My dad was sure that the baby would be born on Saturday because of the storms and changes in barometric pressure, he was right. The nurse checked me and said I was at a 5, she said that if I wanted an epidural I could have it then. At that point I was uncomfortable and said sure but the anesthesiologist was busy and it was awhile before he could get to me. In the mean time my water broke while they were checking me and from there the contractions became a whole different monster. When the anesthesiologist finally got there, I was in so much pain that it was hard to get the epidural in. Tim was watching and thought the pain I was experiencing was from him placing the needle. Honestly, I didn't even care what the anesthesiologist was doing, I just wanted him to jab the needle in and get me some pain relief. He finally got it in and within a few minutes of the epidural being placed, I had great relief and from there it was kind of a party. I kind of wanted to marry the anesthesiologist at that point
My mom, dad, Jami and Cory all showed up and settled in for the duration. Everyone loved watching the contractions on the monitor and I loved that I could see how strong they were without feeling the pain. The nurse was a little concerned because the baby's heart rate would often drop when I would have a contraction. They were also worried because the baby had meconium and they were worried about aspiration. Overall though, everything seemed to be progressing well, my contractions didn't get much closer but I continued to dilate.
At some point my doctor, Dr. Rees came by to check on me and before I knew it, they said I was at a 10 and ready to push. The nurse had warned me that with a first baby, I should expect to push for 2-3 hours. After about 20 minutes I told the doctor that I didn't want to jinx myself, but that the labor process was much easier than I had expected. With the support of Tim, my mom and Jami, I kept pushing and 50 minutes later I got the first glimpse of my boy. It was short, just long enough for Tim to cut the cord, then they took him for a respiratory therapist and NICU team to evaluate. Luckily, he didn't have any complications and within a few minutes they brought him to me. I really couldn't do anything but cry and hold him. The entire process had seemed so surreal and I could hardly believe that I was lying there holding my own baby. The feeling in the room was one of such overwhelming love and gratitude. The next few hours passed quickly as they tested and took care of him, and before we knew it, it was 3:00 a.m. and we were finally going to sleep, me in a hospital bed, Tim on a roll away in my room, and our baby in the nursery. What an amazing day. I couldn't have scripted it any better myself.
After all the time at the gym I was hungry and didn't want to go to the hospital hungry so we stopped at In N Out Burgers for lunch. On the way home I called my mom and Jami and put them on standby, then went home to finish laundry and some last minute details in the nursery. Tim kept saying the we should head to the hospital but I didn't want to go and be sent home, or spend hours laying n a hospital bed waiting for some progress. He finally came in from the garage and said that he could hear me making pain noises when I had a contraction and that he thought it was time to go. By that time I was pretty uncomfortable and getting cranky when a contraction would hit so we got in the car and headed to the hospital.
We parked in the front of the hospital, didn't realize there was a back entrance for the women's center. It was a very long walk, made longer by several stops for contractions. We finally made it and were put into a room. Apparently we arrived at a very busy time - three births right before we got there. My dad was sure that the baby would be born on Saturday because of the storms and changes in barometric pressure, he was right. The nurse checked me and said I was at a 5, she said that if I wanted an epidural I could have it then. At that point I was uncomfortable and said sure but the anesthesiologist was busy and it was awhile before he could get to me. In the mean time my water broke while they were checking me and from there the contractions became a whole different monster. When the anesthesiologist finally got there, I was in so much pain that it was hard to get the epidural in. Tim was watching and thought the pain I was experiencing was from him placing the needle. Honestly, I didn't even care what the anesthesiologist was doing, I just wanted him to jab the needle in and get me some pain relief. He finally got it in and within a few minutes of the epidural being placed, I had great relief and from there it was kind of a party. I kind of wanted to marry the anesthesiologist at that point
My mom, dad, Jami and Cory all showed up and settled in for the duration. Everyone loved watching the contractions on the monitor and I loved that I could see how strong they were without feeling the pain. The nurse was a little concerned because the baby's heart rate would often drop when I would have a contraction. They were also worried because the baby had meconium and they were worried about aspiration. Overall though, everything seemed to be progressing well, my contractions didn't get much closer but I continued to dilate.
At some point my doctor, Dr. Rees came by to check on me and before I knew it, they said I was at a 10 and ready to push. The nurse had warned me that with a first baby, I should expect to push for 2-3 hours. After about 20 minutes I told the doctor that I didn't want to jinx myself, but that the labor process was much easier than I had expected. With the support of Tim, my mom and Jami, I kept pushing and 50 minutes later I got the first glimpse of my boy. It was short, just long enough for Tim to cut the cord, then they took him for a respiratory therapist and NICU team to evaluate. Luckily, he didn't have any complications and within a few minutes they brought him to me. I really couldn't do anything but cry and hold him. The entire process had seemed so surreal and I could hardly believe that I was lying there holding my own baby. The feeling in the room was one of such overwhelming love and gratitude. The next few hours passed quickly as they tested and took care of him, and before we knew it, it was 3:00 a.m. and we were finally going to sleep, me in a hospital bed, Tim on a roll away in my room, and our baby in the nursery. What an amazing day. I couldn't have scripted it any better myself.
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| About 4:00 p.m. No contractions at the moment, As long as the shot was between contractions I could smile. |
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| About 4:30 p.m. I still wasn't positive they weren't going to send me home... Funny because I was at a 5 and definitely progressing |
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| About 10:30 p.m. This is post epidural and right before I started pushing, I wasn't kidding when I said that I felt great for most of the labor. |
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| 11:32 p.m. Welcome to the world Baby Boy Whitesides No chance to meet the boy, Respiratory and NICU got the first chance to check him out. |
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| 7 lb 2 oz, 20.5 inches |
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| Finally meeting my boy. |
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| Grandpa was just a little proud. |
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| Thanks to the Rockstar, Jami was especially excited, |
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| About 2:00 a.m. First bath |
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| He loved getting his hair washed, He cried more getting his temperature taken. |
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| About 3:00 a.m. Everyone clean and in our new room. A tired but happy daddy. |
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Work of Art?
So, maybe this isn't quite a work of art, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Jami sent me a similar image from Pintrest which I loved. I went to the site to get some ideas of how she did hers, then went on the hunt for letters and supplies. That is about where my contribution ends. I am not at all creative and need serious hand holding to do anything like this. Mostly I followed directions and used the exacto knife while Jami was the creative genius. It's great to have a talented family.
By the way, I am aware that I am missing letters "h" and "s". Apparently they must be popular letters and had to be special ordered. No worries, the baby will learn his full ABC's.
By the way, I am aware that I am missing letters "h" and "s". Apparently they must be popular letters and had to be special ordered. No worries, the baby will learn his full ABC's.
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