Our week of firsts...

Here is Aaron on day two of his paternity leave...funny I seem to remember that this was also how he spent his first day of paternity leave.

Well mom and dad Redmond left us this morning for a visit with the Coakley's in Florida They have been such a big help and next week will certainly present a challenge as it will be Aaron's first full week back to teaching and my first week alone with Kendall.

We've had a lot of firsts this week...

On Tuesday we had our first pediatrician appointment to check Kendall for jaundice. Aaron and I both took her together. They weighed her at 7 lbs. 1 oz and her bilirubin score was a bit high (11.4), so we made an appointment to have it checked again on Friday just as a precaution. When I went back on Friday her weight was up to 7 lbs. 8 oz and her bilirubin score had dropped to 8. So good news all around.

Here is Gma Rose with Kendall right before her first pediatrician's appointment. She made the cute little jackets for her.

On Thursday morning a had a lactation consultant come to the house to make sure that we were breastfeeding correctly and show me how to use the breast pump. Gma, Gpa, and I also took Kendall to Aiken for a little day trip. We had lunch down town and visited a Museum and park. It was nice to get out of the house and Kendall did great on her first longer car ride.

Friday we all went to the RiverBanks Zoo. It was the last free Friday promotion, so it didn't even cost a thing. We finished up just as it started to sprinkle. Kendall slept through the entire visit. She had a nice present waiting for us in her pants when we got home...we took pictures for Daddy's sake, but will spare ya'll the joy.

Check out Gma/Gpa's blog for pictures.

Today it rained all day, so we just hung out around the house and watched some Netflix.

Look at these cute little cheeks!

Kendall's First Bath at Home!

What a clean baby!

Nap Time

This was Kendall's home from the hospital outfit...I had fun dressing her all up. Aaron picked out the shoes.

First car ride.

Had to share this cute little video of Daddy and Kendall. This was how they each spent their first day home. You can tell Aaron is taking his paternity leave very seriously

Even Gpa Bob got in on the action.If you look very closely during the zoom in you can see Kendall's head moving up and down in time with daddy's chest. I think she is going to be a lot like her dad - she's a night owl and eats a lot.

Here are just some cute pictures...

The first night home was a bit rough - with lots more waking time than sleeping. Today we celebrated Fat Tuesday with a great breakfast of dippy eggs (eggs over easy), bacon, and homemade fried potatoes. We followed it up with ribs and potato salad for dinner. Yummy! We'll see how my blood sugar winds up shortly. Still have to test for about a week (only twice a day) to make sure everything is back to normal.

Will try to update again tomorrow after our first pediatrician's appointment.

Homecoming

So today is the day we get to take baby Kendall home!

Yesterday Gma and Gpa Redmond arrived in the late afternoon/early evening. Here they are meeting Kendall for the first time.

We spend some time visiting in the hospital. Then Gpa and daddy went to get some dinner and we ate some Jimmy Johns in the hospital before Gma, Gpa and daddy headed home to get some sleep. Kendall and I had a good night in the hospital. And, after a visit from the pediatrician and OBGYN this morning, our discharge papers were signed. Now we just wait for Aaron to come take us home!

Aaron changed a few more diapers....he's really getting good at this.

She loves her crazy cocoon! She is as snug as a bug in a rug.

She's here!

Kendall Olivia Mason arrived yesterday at 3:52 p.m. She weighed in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Here she is with her first hiccups in the hospital.

It all started Saturday monrning around 3:50 a.m. when I thought my water broke. Turns out it had broke. We headed to the hospital and were admitted at 5:30 a.m. Contractions has started and upon check-in I was about 2-3 cm dilated. Contractions grew in intensity till I broke down and asked for the epideral at about 12 p.m. when I was dilated to 7 cm. We started pushing around 1:30 p.m. (although contractions were somewhat far apart) until they administered pitocin at about 2:30 p.m. After some more work she finally arrived!

Both mom and Kendall are now doing well. We are happy to say she has all her fingers and toes and lots of hair. Mom is a little sore and still confined to bed given the catheter and iv drip which should be removed this afternoon. Kendall had a large 'suck' blister on her hand when she arrived, so she definitely has sucking down. Hence, breastfeeding is going pretty well so far. Dad is very proud, was very supportive during labor, spent the night with us in the hospital on a cot, and has even changed a diaper or two.

Mom and Dad Redmond should arrive sometime this evening and it looks like we will probably be bounced sometime on Monday. Aaron plans on taking at least Monday-Wednesday off of work and my maternity leave has officially begun. We'll continue to post pictures and stories on the blog, so check back often.

Baby News

Well after yesterday’s appointment, there isn’t much to report in the way of breaking news. Still the same status with me…only about 1 cm dilated. We did have another ultrasound and got another glimpse of Beck.

Here is a shot of the face (although it is sideways) – this is the view right up the nose. The facial features are so much more pronounced than in the others and I have to admit it got me really excited. Beck is estimated to currently weigh-in at about 7 lbs. 8 oz. So good news there…

As for the status of things…my blood pressure was a bit high so I have had the joy of collecting my urine for the past 24 hours so that I could have it tested this afternoon for protein. The Doctor wasn’t too concerned about preeclampsia, but wanted to rule it out completely. Boy that is an experience for those of you who have never had the pleasure. Try lugging a cooler with ice into the bathroom every time. Lovely!

As for talk of inducement…the Doctors seemed to lay off a bit more given the ultrasound, but were also quick to caution that Beck will only get bigger from this point forward. So, just to be safe we scheduled an induction for my due date of next week Thursday (with the option of always being able to cancel). While I would still like for it all it to just happen naturally, I would also much rather be induced than have a c-section.

We had a nice Valentines Day and long weekend (with President’s Day off). Aaron bought us roses and had them delivered on Saturday morning while he was still in bed.

Despite the fact that this will be our last Valentines just us (a fact I didn’t even realize until Aaron pointed it out), we opted to bum around in our sweats and order in Chinese. I took down all the Valentines décor and put up all the St. Patty’s stuff – probably my second favorite holiday. Looking forward to mom and dad coming soon…they are scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
That is all our news. Of course, we’ll let you know if anything happens between now and next Thursday. Until then, it is hurry up and wait, which I am actually trying hard to avoid. Time flies by too quickly on its own!Thanks to our friends the Amicks for sending the care package of gifts you see here.

Baby Update & The Week Ahead...

It was a great weekend here - with highs in the 70s and sunshine. Sadly, we haven't done a whole lot with this weather, except for the usually running of errands and catching up on relaxation. Although I did convince Aaron to head outside for a walk on Sunday.

He also replaced our old mailbox with a new one courtesy of some xmas money that Gma Char/Gpa Jack provided.

This morning marked my weekly OB appointment. I am now at 37.5 weeks. Sadly nothing major to report in the way of progress. I am now about 1 cm dilated - although the Doctor said she would have preferred I was a little further along. My next appointment in Monday and I am scheduled for an ultrasound to determine how big the baby is. My glucose readings have been good and I haven't gained too much weight, so hopefully that means Beck isn't huge. There was some talk of inducing if there wasn't some more progression by next week (personally I hope not to be) so, I had a talk with Beck this afternoon and asked for cooperation so that we could avoid pharmacological intervention if possible. Only time will tell...

Also visited a pediatrician recommended by some friends. She seemed very nice, so we will likely go with that practice.

This should prove to be a busy week ahead. Aaron has a school improvement meeting this evening, I have a breastfeeding class tomorrow night, work training on Wednesday and Thursday day, and Aaron has parent teacher conferences on Wednesday and Thursday nights.