A week already!

Wow, seems so long since my last post. I am really slipping now. This can only me one of two things. Either I am so darn busy that I have no time, or that I am just to lazy to log on and write something. Well, maybe a bit of both. Here are the events of the past week in point form, because I am just too lazy to write them out in full (haha), thje truth comes out.

The bad:
- 2 weeks ago, Thursday, I sprained my ankle playing ball. I have played ball a little, but couldn't push it to hard, since I can't run.
- We had to get rid of one of our cats (we had her for 1 year) as she kept peeing in the basement and not in the litter box. The last straw was when she peed in the baby's room. She was put up for adoption. Hope Cali finds a good home.

The good:
- Germany won versus Argentina in a shootout today, and they advance despite the fact Argentina outplayed them. GO GERMANY GO!
- Today is the Friday before the July 1st long weekend.
- Brenden is really trying to talk now....goo goo ga ga. Soon enough he will be posting to this BLOG.
- One less cat, half the food, half the litter, half the mess.

The weekend is here.....later all!!!!

2 months & Growing

The baby is now officially 2 months old as of June 20. Brenden received his first needles today. He wasn't overly impressed, but managed to get by better than I ever would. Brenden now weighs in at 11lbs 3oz and is now 58cm (23in) long. Growing like a weed it seems. He is very healthy and forturnately for us, he never had any side effects to the needles. He was a bit sore however and we had to gove him some tylenol drops to sooth him. Since that night and Wednesday part of the day, he has been fine. Cheerful most of the time and screaming when he's hungry. One thing Brenden doesn't have, is patience. If he's hungry, we have time to change him and he smiles away. But as soon as we pick him up, the crying/screaming starts up. He can't wait to get the bottle in his mouth. Once the bottle is heated and we've sat down to feed, he stops crying until he's finished, then lets out a few more cries. After that, he is soothed either by laying down on his fuzzy blanket and watching his overhead toy, or sitting in his swing, watching the environment move back and forth. Generally this puts him to sleep, but now always. At least it calms him down if he his crying.

Events up to date

Well Brenden is 8 weeks old today, 2 months exactly on June 20. ! Wow! I've added a few more pictures to the gallery, finally.

Since I haven't posted for awhile (once again), here are some point form notes I have either missed in previous posts, or are new updates.

Brenden
- Apparently there was a reason for crying. We have figured out (with the help of Michelle's mom) that the bottles are the problem. We have bought the ones that take the baggies, therefore reducing the air intake on the baby (sounds like something my dad would refer to on a car).

- On Tuesday, Brenden returns to the Dr. for his first shots to prevent Polio and other diseases.

- I finally took the picture above when Brenden was smiling. I've been a little lax on the camera since I fixed it. I also haven't attempted to use the video camera yet. I figure I'll wait a bit longer before I use it.

David
- Where do I start....ok...how about injuries for $1000 Alex. Tuesdays injuries include, bruised middle finger, and swollen right hand, due to diving for a ball, and slightly missing. Thursdays injuries include, left foot, baby toe, bruised for taking a ball off it, and right ankle, rolled it just walking to first base. I am now hobbling along. The ankle was quite swollen, but looks better now. I think I may need to take a week off of ball just to heal all my wounds. At least the appendix feels 100% better, not to say much for the rest of me.

- Busy, busy, busy. Lots of stuff going on at work, which is the reason for not posting all the time. Leave early, come home late.

- Tonight I am doing the babysitting thing and of course, watching the hockey game (Carolina vs. Edmonton (3-2)). Go Edmonton go...I would love to see a Game #7.

- My first father's day this weekend! Very exciting!

Michelle

- Very happy that the new bottles are working. Baby happy, mommy happy.
- Also working very hard. She still can't figure out why the days go by so darn fast.
- Michelle gets an extended break tonight because she's going out with some friends.

Well that's it, that's all for now. Have a good weekend everyone!

Babysitting & more

Well, on Saturday night, it was our turn to be alone, albeit only for about 4 hours, but it was nice. We went to see the 1976 remake of, "The Omen", a very good remake with more guesome graphics then ever. Now we have to wait until the new version of, "The Omen II" which may or may not come out. After the movie we went out for dinner. Come 10pm it was time to pick him up again. My mom and my Grandmother were babysitting him for us at my Grandma's house in Ajax. We considered it a nice little break, although Michelle tried to get me to call to see how he was, after the movie. I told her, "no". It won't be long before we're picking him up again.

On Sunday, he had quite a hissy fit. It was quite scarey actually, since he was hitting notes I had never heard. He wouldn't eat either. I finally got him comfortable on my legs and rocked him back and forth. He was soothed for the time being. After 10 minutes or so, he seemed to be better. Seems he had to let one out, since he hadn't gone in a 24 hour span. Could have been cramps or something. This morning he let out almost the same cry. Seems like he's learned a new cry which gets our attention quite fast. Our reation time is almost instant when we hear that cry. It's almost piercing. Even Mariah Carey can't hit notes like he can! Maybe we'll have to send him to the Opera, or put him in a horror movie and cast him as the screamer!

My ER Dilemma

Brenden is fine. I am recovering. I had a sharp pain on my lower right side of my stomach on Sunday. Felt more than a stomachache, and didn't feel like I had pulled a muscle or anything. I decided I had better go to the hospital to get it looked at. I was there from 9pm until 2am Monday morning. The Dr. finally got to me about 1:30am. At this point I was in a lot of pain. He checked me out and thought it may be an early sign of appendicitis and ordered that I come back in the morning and have an emergency cat scan done. I went back to the hospital Monday morning for 8am. This time I was there longer, from 8am until about 2:30pm. A long day with most of it spent in the waiting room. The ER was packed. Finally I had the catscan done, and had to wait again. Then, finally I got to see the Dr and the results. *Negative* was the answer I was looking for, and that's what I got. Nothing showed up. On Wednesday I felt much better, although when I eat, I sometimes get a sore stomach. If it doesn't get any better by the end of the week, Iwill have to see the Dr.

As of today, Thursday, I feel about 75% better.

Just lazy??

Apparently, laziness has set in. I login to add a post, then I turn around and decide not to post anything. I continually ponder as to what I am going to write on the BLOG.

On Wednesday Brenden visited his Grandparents on both sides of the family. I am sure he had a great time.

Thursday night, Breden decided to sleep for almost 7hrs at night. What a shock to us! We both asked each other if we had got up in the night. Both of us slept.

Tomorrow we are heading to Cobourg, to visit friends and family. It's suppose to be a little cooler out, which should be nice compared to the 30-35C it was on Monday and Tuesday.

Right now our air conditioner isn't working, but it will be installed on Sunday. I can't wait. Anyway, I'm off to bed, since we are getting up early tomorrow (Saturday). And guess what tomorrow is? Brenden will be 6 weeks old.

Sleeping patterns

Hey guys! Well, 3 days and no post. You're probably wondering if something is wrong by now. Well, nope, nothing. Either we haven't been home, or when we're home, we're too tired to login and post something. Evereything is going well. Baby is growing, baby still screams occasionally, baby hates baths, baby knows the difference between day and night (which is awesome!). The average night sleep is 4 hours at a time, and after feeding at night, he goes to sleep right away. During the day, it takes a little bit of swinging in his swing to get him to sleep. Sometimes he'll just stay awake for the full 3hrs, from about 7-10am and we'll have to feed him again. Usually after that one, he will sleep for a bit. We must be getting used to the sleep thing ourselves. The baby generally wakes up at 7am. Even if Michelle gets up, I will tend to wake up to and just stay up. I never thought there would be a day I would have to wake up before 9am on a weekend. Apparently now, I am not allowed to sleep in anymore. That's ok. I'm sure I can get used to it. Especially since the baby is starting to do new things and I don't want to miss anything.

I would like to thank Mike P (from Oshawa) as he has given us a great swing, that actually swings both front to back and turns so it will go side to side as well. We have found that the baby loves to swing side to side, similar to that of him laying on my legs and swaying them side to side. It's amazing! Also he gave us a little car, where the baby can sit in it. It has a bunch of rattles and toys for him to play with. We'll use it when he's a bit older.

Anyway, that's it for now, the baby is swinging away, but starting to cry a bit, so it's time to check on him.

Anyway, off topic, here is a picture of Chevy (our oldest cat) trying to stop me from leaving the house with my baseball clothes. Good try CHEVY!

Front Loading Carrier

Wow! What an invention! this baby simply straps on you like a knapsack, but on the front of your body and the baby simply hangs in it. Now he has to go everywhere you go and like it. Brenden enjoys it very much (although I'm not so sure sleeping counts as enjoying, but to us he is). We walked to the store last night and I got the opportunity to lug him around on the front of me. It kind of made me feel like I was pregnant with a 9lb 9oz baby, but on the outside. Either that, or an extra large belly. Michelle got to use it while I was at work and she said it worked like a charm and she was able to do stuff around the house without him crying about it. That was $20 well spent.

May 24 come and past

Well May 2-4 weekend was relatively laxed. Went to a wedding on Saturday, and the baby was good in church, but decided to belt out his own tune at the reception. We were forced to take that car ride for 15 minutes in order to get him asleep. He finally did and didn't wake up again for quite awhile.

Today Brenden had another Dr. appointment, and everything checks out "A" - OK. He is now 9lbs 9oz and growing as he should be. This is good news.

Now for the bad....ok well not so bad, but I believe that he has moved his fussy periods from every other day, to every day. He just loves to belt out a tune, sounding almost of that of some of the "Canadian Idol" singers. Maybe he should audition, heck, can't be any worse then most of them.

Today we went to Walmart to splurge a little. We bought a front-loading carrier so Michelle or myself can carry the baby around in while we walk and do stuff around the house. We put him in it, and he wasn't to thrilled, but I think that was because he was hungry. We also bought some other baby necessities. Heck, walking out of Walmart with a baby costs way more then Michelle and I walking out by ourselves!

He's a high maintenance, expensive baby. Afterall he does where everything designer. I dress and look like I just stumbled out of a dark alley on Halloween, compared to him. Just hope he appreciates it later on, when he'll have to start buying me designer clothes and diapers. Haha!

One Month Old today

Happy One-Month old Brenden -> http://www.babycentre.co.uk/stages/1004

Today Brenden is 1 month old. Where did the time go? It escaped us again. Brenden is doing fine. He has his good days and bad days much like most of us today. Seems to be every other day. He is smiling more now. I'll have to try and get a picture of him while he's smiling.

Last weekend we had an unfortunate mishap with out digital point & shoot. It fell on the ground and the preview screen (LCD) cracked. Now I can't view rhe pictures on the camera anymore. I found out to by the LCD and install it myself, it will cost about $75. I am trying to get a used camera on EBAY, then I can use the screen out of that one. I'll know by the end of this weekend, if I win on any items.

Anyway, I would like to wish everyone a good (Long for some) weekend! All the best!

Smile, it's Gas, or not?

Some have said to me, when the baby smiles, he really has gas. When in the hospital, one of the nurses told me that this is no longer true. It has been proven that babies do smile from the time of birth. It is true, the baby also does have this grin on his face when he releases gas (and more), but today was the first day he was truely happy! Before I left for work, while Michelle held him, I was approx. 2 feet from his face and made those cute little sounds only a baby would appreciate. Adults and children would most likely laugh at the stupid faces and sounds coming from my mouth. Brenden smiled, and not for just a second as he had in the past. Everytime he looked at me he had that cute little smile on his face.

The Happy Family

I hope all the moms had a great Mother's Day on Sunday! It was my wife's first mother's day and Brenden got her a great gift! I necklace with two charms on it. One charm has little baby feet on it and the other say, #1 mom. Mom loved it very much! Way to put that $20 to use, Brenden.

The weekend was packed with travelling from family to family for us. This jsut meant more sleep for Brenden, and more rest for our ears. The car trips are great. Very peaceful, very quiet. Once we got to our destination we knew it was feeding time. The cries began.

Our first stop was Saturday afternoon at Michelles' Grandmothers for lunch. Then off to her dads place, nearby. After spending most of the afternoon there, we went to my parents place where we spent the night. It seemed logical to spend the night, because with gas prices the way they are and the distance to travel, and since the following day was mother's day. All the while Brenden did very well his first night away from home. He was a little unsure of his surroundings at first, but he got used to it. Her mom also lives further east than my parents, so there was no reason to go home and come back again. I am sure Brenden wouldn't mind, but he had no money left for gas, since he spent his $20 for mother's day. On Sunday we spent the morning at my moms and then went to her moms in the afternoon. We headed home about 4pm.

Lately it has been much better, as Brenden hasn't been crying as much, and it seems that he is actually starting to smile more, and not just because he has gas.

One thing I find hard to believe is that this Saturday, Brenden will already be 1 month old. Wow! Time does fly by.

Got the cat by the tail

Wow, time does fly. In just 8 days Brenden will already be a month old! Where does the time go? How come when you're at work, the time doesn't go so fast? Time has always amazed me. Maybe save that one for a later discussion.

So we've now narrowed the fussiness down to, every other day. Yesterday Michelle tells me, "He was an angel." This morning. Not so much, until we picked him up and the two of us spent time with him. He smiled and did cute little baby things. He even checked out our cat, which he was quite interested in, mind you. I can't wait for the day where he can grab the cat by the tail, afterall, before Brenden was born, the cat used to step on him, so it will be sweet revenge, I'm sure. I probably should have taken some pictures this morning, but i really had to go off to work. Hopefully I can get some good ones tonight. I say that now, but if he's fussy, I don't even want to attempt it.

This weekend we are doing some traveling. Heading out to see he dad, about 1hr 30mins away, then spending the night at my parents, and doing the Mother's Day thing. I wonder what Brenden is going to get his mom? I left him with $20 this morning, so we'll see.

Anyway, have a good weekend, since my next post won't be until Sunday/Monday. If I get a good picture tonight, I'll attach it to this post. Later.

What's your sign again?

OK, I don't know if I'm jsut typing this for pure discussion or if it's because I'm confused. While googling many websites on baby astrology, and entering April 20 as the date Brenden was born, I get 2 signs. Aries on about 50% of the sites and Taurus on the other 50%. This leads me to believe Brenden could be a little of both. Hopefully he takes on the best attributes from both and eliminates the negative ones. It seems there is an actual time (and date) associated with astrological signs. The time an Aries turns to a Taurus is 20 Apr 2006 01:26 am EST. Brenden was born on the same date at 00:06 am EST, thus he should be an Aries (the same as Michelle). Traditionally we go by the date you were born, so in the newspapers you would find April 20 as a Taurus. Maybe we'll have to wait and see, and decide ourselves. Heck, it is afterall, only astrology and may mean nothing at all. You can't believe everything you read, can you?

Aries
The Rambo of the play group has arrived! With an Aries baby around, you can expect lots of action and activity in your midst. Don't expect this tot to sit still with a rattle -- it just won't happen. The Aries baby is one who makes a lot of noise and will definitely be heard. There's really no choice! As a Fire sign, the little Ram will be dynamic and always up to something. Will this be a tough baby to deal with? More than likely. To that end, parents would be wise to show this child how to work with other babies early on. Things such as sharing won't come naturally -- they must be learned. Even where siblings are concerned, the Aries child won't be a walk in the park. What the Aries baby may want most of all, however, is attention, so parents be well advised. In a play setting, the Aries tot will easily get the attention of others on their own. This baby will also start many things early, the better to get to the finish line in a hurry. To sum up, the Aries baby can be quite independent but enjoys interacting with others. This baby is a fairly physical child and craves constant stimulation. They will be ready from day one!

3rd Dr. Appointment

Brenden had his 3rd Dr. appointment on Monday. The Dr. said everything is great! He is up to 8lbs 2oz now. Growing fast. Not much else to post right now, but if I think of something later, I will add to this post.

Here's Your Sign

TAURUS - Parents of a Taurus tot are going to have to be very sensitive to this baby's need to be touched. Loving caresses and a tender touch are what the Taurus baby lives for! Along those lines, this is a child who needs to be comfortable. Things to keep in mind are providing a room and bed that are neither too hot nor too cold, food that is tasty (a budding gourmand has arrived!), soothing sounds, and whimsical toys. As Taurus rules the Second House, the House of Possessions, this baby's playthings will be very important. When it comes to the learning curve, the Taurus baby is not in a hurry to grasp new concepts. This tot will learn things at their own pace and be unresponsive to pressure, yet persevering in the end. In light of this, a gentle manner to get this baby to react and respond is the sensible course of action. Also familial in nature, the Taurus baby will enjoy having the family in close proximity, especially siblings. You can consider this baby a people person in general; they are also likely to control the play circle where that well-known Taurean stubbornness will reveal itself! To sum up, the Taurus baby wants to be touched, will revel in delicious toys and, as an Earth Sign, will want to have both feet firmly planted on the ground!

Sleep baby sleep

Lately after the baby wakes up, we change him, feed him, change him again (sometimes), then try and get him to sleep. Most of the time he wants to keep his eyes open for awhile and occasionally cry. Rocking helps to ease the crying, but trying to make the baby go to sleep is a chore. Once asleep after approx. 45 mins or so, we put him in his crib. 10 to 15 minutes after that, he starts crying again. When picked up, he's fine. Put him down, he cries. We've come to the point now to put him down and check on him every 10 minutes or so if he's still crying. Most of the time he will eventually fall asleep, sometimes for 30 minutes at a time. Most of this happens during the day which is good. This routine wouldn't be to good if it were in the evening. Anyway, we're managing the best we can. It would be great if I could just teach him my sleep patterns, then he would sleep for 12 hours straight.

Michelle had a baby shower yesterday and received a lot of gifts from family and friends. We would like to thank everyone for their contributions of gifts for baby Brenden. Much appreciated.

It's Friday (TGIF)!

That time has come back where I can actually say, "It's Friday!". While I was off, I didn't need to say this, but once your back to work, as so many put it, "TGIF (Thank God It's Friday)".

We have learned this morning that the 3hr feeding schedule we were trying to enforce doesn't seem to agree with one individual. There was a 66% vote for the feeding schedule and apparently one decides to vote against it. I wonder who that could be? This morning he was fed at 6am, then decided to wake up at 7am for no apparent reason, other than the possibility of being changed. Michelle did that and put him back down. Nope, doesn't want to sleep. We decided to try and give him a little more, kind of a "Top Up". Put him down, wrapped him tightly and so far he hasn't made a peep.

I have this issue with our local radio stations. They say some babies like classical music. Do you think I can find a classical station that will come in on the clock radio in his room? Last night I found some for about an hour, then the station changed to talk only radio. I know there has to be something out there. I may have to hook up a stereo system in his room with full surround sound, an MP3 player, and play some nature sounds throughout the night. That thought HAS crossed my mind. What would be better than having surround sound as a baby? Ither than the kitchen sink, nothing I can think of. Heck maybe I'll even move in the same room to have a listen.

Grandma Visit

Well yesterday Michelle and I decided to take a break. My mom came over and spent the night last night. We got some yard work done yesterday, and are going to do some shopping today.

Yesterday went well at the Dr. I was in the office until the Dr. pulled out the metal tools and knives and I had to leave. I am not one to watch any kind of cutting going on, and knowing that exactly what was being done didn't help. Let's just say, I don't think Brenden was impressed by the procedure. He was out most of yesterday due to children's tylenol, but today has been up since about 8am, and crying for most of it. It will take a few days, at which time he will forget all about what happened and sleep much more comfortably. Us too.

Grandma will head back home today and for me, my holidays are over. It's back to work for me tomorrow. *sigh* Holiday's always seem to fly by so fast.

Growing Up

Went to the Dr. today and found that the baby has gained more weight. He's now 7lbs 7oz. Up from last week. He has grown upward about 1-2cm from last week as well. He is very healthy and strong.

Last night he slept for 4 hours straight from 2am-6am. It was great to get that extra hour sleep. After that he woke up at 9am. It seems between 9am-12pm is his crusty time. Wants to cry and doesn't want to sleep. I'm not sure if it's because he has his days and nights mixed up, but for now I'm ok with that. I would rather him do it between those times rather then throughout the night. Sleep is good.

Looks like 10pm is time for his next feeding tonight, so I gotta go. Tomorrow will be a horrible day. He is getting the "C" word done. I don't think I can be in the room for that. Ouch!

The Softball Game

Here is a picture from a Friday nights visit from my Aunt Marilyn and cousin Brian. Can you tell he is thrilled to hold a newborn? His first time perhaps?

Well, today was a good day. We took Brenden to the ball diamonds to experience his dad playing softball. He spent about 4 hours in the fresh air at the diamonds and hardly did anything. It was unfortunate that it was so windy, as I would have let him see more, but we had to keep the cover on him. He wasn't impressed with the wind at all. After that we came home, and fed him and out him down. Today he screamed a bit, but shortly after, he fell right asleep. He has been sleeping on average between 2 to 4 hours per feeding session. At night time the average is about 3 hours. Michelle was up twice last night. Tonight I am staying up until the baby wakes up (should be around 1AM or so). I'll feed him, change him, and put him back to bed. Let's hope he gets about 4hrs tonight. A little sleep will be nice. Tomorrow we have a Dr. Appointment for the weekly checkup. We'll let you know the weight when I return. He is getting a little more chubby faced, so I believe he is eating well. Heck, he has almost outgrown 3 of the sleepers we bought for him early this year. Growing like a weed I guess. Good night all.

Baby Soother

Well, the baby took a hissy fit this morning and screamed his head off. I stopped on the way home from a baseball tournament to pick up some soothers. Fed him, then plugged them in, and it worked like a charm. He sucked the daylights out of it and loved it. We loved it as well, as it kept him "soothed", hence the name, "soother". He cried very little.

Thanks to the soother, maybe we can get a little more sleep at night, because this every 2hr thing is killing Michelle and I. Who would have thought it would be so darn hard. Should be just eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, every day, but no, someone had to throw the screaming, crying parts in there as well.

Anyway, we're managing with bottle feeding and soothers now, and tonight will be the first test to see if we can actually sleep for more then 2hrs at a time.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, *yawn*

Nurse Visitation

Today we will have a RN visit us to check on the baby and answer any questions we may have. I'm sure we'll think of a few. Not much to report, baby is healthy, but does unfortunately only sleep for like 2 hours at a time at night. Talk about wearing us old people down.

Today he went on a crying spurt. Changed him, cried, tried to feed him, cried, consoled him, cried, rocked him, cried. Nothing has seemed to work to stop him. Right now and hour later from the start of crying I believe he has cried himself to sleep. All is very quiet now. Maybe I can get a bit of sleep, before he wakes up. I can't wait until he's on the same sleep schedule as me. 8hrs and rarin' to go the next morning.

Here's my quote of the day, "My baby's only noisy when he's crying."

Through Week #1

You can't see me! Today we went for our first walk with the stroller. The baby got his first breath of fresh air. He cried when we stopped, but slept when we walked. So when we stopped at the neighbours we didn't stay long, just so we could avoid the baby cries.

I believe the Jaundice is totally gone. Since the Dr. hasn't called us back, I assume that it is good news. When you see him you can tell that there is very little left.

Almost a week!

As you can see by the picture, I am very thankful that our baby came with washing instuctions. I wouldn't want him to shrink while washing.

Wow, has time seemed to fly by. Just after midnight tonight, and the baby will be a week old. They were right when they said time would go fast.

This week has been a little tough for us. Getting up throughout the night is not us. We both don't like it. Even though we both say, "It's ok, I don't mind." The real answer is, "Can I just get some sleep please."

Brenden has been a little fussier at night recently. He normally slept for 3-4 hours, but lately it has been only 2 hours throughout. The need for milk has seemed to increase. Before I know it, he'll be all grown up.

Anyway, I missed yesterdays post. Just too busy and no time for the computer. We went to the hospital yesterday to get the Jaundice retested. Took about 15 minutes and went home. The Dr. office called me and said I had to go back to the hospital because the test didn't work and they would have to redo it. Apparently nothing can be easy for us. As of now, we haven't heard back from the Dr. office about the results. I would assume that they would only call if their were a problem, so I guess everything is 'ok'. He doesn't look as yellow as before, unless of course he has his yellow sleeper on.

I just fed Brenden and put him to sleep, so I had enough time to post today and yesterdays posts. I'll be putting up a few more pictures today on the picture website when I get time, maybe before he wakes up. Visit the website here: http://thevipers.ca/ourbaby/index.html

On to Day #5

Part 1:
Well, another night in the books. Brenden woke up twice throughout the night. He is a little fussy at night time trying to get him back to sleep, but once he's asleep, he's out for a good 3 hours or so. He has been asleep since 7am or so this morning, so a good 4 hours this time.

Today Brenden has his first Dr's appointment at 4:15pm. Should be interesting because I am going to my family Dr. here in Ajax who delivered me 30 years ago. Here's another generation for him, until he retires. I will post when we get back from the Dr. Appointment.

Part 2:
We made it through Day #5. Went to the Dr. and he said everything was fine. He said the Jaundice looks very minor, but says we should go to the hospital tomorrow and have it tested one more time, just to make sure. We are going to go in early just to get it done as soon as we can and come home. The best news is that the baby has gained his weight back. He dropped 3% from birth and is now back up to 6lbs 14oz. Now the growing should continue.

So today was the baby's first ride in the car, and first ride in his stroller. We went to Walmart to pick up a few items. He slept all day, and missed it all. Apparently he likes shopping as much as I do. If only I could sleep through it too.

Let you all know tomorrow what we find out tomorrow. Good night, it's passed my bedtime (11:52pm).

First night at home

Throughout the night we were up about 4 times throughout. The baby slept in our room, but every little noise we woke up to make sure everything was ok. The baby slept quite a bit, for a 3hr span or so, other than one time it was only an hour between feedings and he cried like crazy. Finally after about an hour or so he stopped and fell asleep. He slept for almost 4 hours after that, providing Michelle and I with enough sleep for the night.

We made it. Today we have had a lot of visitors and phone calls, and overall the baby hasn't cried hardly at all. He has been very good. I am sure he'll wait until everyone leaves.

Later all.

Welcome Home Brenden!

Well, after another long boring day at the hospital we have finally made it home. Can you tell, Michelle is happy now?

The day was tough because Brenden came down with borderline Jaundice. They retested this morning at 6:00am, and we expected to hear results early, since they told us it only takes 1 hour for them. Time was ticking, nurses were in and out, and as of 12pm we heard nothing. I asked at the reception and they told me the results were they but they had to wait for the pediatrician to come. We waited until 3pm. Finally an RN came in and told us that we were recommended to have 1 more test done and would have to stay longer. Honestly, this was the worse news. I know it's best for the baby, but at this point when they tell you you'll most likely get to go home before noon, and now we have to stay for another test at 3pm, we expected it would take 3-4 hours at least. They said it would be an hour again. From 3 to 4pm was the longest hour ever. I tried to sleep to make it go quicker. I did, then woke up, looked at the clock and it was 3:15pm. Could it go any slower. Finally at about 4:15pm, a different RN came in. The words were sweet harmony, much like that of someone who has commited a crime and the sentence is finally over. "You're all free to go home now," was the words we wanted to hear. We did. A big sigh of relief, then the biggest smiles ever appeared as we looked at one another. "Finally," we said, "It's time for Brenden to see the world and visit his new home!" The moment we were waiting for.

Well we're here, and all we have to say is,

"Welcome home, Brenden!!!" "Welcome to your new paradise!"

Can you tell the cat is interested already?

One more night

The 3 of us are spending one more night in the hospital as the baby has a mild case of Jaundice. The nurses have suggested that we stay one more night, and retest for it in the morning. We should be home by Saturday afternoon, as I said, the results from the blood test were low levels of bilirubin, which is a good sign that it's only mild. A retest in the morning will show if Brenden has more or lesser levels, and if less, then we will be sent home, if not, the baby may need a light treatment and we will be sent home later that day most likely. It'll be nice to come home, and not have the nurses disctracting us every few hours.

Last night was amazing! Brenden slept from 2AM ti 8AM. That's my normal hours of sleep, so he is right on schedule already. We'll see what happens tonight, althrough the nurses advised that tonight we get up every 3 hours to feed because of the slight Jaundice.

Well, just picked up a few more diapers and sleepers and once again I'm heading back!

I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to Justin and Christine (Michelle's Cousin) on delivering their baby boy (Thomas Kuipers) the same day as ours! April 20 is a great day for both of our families! All the best to the Kuipers and Christine's Family!

It's a ..................

Hi everyone. I made it back from the hospital tonight, just to pick up a few items and grab a shower. Today was an amazing day! Michelle was induced yesterday (April 19, 2006) about 6:00pm. Contractions had started and once she was 6cm she couldn't stand the pain and called for an epidural. Unfortunately the first one they did, didn't work and Michelle was given a second one. That one worked like a charm she said. The scares part about the whole night was shortly after the epidural, the baby's heartrate dropped to about 50 Beats per minute. Too low. The Dr. considered the baby in distress and decided she would need a C-Section. At this point I was shocked and scared. Then some luck hit us. The heartrate started to slowly climb. The Dr. said, "Wait! Let's give it another minute, it looks like the rate is climbing." At this point I was just praying and kept saying to myself, "Come on, you can do it, climb, I know your strong!" Then it hit....the amazement as the BPM went back up to 140 and the Dr. declared, "We're going to deliver this baby normally!" I think at that moment I shed a bit of a tear....as I knew the time was near. At 11:30pm, the nurse said, "Looks like it's time, we're going to start pushing now." The next step was to determine if it would be before midnight or after. The pushing commenced and exactly 36 minutes after (and with a little suction help), the baby was born. It was absolutely the most amazing sight I have ever witnessed, as the Dr. declared, "You have a baby BOY, congratulations!" I am not a hospital person and I thought for sure I would pass out. I witnessed every minute of the natural birth with a huge smile on my face and tears in my eyes. Wow! It's so amazing that it's so hard to descibe if you haven't already had a child.

Anyway, mom and baby are healthy and in great condition!

Well, I gotta go back to the hospital for the night. We should be back home sometime Friday afternoon as they've already told us we would be discharged on Friday. I'll post a new message when we arrive home with our new pride and joy.

Here are the details and some pictures:

Sex: Boy
Name: Brenden "David" Schaefer
Birtdate: April 20, 2006
Time: 12:06am
Weight: 6lbs 13oz
Height: 53cm

(Click on pictures to make them full-size)