Going home day

Taking the sun

To avoid more jaundice (his score was borderline), we are putting him in the sun for 5 minutes 3 times a day.

You think your head hurts?

Ethan

Day 1

Anne came today to help me get up and around and cleaned up. She brought some music and her smile and was a huge help. She even encouraged me to rest for a bit and took care of Ethan for me.




One day old! Waking up Mom.

The hospital has posted his picture at their online nursery: http://www.wakemed.com/body_iframe.cfm?id=318

I took the liberty of sharing it here as well. It so captures his personality the first few days...pursed lips and hands always going. :-)

Ethan is here! June 28, 3:21 a.m., 6 lb. 11 oz., 20 inches.

Looks like we made it!

A little worse for my wear.....and no drugs....but all is well and Ethan has arrived...with a record setting pace of 2 1/2 hours and did I mention no drugs? This was very disappointing and I think next time, I will book a room a week ahead of time just in case. Next time? You have got to be kidding me! The people who say you forget about it as soon as you see your baby? They lie!

It was scary and exciting and I have never felt anything like this in my life. It is overwhelming and I don't think I can sleep for fear he will stop breathing. I watch him for hours and every noise makes me jump up and run to the bassinet. And let me tell you, jumping is not really in my repertoire at this moment. It is more like a grimace, hop, limp, grunt, and lurch.

I am going to try and get some photos up but basically am just trying to keep my head above water. And enjoy my visitors! I have had calls and visits from so many people who care about us and it is very touching. I am very lucky to have the support network you all provide me.

Hospital trip - take 2

Deja vu - no appetite, start watchcing a movie and here come the contractions. Seems like a repeat of last Monday until they go from 7 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart in about 15! Maybe I shouldn't have taken that shower....

First trip to the hospital

So we have been 2 cms since Tuesday the 14th without much progress. Then came yesterday. We had a nice doctor's visit with 2.5 cm and 90% effaced. No biggie aside from a slighly elevated blood pressure. Work went fine and then came last night. I had contractions...and they hurt. Did I mention ouch? And they were about 4-6 minutes apart and getting stronger. So I called Tracey...she said to call the doc. So I called the doc and went to Wake Med to get checked. Nada....after careful monitoring (and my much overdue tour of the hospital) they sent me home with a sleeping pill. By the way, Ambien is my friend. :-) So today I arrive at work at 10 a little drugged and in need of a lot of caffeine but otherwise, not in labor. As for these kick counts they make you do....I just keep putting little check marks in the squares....the directions say you have to count 7 kicks in 2 hours. And what do you write if the child is playing full court basketball with 12 of their closest friends?

Shower the baby

My baby shower was today. I have never seen such an out pouring of support. My friends out did themselves with the food, the beautiful flowers, the work they put into everything. Tiffany had the best invitations (made with little giraffes). And Jean had that same design put on my carrot cake. Jean came all the way from Seattle to spend the weekend with me and see me pregnant ("nobody looks good in pink"). It was so short but so fun. There were flowers and balloons and Anne's baked Brie, Mary's cupcakes, and Daimar's banana empinadas. Terri made her best dips and of course was in charge of the punch. We actually fit 40 guests into my little house. It was mayhem and I have never been so touched. Mom made hanging baskets of flowers for my deck and her friends attended as well. My family was so generous and My Aunt refinished the bassinet that all 3 of us kids used when we were small. It looked gorgeous and with me being so sentimental, it meant the world to me.

I know it will take me weeks to send thank you notes to all those people who helped me celebrate. I want to make sure each one knows how much it meant to me. My department at work took me to a special lunch and gave me a jogging stroller and car seat. I am feeling so lucky and spoiled to have them and I know I will miss them when I am out on leave. My friends made sure I had everything I could possibly need and then some. They have the best taste in clothes and he has educational toys, binkies and more. Where do you begin to show how much it all means?

I can't say thank you enough to the friends that put this together for me. And for all they do for me everyday. Anne and Mare, clementines are us. Tiff...."oh my God"!!!! Terri, to the calming influence in my life who never doubted my decisions but would intervene when needed. Daimar, who came in to my life this year and has been so sweet and supportive. And to Mom and Jean who make every day so special.

Crib set

Tiff and the gang...Aunt Marie, Mom, Jean, Terri and Julie 

Jenn cutting the cake with Jared looking hopeful... 

Mother's Day

My first. Kinda surreal. Was awesome having Darla here visiting and spoiling me rotten. She gave me a card and the cutest moose from New Hampshire. And my family all sent cards...Terri and Tiff too. Made me feel so special. We went to brunch at the club and then back to the Zanchelli's. It was a very relaxing day. This whole weekend has been nice with walking on the tobacco trail, shopping, dinner out. Darla and I have spoiled ourselves rotten. Ethan will change my life....where will the pedicures be then? Hopefully Darla will still come visit when she has to sleep next door to a screaming infant. :-)

May Preggo Pic

Getting practice at Daimar's....Anne looking on to give direction!

Jenn next to the big Buddah in Kamikura, Japan

Ethan and Jenn Tour Japan

Well, I did most of the touring and Ethan did most of the hanging around. This was a chance at a trip of a lifetime for me and paid for by IBM since it was for business. I was nervous about the flying time and being so far away but have been healthy and with the doc's okay, I just couldn't pass it up. So Ken and I ended up travelling to Japan for a skills transfer and we were there for 9 days.

Once we learned how to get money, the rest was easy. At the airport, we tried to use every single credit card and ATM card we brought to no avail. Finally, we found one bus service that would take credit cards to pay for the bus tickets and managed to get to the hotel after a 90 minute bus ride. A frustrating hour spent at the airport finding our luggage and another while dealing with money. I think Ken was planning to barter off the pregnant woman in a scene from the amazing race reality TV show and I was ready to knock him out and sell his luggage. :-) Nah...we handled it in style and I figured worse case, I could call Am Ex and get some wired to the hotel. Anyway, the whole deal was the exchange rate. Ken said it was 10,000 to 1 so we were asking for 100,000 yen which turned out to be 1000 dollars and far exceeds what you can take out of an ATM. Once we tried this at a few machines, we had locked ourselves out for 24 hours. :-) We of course figured it out after we bought the bus tickets with my Am ex since it ever so nicely prints the exchange rate on the receipt. Doh!

The rest of the trip was much easier. We managed to master the subway system, travel to Kamikura and back, check out the view from the tower in downtown Tokyo, shop at Ginza, eat a 7 course meal all of soy products, walk the Imperial Gardens and more. Our hotel was amazing. I am not sure I have ever walked that much and Ken was an easy travel companion and patient with a 5 month pregnant woman! Ethan didn't seem bothered by any of the food and I had the opportunity to see the big Buddah and to touch the Pacific ocean from the other end.

February preggo pic - Jenn and Daimar