Happy Birthday!

Just a quick post to let you all know our son was born today at 6:08pm. He is 8lbs 5oz, 21in. Christa and baby are doing well. Hopefully we will have a name tomorrow...

Birth photos are linked below.

Counting Down...

Tomorrow morning at 6am labor begins...

Thanks to everyone for your support and well wishes. We'll post baby photos and videos as soon as we can after the birth (and some during - see note below).

Wish us luck!

Live Birth Photos

Technology certainly has it's complications, frustrations, and annoyances. However, it also has enabled a level of communication that is unfathomable.

Next Saturday (or before if our son is early), we'll be using this technology to post photos from the birth LIVE! Using the web gallery services from Apple and the iPhone, I will be able to post photos moments after they are taken right from the delivery room.

A few promises. First off, I will not be posting any messy, gross, or private pictures on the live album. Everything will be kid appropriate. Also, my primary concern will be to take care of momma and son, so if there will not be too many photos. I promise to post them as quickly and post as many as seem needed.

Enjoy:

Live Birth Photos

T Minus 1 Week

After all the waiting, trials and triumphs, we are now only a week away from looking at our boy for the first time. The pregnancy has been quite an adventure. A lot has changed over the past 9 months and we know this is only the beginning...

The first volume of our life together is drawing to c lose. We are no m=longer the newlywed couple living life to the fullest and chasing our own whims. While that time together was fun, we seem to have grown roots.

The next volume of our adventure is about to unfold. All indications are that this story will be quite different than ours that came before - but in a good way. We both have been looking forward to sharing the life we've built with the life we've made.

As we finish the odds and ends of getting materially and emotionally ready for birth, one thought comes to mind more than any other:

Son, we can't wait for you! We already love and cherish you...

A Quick Update

Christa is doing fine. We are in a wait and see mode for the next couple of weeks as we count down to Dec 29th (the date we have scheduled to induce). If labor starts before then, we might have a Christmas surprise...

The baby room is coming together slowly on account of Jason having to attend to all the household chores. Perhaps by this weekend, we'll have some more photos to share.

We also seem to have settled on a middle name for our boy. Both of us like Alexander. However, the first name we are still working on. We've been going over the name game votes and will hopefully have that selected soon.

UPDATE: Bed Rest

Things have settled down quite a bit from the hospital stay. We are now (all three) home. Christa was released on Friday morning and prescribed (sentenced to) bed rest.

The doctor wants to see us in each week for a visit and another round of monitoring to make sure things are okay. For now, the outlook is good that our baby will stay put until the time is a little more right.

Christa is taking a prescription medication to relax her uterus in an attempt to prevent starting labor. So far, the medication has not proven to be very effective in calming the contractions - but she hasn't start labor either...

We'll know more tomorrow after a return trip to the doctor's office.

Complications

On the way to our doctor's appointment on Wednesday we had a minor car accident. While driving through a parking lot, another driver backed out of his space and into the passenger side of our SUV.

During the doctor visit, the doctor suggested that we needed to have Christa monitored in the hospital to rule out any complications. Mainly, the doctor was concerned with damage to the placenta.

Our four hour monitoring period began around 2pm. Christa was having contractions.

Being 8 weeks before the due date, the situation had become more complex. In an effort to stop the contractions we have tried a variety of medications. However, the contractions still continue (a day and a half later).

We are still at the hospital and in the capable hands of the best maternity staff in the state. Over the next many hours we will be exhausting the available options to stop labor from happening and monitor the baby.

Thus far, momma and baby are fine in every regard (aside from the contractions).

We appreciate the visitors, well wishers, and thoughts and love you all have given us. We'll keep you all informed on our progress.

...by the way, any more baby name suggestions? ;)

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

But doesn't the second mouse get the cheese?

Decisions, decisions... As with many companies these days, Lilly is cutting health care coverage once again next year. Our due date is Jan 11th, meaning that the delivery would just miss the fair coverage we have this year and slip into the abyss of high deductibles and co-pays of next year.

Thus, we are left with the choice of whether to induce birth early, by the end of this year? Our doctor assures us that there is no risk to our boy if we do the last week of the year. However, it may require that Christa get a C-section rather than have a natural birth.

In some ways the C-section sounds safer because of the control and certainty of the situation. There are downsides, though, including a harder recovery for momma.

The monetary difference is between 3500 and 5000 bucks. Not that much in the grand scheme of life, but a good start on a 529 college saving plan.

Any advice out there? What should we think about as we try to decide?

Labor 101

We recently went on our hospital tour and to our labor class. The experience was good and a lot to take in. A few of the highlights are below, pictures are on our web gallery...

First off, the delivery room is enormous! 26 adult students were able to comfortably sit and stand inside the room. As you would expect, everything is centered around making mom as comfortable as possible and baby as safe as possible.

The rooms include a baby warmer, full medical kit for anything less than a c-section, and even a bathtub! They have his and her DVD players/TVs, lounge chairs that recline for dad, robotic lights to track momma's movements, and did I mention a whirlpool bathtub?

The medical equipment is all at hand, but also hidden from view in the wood cabinets. The effect is one of a relaxed calming hotel room.

The nursery is just down the hall from the postpartum room and looks state of the art and equally comforting. Access to the rooms has good security and each momma/baby pair is electronically linked.

Clarion Hospitals really know their stuff.

After going to class and seeing the birthing areas, we are really excited. It will be a tense but wonderful time and we have a great team of health care providers there to see us through the hard parts.

The Ultrasound Video

Well, here it is...

This sneak peek of our boy is simply amazing. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this video speaks volumes!

(It is also available by clicking the YouTube Videos link to the right.)

The Ultrasound

A few of the best ultrasound pictures are now up in the "Preggo Pics" gallery (link to the right).

We are working on cutting and editing the (very) long uncut video. It should be posted this weekend.

Soon, we'll have a new feature about names on the website poll section. Time to get serious about the boy's name!

Negative Results

The last week has been an eventful one. We took a couple of major steps into the second trimester. Christa got some new threads and gave a little blood.

First, the good news; the initial blood screening for neural tube defects was negative. This test has an accuracy of about 80% for detecting critical developmental problems for the spinal cord and brain.

Christa has also started to show quite a bit. So much so, in fact, that she’s already had to take a trip to the maternity clothes store. She’s a bit ahead of schedule for belly size and weight gain...

Admit it - the word “twins” raced into your mind...

The next big step is the ultrasound on August 29th. We’ll find out whether we are having a boy or girl or...both?

The Most Incredible Sound

We expected that the first time we heard the heartbeat would be an amazing experience. Looking forward to today for the last couple of weeks has been fun. Most of the apprehension and fear about the baby making it past the first trimester has finally passed.

Have a listen by going to our YouTube Videos link to the right...

Moments after hearing the heartbeat for the first time, a flurry of emotion washed over us. Obviously, we were thrilled to hear our little miracle's thrumming existence. However, all the panic of how to make sure we are good enough parents for our child soon followed.

But, that’s a worry for another day...

Feeling Normal

After years of failed attempts and false hopes, we finally found ourselves in the waiting room of the prenatal OBGYN - rather than the family-planning doctor.

What a great feeling.

There is something magical about the first doctor’s office visit. You might think that being pregnant would be a self evident and undeniable fact of life. However, anyone who has had to chase the dream rather than fall into it would tell you that the opposite is true.

It is almost as if your heart doesn’t dare hope. You find yourself mired in doubt and afraid to feel a joy that seemed so far out of reach for so long.

Then the magic begins. With a well-practiced ease, the doctor begins her routine. While she shows you a diligent respect, it is easy to see that she really just sees you as another new patient. The odd part is that revelation is comforting.

No longer must we look on from the sidelines, trusting to technologies and science to bring an expression of our love into being. It simply happened. Sitting in the examining room, we were transformed from a young couple with a problem to a regular set of parents.

Being normal has never felt so fulfilling...