Thursday, September 17, 2009

Hello World! My name is Soren!!!

These pics are all out of order..sorry!! The first one is very recent! Working on head control =0
Sleeping on dad..minus a sock =0
Wop! Take that toy!
My sister, Dawn, holding him--she was the first person to hold him other than Dave and I--(and nurses)...you can see how tiny he is. This is a special picture, as we had just been told that his levels for jaundice had gone up and he would need to spend time in the nursery.....so, the nurse handed him to Dawn to hold before we put him under the lights..
At home...in his bouncer...chilling and yawning (about 3-4 weeks old)
4 weeks..
3 weeks
3 weeks
The day after we came home from the hospital
Under the lights.....little guy....
Hi dad!!
Minutes old...
Snuzzled!!

So..guess who arrived a little early, four days after my last post?? Little Soren Anders Trowbridge was born on August 20th, at 11:25 a.m...he weighed 6lb, 7oz and was 18 1/2 inches long.....we spent a few days in the hospital due to a blood-type specific jaundice he had (not the typical jaundice--much more severe).....he is exactly four weeks old today and doing simply fabulous! My delivery was awesome---my water broke on the 19th--went to the hospital, they did an ultrasound and the little guy was head down, (yayy!), after a few hours of walking to move the contractions along, I opted for pitocin (I mean really, I was walking up and down the same hallway, Dave and I roughly calculated like two miles of walking) and finally I was like "ok, let's get him moving"....Pitocin it was....and then I finally cried uncle about two hours later and requested an epidural. We all have our opinions, mine was "epidural NOW". Honestly kids--I couldn't stomach the pain anymore--I was only at 3 centimeters and I was biting my knuckles and trying to picture myself doing something really painful to get through it (I pictured a track workout).

Trust me, no track work out could ever compare to contractions!

Once I got the epidural I could sleep a little...and then around 11:00 am. the nurse said "WOW, you are 10 centimeters dilated and his head is right there, it won't take you long. I thought to myself "I wonder how many women she says that to just to get their minds off labor". Well, my favorite doctor came back in (SUPER excited I got Dr. French, she's super awesome and I was thrilled!)......and she said "ok, get ready, set, push" and Dave goes "she can't feel her contractions" ......so, they just told me when to push. Annnd, 3 series of pushes (about 18 minutes) and he was out!! I couldn't believe it! It really DIDN'T take long at all!!

His arrival was amazing....life as we know it has been changed, obviously for the better =0....he spent a few days in the hospital and was a rough few days, he had to be under lights in a nursery and we could only hold him every 3 hours when I fed him--and his feedings weren't great that early on because he was early his eating behaviors weren't as strong as a full-term baby, so we had to work really hard to get him to eat (bottle/formula).....since we've left the hospital, no formula and he does get an occasional bottle from dad.....so--it was a very rough few days, it was very difficult to not be able to hold him, he would just lay there--and all I wanted to do was take him home. Thankfully by the 24th we got the "ok" that his levels had gone down enough to take him home. Over the few days he was there they went up and down a few times, so finally he was stable. It gave me a tremendous insight to parents who have babies in the NICU....I was incredibly thankful that his illness was not something that would progress or turn deadly-as we had caught it in time (his levels hit a 17 on the scale and 20 is when they start talking about brain damage/deafness)..so we were very thankful to finally have located a pediatrician that knows what they're doing (an entirely different blog post in and of itself).....

At the hospital, my oldest sister flew in the day after he was born and that was monumental for me, Dave and I really needed the extra support, but we didn't have the energy to have a TON of people around, my sister Dawn was perfect, she stayed at our house, took care of our dogs, took me to get food, just sat with us.....it was a difficult time, but a special time, one that i'll always be thankful that she was able to come out at the drop of a hat..and a HUGE thank you to my brother-in-law who took time off from work and watch my nieces/nephew so that my sister could come out! Dave's parents also came to the hospital which was awesome and they stuck around for two days and it was perfect.

It's funny, the first four weeks are a blur somewhat, a good blur, but they're definitely centered around feedings, and that sort of thing. The second day we had him home he went to Costco =0 and then since then we've taken him out everyday--I don't want him to be one of those little ones who "Doesn't like their car seat" ugh.....that is my worst fear! I'm too busy to have a little one that can't sit in a car seat! So, he does really well in his seat.....and it was wonderful having my mom out for two weeks---she came the day after we got home from the hospital--and she just was super awesome, helping us figure out why he was crying etc.

Honestly, he really doesn't cry all that much! He cries and there is something "wrong" he typically doesn't cry for no reason...we're pretty lucky..he's a sweetheart. So, now he is FIVE weeks old! And yes, this the first time i've had to sit and blog!! He's growing like a weed and eating well and doing all the cute little things he does.

We are very lucky parents and I couldn't ask for a more perfect gift!!

How am I doing?? Really well! It's tiring, but once you get up a few times during the night, it's really no big deal. I'd still rather get up at 3:30 and feed him than wake up for master's swimming..hehe!

Speakkkking of.....what am I doing?? Well, I started walk/running 4-weeks post partum. I have QUITE a few friends who have injured themselves returning to training too early after their children were born, so I am taking it easy. So, i'll walk/run until I get the "OK" from my OB at 6 weeks than i'll hit up the full run. I'm also doing some resisitance band/stability ball work while i'm at home. Gyms around here don't do daycare until the little ones are 6 months, so getting to a gym isn't feasible....so I am doing workouts at home..and then cardio with Soren at the lake or Dave hangs with him while I go! Slowly but surely.

From a physical standpoint, I gained almost 40 pounds with Soren (and for all you naysayers...I really DID gain that much, regardless of how I looked =0)...I hid it well with skirts and pants =0.......it was all in my thighs, so the resistance band and wall squats and lunges are good for me right now to get the muscle back up!

I can barely do 5 pushups by myself, so I do some girlie ones and then regular ones! It'll take time, but i'm signed up for the Carlsbad Half marathon in January...my goal for 2010---qualify for Boston at the Rock N Roll Marathon here in San Diego in June.....there, I said it, now I just have to go "git it"......

I'll try to post more as time goes on, I loved reading other peoples blogs post-pregnancy..it's just really hard to find the time!!! OH and for the person wondering when my next Ironman is...probably when my kid(s) are grown---I value the training too much to do it half assed..let's face it, i'm not a "5 hour a week" training person. I know the amount of time it takes to train the way I want--20-25 hours a week and I don't think i'll have that kind of time until my kids are older----since I anticipate going back to work in February.....even part time... so, for now, running is it....I think I may want to do a half Ironman next year, but Ironman, a whole other animal!!

Thank you ALL for your wishes!! Here are some pictures!!

10 comments:

Jennifer Harrison said...

Oh my gosh! THIS post is so special, Mer. Just precious....Soren is so beautiful !!!! Isn't it JUST great! Nothing compares. YOu all look great. ENJOY every minute of it...ours are 7 now and things are just so different - a good different, but different. :))) Congrats again.xo

Marit C-L said...

I LOVE IT! Awesome...absolutely fantastic! My heart absolutely melted when I held Soren...he is just beautiful. I loved seeing you, meeting your Mom :) AND - don't forget, we did have a lunch date. But I can overlook that because you DID go into labor. Hee hee hee - Seriously - Nathaniel and I are SO SO SOSO happy for you both and can't wait to get together. Now...it'll be the 5 of us ;) I LOVE it, love it!

Hooray for the running - I think you're being really smart about it. NO sense in rushing it...what's another week at this point, right? Triathlon, ironman - it will always be there. Trust me :)

Can't wait to see you and have a glass of celebratory merlot. Oh heck - we'll just polish off the entire bottle. :) How about it???

Stacy said...

Congrats Mer and Dave! Soren is so sweet! Although he does have that little old man look that I so love in one of the pics.

Let me know when I can come meet him and say Hi to you. Would love to partake in some good Merlot drinking too!

ADC said...

Lovely pictures Mer. Soren is gorgeous baby. I am s glad you are loving it and that ll is well now.

Melissa said...

Congratulations! Soren is beautiful (is it OK to say that about a boy? I hope so!). Your post gave me teary-eyes, such an exciting time in life!

Trigirlpink said...

So today, I said.. "hummm.. I think I'll pop on over to Mer's blog and see if there is any action goin' on. Oh My! What a nice surprise This is VERY exciting! Soren is a cutie. Would we expect less? OF COURSE NOT. So happy everything went well. Yay!

More pix please. :-)

Anonymous said...

I was not even expecting a post from you so soon but was so excited to hear all about your first few weeks and see the picts! he has grown sooo much already... amazing. He is so handsome and i can imagine you can not keep your eyes off of him! Enjoy every moment and keep us updated! Love and Hugs, Nicole in the Schweiz

Jennifer Yake Neuschwander said...

Hooray, what a special post. I'm so happy for you, Dave, and Soren. I'm with Stacy. I would love to meet Soren and sip some Merlot. Keep us posted.

Mary Eggers said...

The look in your eyes says it all, it really does. We think we understand what love is. We think we understand what love.... fear..... pain...... and what it means to truly truly truly love someone is...... until that baby comes out. It's like you are suckerpunched and the true meaning and capacity of it all is so much bigger than we are. Overwhelming.

So many people say they do not understand how being a parent can chage your entire world. Let them keep wondering because you know when it happens to you.

Congrats Mamma, I am so thrilled for you guys!

Anonymous said...

The information here is great. I will invite my friends here.

Thanks