Fri 8/12/2005 11:03 PM
a day of discovery...
I'm sitting here writing this blog watching Chase jump in his jumper.. He just found his shadow. The lighting isn't very good in this apartment. But his shadow appears just next to him. Chase should be sleeping, but he's got alot of energy, so I put him in his jumper to tire him out. Mickey put on some music and it's amazing to see how well he can keep a beat with his jumps! Still, he's fascinated with his shadow. He keeps trying to catch it, talk to it, and laughing everytime it moves, or he moves. ha ha ha ha.
A couple hours ago we were sitting out on the balcony and he saw a bird flying by, and he watched it fly right over his head. And then he saw the airplane and watched it as it was climbing higher and higher into the sky , until it finally disappeared into the clouds. Chase is very aware of things around him. Maybe now is a good time to take him back to the zoo or maybe a trip to the aquarium should be in the near future!
I can't turn my head on him for one second. He's all over the place! He's stands sooo good now too. He'll use anything he can to pull himself up. Once he's up, he starts dancing and bouncing up and down, talking up a storm or excitedly screaming. As if he's saying, "Look at me, look at me".
We sing him a song.. "dancing machine" or "jumping machine" and he laughs and dances and jumps like crazy. I'll have to ask Mickey to put a clip of the video on the web so I can put it up on the website. Then everyone can see what I see everyday!
I went shopping at the Old Navy and Carter's outlet today. Just about everyone who walked by felt the need to stop and say hi to Chase or else point to him from afar, laughing. It makes me wonder, do they think he's extremely funny looking or is it just that when he's in his stroller, he's usually got one foot up top, just kicking back relaxing, taking in the scenery, and they think it's silly, or is it that he's always smiling, or maybe because he's always babbling up a storm, loudly ?? I know I can't help but laugh everytime he gets in one of his talkative moods. I can't help but smile and giggle.
Almost no one can believe he's only 8 months old. It must look funny when I carry him. He really is half the size of me, in length. If he keeps growing at this rate, he'll be as tall as me by the time he's 5... ha ha ha ha.
Tue 8/9/2005 3:36 PM
just shy of 8 months
I'm so in awe of Chase. I can't believe I grew him in my belly. It's such an amazing thing.
He's just shy of 8 months old, and you'd never be able to tell this huge little thing was 3 1/2 weeks early. They told us we should expect his growth or developement to be delayed at least 3 weeks, that it was normal for preemies. But we haven't seen any signs of it. I think he's right on target for all the stages thus far. Some areas he's more advanced.
Chase has four teeth showing now. Two bottom ones that are fully exposed and he loves to show off. And two on the top, but it's not the two front ones. It's the front left tooth and the tooth to the left of that one. He's showing signs of teething again, and four swollen bumps where they will be cutting through his gums any day now. He's such a trooper. Even in his fussiest moments, it's never for very long.
There's a thing called crawling that babies do, and then there's the crawling that Chase has created and mastered that consists of a frog like hop, mixed with some scooting using his arms. It's nothing short of enterntaining to watch. And he can get from one side of the room to another in less than a minute. That is unless the cat has caught his eye, then he'll take off to play with her, but she's just too fast for him.
He's pulling himself up using anything he can get his hands on. He's mastered the art of walking in his walker and using his papason as a walker. He'll go from room to room walker , laughing and chatting up a storm. I think we have some video of it that will be up on the website soon. He's also learned to use things to stand on to reach things he couldn't before. Such as his papasan to get on the couch or on the coffee table. We had to lower his crib yesterday, becuase he's learned to stand up by himself holding the rails. And I'm afraid he'll topple out or with his hanging on the side while dancing, the side bar will collapse ( even though they say it shouldn't ).
He's also learned some more words.. Mama, papa, baba, hi, ning ning ( which we still haven't figured out ) , bababoom... I woke up to him yesterday saying, "Hola, hola" followed by "aqua, aqua ". I called up my mom to ask her if she was speaking in spanish to the baby and she couldnt stop laughing. She says she speaks to him in both english and spanish. With a little luck, Chase will learn many languages!!
Chase does however one thing that is driving us up the wall.. literally. He likes to scrath the wall with his nails or his crib bars.. which sounds nothing short of a nails being dragged down a chalk board.. OUCH. I know he just likes to make noises but oh boy , this is rough.
I think I'll be calling him BamBam. No, not off that retched MTV jackass, I mean fool.. but remember the Flintstones cartoons?? Ok, I may be really dating myself here. But little Bam Bam was a strong baby, and loved to bang things around, much like Chase!
Fri 8/5/2005 12:15 PM
Follow up visit with the heart specialist...
I was browsing through my "July" photo folder of Chase and there was 638 photos of Chase in there... ha ha ha.. With this age of digital media, it's very easy to capture life. I only wish they had this stuff when Drew was growing up, or even when I was growing up, becuase I would have like to have seen myself evolve.
Chase had his 6 month follow up appointment with his heart specialist last Friday. He was 20 pounds and 29 inches long!! And he is the biggest trooper! The doctor was amazed that he didn't cry or fuss the whole examination. It appears that the hole has almost completely closed up on it's own.
It was neat looking at his heart function. But then she was quiet and searching, and pushing up on his abdomen, through his rib cage, I wanted to vomit. But Chase didn't seem to mind at all. I was worried there was something going on. She didn't see the hole at first, but she needed to make sure before releasing him.
It took her about 15 minutes of searching for her to find anything. It showed up on the bottom view of his heart. Just a tiny pinhead size hole left. We still have to worry about infection if he has any surgeory or dental proceedures ( which he shouldnt' need to even see a dentist until he's 2 ) . Mostly likely, this hole will be closed by the next appointment we have, which isn't until July 2006!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
bumps and bruises are never easy...
Well Chase gave me a big scare yesterday.... He was sitting in his papasan while I was brushing my teeth and he decided he wanted to touch me, but fell head first out of his chair. Now hair chair is not even a foot off the ground, but him sitting straight up and taking a head dive, scared him as well as me.
He cried.. I cried... he had a red bump on his forehead. I gave him tylenol, then a frozen grape fruit pop. And decided to call the nurse at his pediatricians. She said he was probably ok, but if I could bring him in, I should just to make sure he didn't hurt his neck.
We saw Dr. Henry. The first time meeting that doctor, and he was just as great as all the other doctors there. He said Chase is a beautiful healthy baby. And there was no real damage to Chase at all. I needed to keep in eye on him for 24 hours, just in case, but that welt on his head went away after a few hours and no sign on any bumps today.
I got a chance to ask the doctor a few questions of concerns I had. Like for instance, I know Chase is getting a tooth on the top, his left side. It cut through yesterday. But the tooth to the left of it, or maybe the k9 was also red, puffy and white. I thought maybe a cyst or an ulcer, but it was confirmed, it's another tooth! So now he's got 2 new teeth, but not the two front teeth. I'm thinking over the next two weeks if that right front one doesnt come in, it might look a little silly! hee hee
Chase weighed in at 19 pounds and he's 28 1/2 inches long. Tall little guy. His soft spot in his head is starting to close up now. He can eat anything, but still this doctor didn't really recommend him eating those self feeding foods until he is 9 months.
Thu 7/21/2005 12:10 AM
Road Trip!
Mickey's sister Stephanie and her husband Mark decided to fly out from Maryland to Las Vegas for a couple days. Mickey and I decided to drive out to hang out with them so they can meet the baby, and of course hang out with Chase's grammy Gina.
Daddy, Chase & Mommy
It was quite the drive out there. When we got to Baker, where the Death Valley split is, the thermometer read 120 degrees. I've never been in that hot of weather before. We aren't exactly sure of the temperature, becuase that thermometer was maxed out. A portion of that, we had to turn the air condition off in the car to prevent over heating.. And let me say... once that dry hot air hit our skin, it was on fire!! I understand why the population in Baker is only 600! And even then, I'm surprised it's that high! Now I understand, out here we don't get the humidity that the East Coast or tropical places get.... I couldn't imagine having added humidity to it, I think we would have died!! ha ha ha...
Chase, once again, did great in the car ride. It's usually a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hour drive, depending on traffic or the road construction. He didn't fuss or get tired until we were already there!! What a great guy!!
Las Vegas wasn't much cooler once we got there.. It was about 117. And unfortunately the air condition was broken upstairs and we weren't able to get any technitions out to fix it. We basically went into the pool around 9 pm and stayed in until 11 pm. The pool water was as warm as a bath! It was great and relaxing!
Aunt Stephanie & Uncle Mark
Chase was very excited to see his Grammy Gina and his Uncles Anthony & Dominic. But was asleep by the time Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Mark flew in. Once we figured out where everyone was sleeping we woke Chase up and he got to meet some of his East Coast family! He loved them!!
Uncle Dominic
Most of the next day we spent shopping and in the pool then BBQing. No one was able to come out to fix the air conditioning, so we left a day early. We wanted to spend more time there, but it just wasn't working to our advantage. We did have alot of fun there though! And our drive at night was only in 99 degree weather. It stinks that of all the times to have recording breaking heat wave, it had to be this week!
me & my Grammy Gina
Aunt Stephanie, me , Grammy Gina
Mickey's sister Jeniffer will be flying out in early September, so once again, Chase will meet an Aunt he hasn't met before! Then hopefully before year's end, we'll be flying out to Maryland so we can meet the rest of his family! We can't wait!!
Sat 7/2/2005 12:40 PM
A big month for Chase!!
Wow... it's hard to believe that 28 days have past since my last update on Chase. I know it's soo cliche, but time really does fly by...
I see you!!
This has been a really busy month for Chase.. He went to the beach for the first time June 18th. He loved it.. He put his toes through the sand..and giggled at the waves crashing in... Though he got a little startled when the water touched his feet, I think becuase the water is soo cold here. He laid out for a bit, then we packed up to walk around the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica.
My first day at Santa Monica Beach
Chase & Mommy
Mommy, Daddy & Chase
Chase even went to Las Vegas and visited with his Grandma Gina and his two uncles, Anthony ( Motz ) and Dominick. He did really good for the car ride. We only stopped once to eat and change his diaper. I took some photos from the front seat, but since he's in his new big boy car seat, I really can't see too well, so I have to almost turn all the way around to look over my seat.. It was difficult, but I took some photos of him during the drive by sticking my camera in front of him and pushing the button. I was surprised sooo many came out.
ha ha, I'm eating the camera!!
Chase & Uncle Motz
Shade bathing in Las Vegas
Chase sleeps all the time in his crib now. He's eating solid foods twice a day. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables and cereals. He's starting to crawl!! He'll bring himself up on his elbows and up on his knees and go. He hasn't quite mastered it yet , but it's alot more than the scooting he used to do. Between that and him rolling all over the place, I have to keep a constant eye on him .. He figured out how to walk in his walker, but only at my moms house. I think the carpet in our apartment is a bit thicker than hers. But the second I put him in. He's going backwards or sideways trying to get everything he sees!! He loves taking baths and showers.. He'll splash , splash, splash away, and play with his toys. He's starting to sit more, but he's definitely not an independant sitter. Though the doctor says we have nothing to worry about, becuase all babies will sit and stand and walk when they are ready... it's the whole dexterity and other stuff that's a big deal, but Chase has excelled at that stuff since he was 3 or 4 months, which really amazed his doctor!
figuring out how this walker works!
trying to eat my way out of this crib!
look at that handsome guy!
And if all that hasn't been a big enough month for Chase, he got his first two teeth! Yes, finally, his two bottom teeth broke through. They are most noticable today, I'll have to take some photos of him smiling so I can share them with everyone!!
if you look closely you can barely see my two teeth!
this frozen stuff is good on my gums!!
Until next update!!
Fri 6/3/2005 6:04 PM
Chase's 6 month check up!!
Well today Chase went in for his shots and check up. I was surprised that he only got 2 shots, and I was disappointed that they were supposed to give me a guide on starting him solid foods, but they were out...
So what I got from the Dr. was that he can eat up to 3 jars of food a day.. Start with yellow veggies then move to greens, becuase of the bitter taste in the greens.
Fruit juices are ok, diluted some because of the sugar content, unless i'm making fresh juice myself.
It's ok to give him melon or cantaloupe but not pineapple yet. She said to avoid the acidic fruits. And because I have a history of allergy to avacado, that I should avoid giving them to Chase for now.
Plain yogurt should be ok to give him, it's just some dairy products cause allergic reactions.
And yes, I should give him water, especially when it's hot out.
As for stage one and stage two.. The only difference is the stage 2 are thicker. I can give those to him as soon as I try all the single ones first.
As for Chase's stats: He weighed in at: 18.5 pounds. He is: 27 inches long and his head is 17 2/8 .
Chase was such a good boy for his shots. He didn't even cry. I gave him a bottle just after the shots and rode with him in the back seat, and he fell asleep for a bit. He woke up and was fine, but felt a little warm, so I gave him a little bit of Tylenol. And he watched Baby Einstein for a while. Now it's time to put him down for a late nap!!
Other than that ... he shouldn't have to go back to the doctors until his 9 month check up!!
Mon 5/30/2005 11:10 PM
Super Baby !!
I'm soo impressed with Chase's development!! He amazes me every day.
Today, I gave Chase a bath. I was sitting behind him on the little bath that I had bought for him. And he was laying in the water while I held him, and washed him. When I was done, I was holding him propped up by my feet and he was playing with a few of his toys. The water started getting cold, so I turned on the hot water to warm it up a bit. Then I made waves to mix the water. Chase was still playing, and let go of a few of his toys. He started reaching forward to get them, so I'd hold him so he could reach out for them. A few minutes later, he let the big one go and wanted to play with the caterpillar balls, but instead of trying to reach forward for them, he started making waves with his feet, kicking to push the water forward to send his toys back to him. This he figured out, all by himself!! I realized what he was doing and started to laugh and explained to him that he was smart for figuring that out, and he laughed and did it more and got his toys then put it down then did it again!!
He's still sleeping in his crib. In fact, only one night did he sleep with in bed with us. And that was only because he woke up when I got home from work and wanted to play.. I gave him a bottle and he fell asleep, but when I put him in his crib, he'd wake up and play, and chat up a storm. So finally , at almost 4 am, I picked him up and talked to him in bed, and he knocked out, and I just left him in bed with me.
He always falls asleep with something in his mouth... as you can see here, he fell asleep with his shorts in his mouth! I'm a little concerned though that he rolls around soo much, and seems to find comfort laying on his stomach. Which is funny becuase he never used to like to be on his stomach.
And speaking of laying on his stomach..He's trying to crawl. He scoots himself a few inches, trying very hard move forward.
I started him back on solids again.. He didn't like the Rice cereal much. I even tried mixing it with applesauce and bananas, but he didn't take to it. A few days ago, I tried Oatmeal. And he loved it! So for the past 4 days, I've given him up to 2 tablespoons of Oatmeal. And today I gave him some banana's and he seemed to like it better than before. We haven't gotten the ok to start him on solids from our pediatrician just yet though. They are very adament about waiting until 6 months. But his 6 month appointment is this coming Friday, even though he wont be exactly 6 months. And they will start him on solids then!
I can't wait till I'm able to start him on a variety of foods and start making his food !!
He's discovered Shrek! He loves to watch Shrek and all the Baby Einstein videos. They really do hold his focus for along time! Today we went to Toys R Us, and there was a talking Shrek doll. Chase saw it, and put his arms up for it, much like he does when he sees his bottle. So I bought it for him. He was soooo amazed by it. Kept looking at it , all wided eyed. Then of course, it went straight in his mouth! ha ha ha.. He chomped on his face, his nose and his hand all through the supermarket, and he was quite content!
He's growing soooo quickly!!
Little punk rock baby!!
Mon 5/23/2005 11:47 AM
December 16th... Chase's arrival...
Thursday December 16
th I went to my doctors appointment without Mickey.
Usually we go on Fridays,
but since we were meeting with a pediatrician on Friday, I made my appointment for Thursday.
I remember with my first pregnancy, by 8 months she was seeing me every two weeks, and by the end of my 8
th month, I was going in once a week. So bI still thought it was strange that my doctor decided to wait 2 weeks to see me. I figured once I hit my 34
th week she'd start seeing me every week.
Instead, she was to see me 2 weeks before my scheduled c-section.
Doesn't matter.
I was feeling very uncomfortable.
Heartburn like crazy.
I was practically living off Tums.
UGH.. not
a great feeling at all.
It was becoming more difficult for me to walk around comfortably.
But even more so, trying to sit around at home or sleep at night.
Until I read the label on Tums.. it contains Aluminum. I freaked out.. I even switched to a natural deodarant, because I didn't want the baby to be exposed to
aluminum while I was pregnant. I needed to do something about the heartburn, I couldn't take it and I wasn't comfortable taking anti-acids anymore.
We had talked about Jan. 3
rd being the arrival date of the baby.
But before she had mentioned Dec. 28
th as a possibility.
I planned on asking her to take the baby in December.
Not sure if I could actually carry until Jan.
My mom decided to come with me to my doctors appointment.
Knowing it was becoming hard for me to drive.
Before I left I looked at Mickey, lifted up my shirt and jokingly laughed, ?take a good look at this belly, because it's the last time you are going to see it!.
Seriously, I was laughing, telling him I was going to ask her if she could take the baby
that day.
We get there just before out 11am time.
But as usual, the doctor is very busy.
We finally get in around 12:30 or so.
As we are waiting for the doctor to come in, I hear all this commotion going on..
Bevery
Hospital
called with an emergency..
She needs to go in to perform an emergency c-section.
Great,
I'm either not going to be seen, or am going to be there for hours.
But I was wrong.
I was the second to the last patient before lunch, so she comes in to see me.
I start asking a bunch of questions,
hinting that I think it would be better to take the baby in December.
She wanted to check to see if I've dilated at all or not,
but what I didn't expect was for my blood pressure to be high.
It had been good all pregnancy,
but for some reason,
in 2 weeks, my blood pressure went from normal to high.
I was worried.
And because of my complaints it seemed to worry my doctor, because she was talking about scheduling the c-section on Monday the 20
th.
She asked me to go to the hospital to be observed for my blood pressure and to have them
run a stress test on me to find out how the baby is doing and how much fluid I was carrying.
To see if I was leaking fluid and if there was enough in there.
The woman running the test was surprised to see me in there, because she didn't think I looked like a prime candidate for having stress or high blood pressure.
Just goes to show you, you can't judge a book by it's cover.
I asked the woman if I could see the baby, and she said the ultrasound she was doing, wasn't the same as the ones the doctors do. But then she saw his face, and told me to look at him, and he was smiling and sticking out his tongue, it was too cute!
What we didn't expect was that I was having contractions every 5-7 minutes.
I couldn't feel most of them.
But some of them I definitely noticed.
She called my doctor to let her know and my doctor said they needed to admit me.
Admit me??
I wasn't ready to have the baby.
I mean, Mickey is at work.
He just got to work.
I hadn't even eaten for the day.
The hospital was crazy busy.
They didn't have any available beds. I joked with her that I was hoping the doctor would agree to schedule a c-section soon,
and her along with all the other on staff nurses said.. "don't have it today, we have no more room!" .
Apparently that was their busiest day.
There were no beds available,
and nothing would free up until the next day.
I asked if I could just come back in the Monday on Friday, but the doctor said no. I begged her, I was hungry!!
I called up Mickey to let him know I was being admitted, and that he should come down.
But the woman told me they didn?t plan on doing the c-section until 8 pm.
That gave Mickey some time to decide what he wanted to do.
The plan was he would take the subway home,
drive to pick up Drew and them come out to the hospital.
Luckily my mom was with me, so I wasn?t going through this by myself.
They admitted me , hooked me up to the machines and out of no where, labor just came on.
My contractions were strong and coming a minute apart.
I didn't really know what was going on.
I wasn't in any sort of major pain,
just some mild cramping.
I did notice the huge mountains being created on the graphs though. Then a nurse runs in with an IV, another with a couple vials and a big needle, followed by my doctor.
They were going to prep me.
Take the baby at 4 pm.
It was 3:20 at this point.
They gave me some stuff to stop the labor because it was coming on too quick.
I begged the doctor to wait until Mickey got here, but she said she couldn't.
I paniced
I called Mickey to tell him he was probably going to miss the birth and to get here as soon as he could.
I didn't reach him though, so I left him
a message.
Whatever the medication was that they gave me, worked.
My contractions slowed down and they told me they'd do the c-section at 5pm.
Mickey still wasn't here.
I asked the nurse if she could please ask the doctor to wait until 6.
Mickey would surely be here by then.
She agreed.
6 o' clock it was.
Finally Mickey and Drew showed up.
So much traffic on the freeway.
They got there about 5:45.
I was already hooked up to the IV.
Bruised up by the IV needle because the nurse tried to put it on my left hand, and I told her that they always had problems on my left side.
She stuck that needle in sooo hard and so deep, proud of herself saying she got it, and I was screeching in pain, OUCH, it hurts.
She put the fluid pack in only to have it squirt all over the place, and she apologized for missing the vein,
blood was dripping everywhere.
Sigh.
She got it in perfectly the first time on my right hand.
It hurt, but at least was in. But still blood was leaking, and leaked for the whole time I had the IV in me.
Another nurse came in to prep me for surgery. She shaved me, wiped me down, and that was it.
Much different from my first pregnancy.
Of course, at this point it was considered
an emergency c-section.
6 o' clock rolls around.
The doctor hasn't
come in.
I'm starting to freak out a bit.
Then the nurse walks in,
hands Mickey his scrubs.
Hands me a hair cap.
And says they'll be taking me in soon.
Mickey dresses and looks like the stay puff marshmallow man.
We get a good laugh out of it,
so I take a couple photos of him and then they come to escort us into the operating area.
I also took a photo of the clock.
I wanted to remember the time I was being wheeled out.
They had Mickey wait in the recovery room, while they took me in to start prepping me for the actual surgery and give me the spinal to numb me.
I was trying to take a head count to see how many people were actually in the room .
I guess it was my way of trying not to freak out.
The one nurse who gathered all my information was the one who mostly comforted me.
She held my head as the anesthesiologist was probing my back, looking for an area to stick the needle in.
It didn't hurt at all.
It wasn't at all what I expected, though I really refused to tense up and create more problems later, so I tried to relax and be as jelly like as I can.
They helped me back on the table,
started wiping me down with that antiseptic.. I remember seeing my doctor and she introduced me to another doctor, who I can't remember his name, who was the assisting doctor.
I said I felt what they were doing, and they asked me if it was warm or cold.
I remember it being cold, which means it was working.
Then my doctor looked at the nurse and said to go get daddy, they had already started.
This was about 6:45pm .
He comes in and he's got this worried look on his face.
I'm focusing to see if I could feel anything, because I was sure I was going to throw up, but I didn't.
As soon as they get me open, my doctor says, "there's a foot, a big foot", and that created a stir.. the anesthesiologist pulled down the sheet to look and said "it's a really big foot!".
Then I remember her saying and lots of cord.
Then they started rushing.
Which led me to believe he was wrapped up in the cord.
They told me I'd feel some pressure, which I did.
It felt like they were going to break my rib cage, they pressed down sooo hard, I was like I can't breathe, I can't breathe.
Then the baby was pulled out.
They cleaned him up, and brought him over to me so I could give him a kiss.
Then they escorted Mickey out so they could sew me up, which didn't seem to take a long time.
Then they put me in another room where a nurse was sitting and said I'd have to be there until I can move my legs, which would be about 2 hours.
I sat there laying in bed trying my hardest to wiggle my toes.
Nothing. I felt like one of those movies, where you see someone trying to do something but they can't.
About an hour later, the nurse looks over and said, "oh great, you are moving your toes".
I couldn't feel it, but I played it off.
Much to my disappointment, they still didn't have a room available,
it was almost 3 hours until I would get a room.
Well during this time what I didn't know, is that at some point Chase went limp.
They immediately put him in the NICU to be monitored.
I don't remember what time it was when I got my room, but Mickey was there and my mom and Drew.
Mickey showed me a couple photos of the baby he took with his camera phone.
Then my mom & Drew left.
Around midnight the pediatrician came into my room.
I was wondering why they hadn't brought me my baby.
I wasn't sure about breastfeeding.
At first, I was like no..
I was scared, but after I had the baby, I wanted to try .
They all knew that, so I was really surprised when I didn't see my
baby.
Well, the pediatrician starts telling me that after the baby was born, he went limp.
Why, they didn't really know, so he'd be in NICU for a while to be monotired.
Not only that, but he had a heart murmur, so she was ordering some chest xrays, ekg and having a heart specialist coming in to look at him.
So now I'm freaking out.
She said she'd be back in the morning to evaluate him.
I looked at Mickey and said I thought the baby was fine.
He saw the baby go limp, but he didn't want to tell me.
I was hurt that he could keep that from me, I mean, if something is wrong, tell me so I can be there, don't keep it from me.
Maybe an hour or two later, the woman who was in the next room started screaming.
Her baby died.
We listened to her agony as she was in disbelief and upset that no one told her there were any complications.
I hopped on the phone with the nurse, bring me my baby, or take me to my baby.
Nothing.
I couldn't get up because of the c-section.
Finally 7 am rolls around,
I call again, please bring me my baby.
I finally get him at 8 am.
He's perfect.
The biggest little thing.
He was in the NICU for only 2 hours.
They said he was doing fine, and I bottle fed him, because that's what they started him on.
I decided to take all the pain killers as they gave them to me, so that I could heal quicker and not take any when I got home.
So I was torn whether to breastfeed or not.
The pediatrician came back later that day to explain that Chase was doing great, but that he has VSD,
a small hole in his heart.
The good thing was that it was pumping good blood into the bad blood and not the other way around.
Sometimes these things go away, and sometimes they need to have surgeory.
She said the heart specialist would be by to talk to us.
The nurses weren't all that great with helping me and getting me to walk around.
I asked one nurse to please help me to the bathroom, and all she did was help me sit up and told me to make sure I don't fall over my IV and then left. I struggled to get to the bathroom and back. I was pissed.
The pediatrician came to see us and explain that the hole in his heart wasn't too big.
And that it can heal on it's
own, and if it didn't , there shouldn't be any reason for him not to have a normal life.
We needed to go see her when he was a month old to see how it's coming along.
They finally released us Sunday morning.
The hospital stay was ok.
I had some good nurses and some lazy ones.
I think on Saturday night, the cleaning room came in and was cleaning the bed next to me at 3 am.
I'm thinking, can't you do this tomorrow?? All in all, it was a crazy experience, but the weirdest part was yet to come..I was just happy to be able to come home with my beautiful little guy....
more to be cont'd....
Sat 5/21/2005 11:35 PM
Chase had a big day!
My little guy is doing something new everyday! He's got this thing he does when he's sleeping, or I should say to fall asleep... He loves to put his blanket or his toys over his face. It's funny. We always check on him a few minutes after we put him down, and we have to pull off whatever is covering his face. The other day he had his teething blanket bear over his face, but the bear was standing up , so it looked like a green face with a brown bear nose, I couldn't stop laughing!! I need to take photos of it!
He's blowing kisses... blowing raspberries... holding his bottle... trying to sit up, but he doesn't stay up very long. He's definitely not in the winning race for most coordinated , at this young age. When he's laying down, I'll wiggle my fingers and tell him to give me his hands, and he does, then he pulls himself up.. but not he's trying to stand.. I'll let him lift himself up, and he goes right up on his legs. Though he still hates the carpet on his feet, he's only standing up for a short bit. But it still amazes me!
We took him to the zoo yesterday!! It was definitely more for us, than for him. But he did seem to enjoy it. He didn't fuss at all. I'm not sure how many of the animals he could actually see, but he loved the giant turtles. He loved the bobcat that was pacing back and forth. I think it reminded him of Shibby. And he was fascinated with the tiger. But I think the tiger was fascinated with us. He kept trying to cross the way, but every time his foot hit the water, he went back.. Thankfully we weren't kitty food! I was a little disappointed that zoo was mostly under construction, so alot of animals weren't there. But we saw all the ones we wanted to see, and I even got a bonus. I love otters, and they have 2 there. They were quite playful and I got some cute photos! We were followed around by a peacock though.. It went everywhere we went. Very entertaining to say the least!
* Chase looking at the turtles * * self portrait - Chase, Crystal , Mickey *
* silly Chase *
After our trip to the zoo we came home and it was still hot out. So we decided to take a swim, it was Chase's first time in the swimming pool. It was a bit cold. And he grimaced a bit when he had the first cold water experience, but was a trooper after I moved his legs around a bit.. I got some cute photos of him relaxing , then we took him out because the pool water was just not get warm enough, no matter how much we moved around!
* Ok dad.. you sure about this?? * * I do believe I can get used to this! *
And after all that excitement, Chase took his first shower! He loved it! It's nice to know when I'm in a rush, I can just take him in the shower with me.. hee hee.
Tue 5/17/2005 6:23 PM
Chase eats some rice cereal!!
I took Chase in to see his pediatrician today. Acutally his pediatrician is out on maternity leave, so one of the other doctors there saw him.
He's had this lingering cough for about 2 weeks now, and a stuffy nose.. I thought at first his cough was just due to something new he learned, but since I was coughing, I figured he got it from me. Because of the VSD, I need to make sure he doesn't have an infection.
Chase is doing great. He weighed in at 17 pounds 2 ounces. And is 26 1/2 inches long. He didn't really grow, but then it's only been a month since the last visit. And he'll be going back in less than 3 weeks for his 6 month check up.
Turns out, coughs can stay around for weeks. He's not sick.. And said the stuffy nose and cough are because he had a little cold. And because he's teething. So no antibiotics are needed. But his gums are swollen, therefore, he'll be extremely fussy, but she says she doesn't really see any teeth ready to break through, which means, it will be a painful time for Chase.
She still recommends I wait on starting him on solid foods, but she told me I could start giving him cereal once a day... So, I did just that... today, I gave him some rice cereal. He did a great job with it. I dont think he really liked it at all. He kept making faces, but would eat it anyway. He actually ate more than he pushed out! It was quite funny!
he's not very sure about this experience...
pondering the new texture...
silly Mommy
ok..time to wash it down...
Mon 5/16/2005 9:26 PM
Chase turns 5 months today!
I know I keep saying this, but boy, time does seem to fly by... Too quickly if you ask me.
I keep meaning to post updates more regularly, but then one thing leads to another...
Chase is teething. Poor little guy... His gums are sooo swollen, and I can't even touch them to rub them, without him screaming out in pain. I feel sooo helpless. I called his doctor, because for the past 2 days he's been vomitting. And Chase, is not a spit-upy little guy. He's still a little stuffy, and that cough just seem to linger on and on... It's been almost 2 weeks. But the nurse suggested we take him because of the VSD. Just to make sure he's not running some sort of ear or sinus or lung infection.. OUCH.
I had to come home from work early last night, becuase my mom couldn't get him to stop crying. Today, he only had one crying bout, but it was when I started to change his diaper. It broke my heart. I know it's probably normal. And I know there are quite a few normal fussy babies, but Chase isn't one of them.
On the flip side.. We finally got a crib for Chase. Sigh... My little boy is growing up!! We bought it on Friday. We put him in it a few times and played with him, then took him out until bed time, laid him down, and he did his normal 2 minute fuss/cry and then knocked right out.
It was very traumatic for me.. ha haha.. Just because I'm sooo used to co-sleeping with him. I woke up every half hour to make sure he was still breathing. Paranoid, I know. He's not exactly far from me either. I can reach the crib and play with his toes by just extending my hand. The crib is right next to my bed. I did remove the bumper guard on the side thats facing me, so I can see him... hee hee.
It wasn't until about 4:30am that he started rolling around. Then I fed him at 5:30am and he fell asleep in my arms in my bed.. hee hee... Saturday was great... Put him in around 10:30pm, and he didn't even wake until 7:30! Good boy! And even last night... in bed by 11:00 pm, and awake at 8:00 am..
But the one thing I notice since he's been sleeping in his crib.. is that he's more fussy during the day, or wants to be held more during the day... I think he's having some abandonment issues, but Mickey thinks it's just because he's teething.. But he's been teething for awhile now.. I think it's intresting though.. I wonder if anyone had the or similar experience???
Chase's first night in his brand new crib...
fast sleep with his little teething bear blanket..
Sunday, May 1, 2005
wooooah... time flys...
I can't believe it's been about 2 weeks since my last post...
Chase went in for his 4 month check up and shots. Can I just say, he's the greatest little thing in the world!
Chase weighed in at 16 pounds and is 26 1/2 inches long. That's a 2 inch growth spurt in a month!
You would have never guessed he just got shots either. He let out a little yelp , each time the needle went in to his legs, but didnt fuss or whine at all. He was a happy baby all day and all night long. But he did run a slight fever for about 2 days.
He's teething. I can see the bottom 2 teeth, just about to cut through. He has a very strong jaw. He bit his tongue the other day so hard, that he had a little bruise on the tip of his tongue! Poor little guy!
He's very strong too. He started rolling from his back to his stomach. Holds his bottle completely. And grabs anything near him and sticks it straight into his mouth! He amazes me.
I'm not starting him on solid foods yet. Our pediatrician said to wait till 6 months, but said we could start cereal now. I don't think he's ready just yet though, he's still pushing everything out of his mouth with his tongue.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
toes, toes, toes...
Time is really flying by sooo fast. I wanted to post the whole birthing experience as it happened, and 4 months have already gone by. I still plan on sharing the story, I just haven't had the free time I'd like to have to write it.
Chase is growing sooo fast. He's tall and lanky. He's got big steel blue gray eyes and full pouty lips with the cutest little dimples. He's still bald, but his hair is starting to come in. Still not sure what color it will be, or if it will be curly or straight. He's got the greatest laugh. Not just all smiles. This little guy full belly laughs, that you can hear a mile away. And he's such a chatter box. Talks up a storm.
He's slept through the night since I first brought him home from the hospital. Sometimes he wakes for 1 bottle, but mostly, he's sleeps for 6 hours at a time or more. And even though he's teething now, he's not with a fussy nature.
He's very strong. Holds his head up. Starting to hold his bottle. He's been sitting up with the help of his boppy pillow for weeks now. He grabs things. Holds his toys. But the one thing he hasn't really done, is put his feet down on the ground to try and stand.
It's funny, becuase little Ethan is very strong. He can stand by himself for a few seconds. But Chase, you try to stand him up, and he's like jelly. I bought him a jumper and a walker. He loves them both. But the second his feet touch the ground, he pulls them up quickly, like hot potato. I think he hates the feeling on the carpet on his toes.
But as of yesterday, he's starting to stand. He'll be laughing down, and I'll count to 3 and pull him up. Actually, he pulls himself up. And he'll stiffen up his legs for a few seconds. I'll say "Yeay Chase, you are standing" and he'll start cracking up. He loves praise. So I'll lift him up, and wait for him to put some weight on his legs, and he loves it. So his legs are getting stronger. =) .
I know I shouldn't worry. Afterall, he was 3 weeks early. Which they say means, he can be up to 3 weeks behind the average baby in his development. But honestly, he's more advanced than alot of kids his age. Not to mention, he's just coming up on the 4 month mark. I don't know what I'm expecting soo much from him so soon.
Friday, April 8, 2005
Chase.. March 2005
Chase meets his first friend....
Last year at my birthday party, my friend Sacheen brought a date. This guy Dylan. He was a cool cat. I don't remember much from that night, but saw he was in a few photos that were taken on my camera.
Sacheen really liked him alot. He ended up adding me as his friend on his myspace list. And we'd occasionally chat, but not often. A few weeks later, he ended things with Sacheen. Said he was getting back together with an old girlfriend, or something to that effect.
A couple months later, Sacheen told me Dylan's girlfriend Misti was pregnant. Not long after that I found out I was pregnant. So I sent Dylan an email. As a matter of fact, he knew before Sacheen did, that I was pregnant.
They were due around Christmas time, and I was due a week later. I sent Misti and email trying to make friends with her, becuase I thought having a pregnant friend would be great. But I never really heard back from her, so I sorta blew it off. After all, it seemed kind of weird.. I was friends with a girl who he used to date. And I wasn't sure what kind of relationship they had.
Dylan and I would pass emails, with updates on our baby progress.
It turns out Misti had her baby the day after I had Chase. Dylan left a few messages on my phone, but would always leave Misti's cell phone number for me to return the call. I was very hesitant. And finally I called. Misti and I soon started talking on the phone, then passing emails.
About 3 weeks ago, we finally met in person. She came into my work to apply for a job. We hit it off. She went out of town for a week, and after she came back, we planned a night for her and Dylan and Ethan to come over.
So last Friday they came over. Mickey and Dylan finally met. And Chase and Ethan finally met. We all hit it off great.
But we found out there sooo much about me and Misti that are common. Like, Misti and Mickey are the same age, and Dylan and me are the same age. There are alot of other coincidences too. The kids are a day apart, with and exact hour later. We both had c-sections. The kids are both with the middle name Michael. Misti is o-neg and Ethan is o-pos. I'm o-pos. and Chase is o-neg. They were born almost the exact same size. Dylan and Mickey both refer to the boys as handsome. The list goes on....and on....
If I could have only captured the kids expressions when they first met. It was late to start off. But Ethan was just staring at Chase with this intense little look on his face. And Chase was sorta just drooling and trying to figure out what it was in front of him, becuase it looked different than the baby in the mirror he was used to seeing.
After a few minutes Chase started cracking up laughing, which made Ethan laugh. Then they just exchanged giggles and laughs, and we started taking photos. Then they ate and fell asleep as we had a couple beers and ate pizza.
It was a great night. Misti and Dylan are great people. And they live only a few blocks away from us. It's nice to finally have another "family" couple, instead of just our single friends or couple friends with no kids..
Crystal*Chase Misti*Ethan
Chase * Ethan
(looking at the daddy's taking thier photo)
Chase * Ethan
a day apart... future best friends!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
baby stuff...
I went back to work a week ago.. Ugh.. I miss my little boy so much. I know it should be like a welcomed break, but it isn't. I know I only work 3 nights a week, for about 6-8 hours each shift. But an hour can seem like a year!
I'm getting better though. Mickey gets home from work about 9:30 or 10:00 pm, and will usually take a photo of Chase with his camera phone and send it to my phone, so I get to see him while I'm working. It always brings a smile to my face!
Chase has starting chatting up a storm. Gurggling, giggling, trying to speak his vowels. It's sooo cute. He had a nasty ear infection. And just finished up his antibiotics today. There was nothing worse than watching the doctor scope out his ear, and hold him down while the nurse had to flush his ear out with water so the doctor could go in deeper... UGH.. OUCH..
Chase cried, but handled it rather well, I think. We have a follow up appointment next Monday. But if that's not bad enough, he'll be getting his second round of shots next month.. Poor little guy.
I say little guy becuase he's little, but oh my, he's BIG! hee hee.
We went to see the photos from that photographer. They had this nice slide show set up with this sappy music. Made you want to cry as you see your baby's photos fade in and out.. It's a great marketing gimic. I'm glad for the whole experience, becuase it gives me ideas for my photography business.
But to be honest with you. Those photos were NOT great at all. I mean, they were cute, becuase they were of my son, but I've taken better shots with my 3 mega pixel digital camera. And the prices he was asking... nothing less than $300.. There was one package I like that had 3 shots. It was $400. and the 9 photo package was over $600.
As soon as we get moved in. I'm going to set up Chase and take those same photos. And create that same $600 look. The frame might be expensive, but I know I can do a better job! hee hee.
This is from Chase's first road trip to Las Vegas to visit his Grandma and meet his Uncles. I'll post those details tomorrow!
Friday, February 25, 2005
Chase's first audition...
I got a flyer in the mail from a photography studio... It read, "Baby Contest. Currently looking for babies/children for photographers portofolio, advertising, etc." The compensation would basically be TFP. They'd give us copies of photos they took, and any brouchures etc.
So naturally, I submitted Chase. I mean, just look at this adorable face...
Who could resist it? hee hee..
I submitted an application via email. Sent in some photos. And didn't hear anything for about 2 weeks. Then I get a call. They are intrested in test shooting with Chase. Great! I thought.
So, Wed. we got a few outfits together, and went to meet with the photographer. He was running behind shedule. There was a woman with her daughter a head of us. She had been there for an hour.. Oh boy. I wasn't planning on being there, but the 20 minutes they said it would take.
Then a woman came after me. She had a 3 month old little boy, Nicolas. She came over to look at Chase and started calling him "Mommy". Ok... I'm sorry, but it's a boy, not a girl. She was even calling her son "Mommy". I found that a little odd. Maybe it's normal. I dont know, but I never heard a boy refered to as mommy before.
She came to talk to Chase, and he talked back and smiled. She said she was jealous because Chase has dimples. Then she took her son over to the couch and decided to change his diaper. She tried talking to him, but he kept crying. Then she said.. "come on Nicolas, you aren't going to let THAT boy show you up, are you?" . I was offended. What did she mean by THAT boy? And poor kid to have to grow up with a mother like that. All she could do was talk about how ugly some of those babies are...
It was finally our turn to get in front of the camera. And not soon enough! The photographer fell in love with Chase. It was alot of fun. Chase was flirting with the photographers assistant. They all thought he cute and funny.
After the shoot, the assistant handed me a bouchure. It was of the prices of thier products. And a release form, should they choose to use any of Chase's photos.
So after all that.. It was a scam! It was a way for that photographer to lure people in, photograph them, get free advertising for him self, and charge an arm and a leg should you like any of the photos.
I"m soooooooooooo disappointed, becuase I know some of those shots will come out great. And he charges $100.00 per 8x10 photo.. UGH.
Me out of anyone, should know what's a scam, and what's not... damn...
Sunday, February 20, 2005
who would have thought..
I guess you are never really prepared for someone to hurt your child. In fact, I think it brings more pain to the parent, than to the child itself.
Chase went in to the doctor on Friday. It was his 2 month check up. Which meant, time for shots. Aaaahh... poor baby. I was trying to soothe him. Gave him nice head massage, and held his binky up for him. But he was not prepared for those needles jabbing him in his legs... OUCH! I cried!! So did Chase.
He tensed up sooo hard. And after the first needle when he screamed in pain, he held his breath and almost turned blue. The nurse stuck in the second shot, and he didn't yelp as bad. I kept trying to tell him it was almost over, and everything was going to be ok. Then she stuck him in his other leg.. Sigh. And again.. He screamed.
He did not like getting shots. And I did not like him getting shots. We have to do this all again, in 2 months. Sigh.
He recovered quickly. Fell right to sleep, and slept most of the day and all night long. He didn't really run a fever, but since he's been sick for a week with a cough and congested nose, I gave him a small amount of Tylenol yesterday. He seemed to like the cherry flavour ok, but he hates that pedialite!
Chase is offical 2 feet tall! He weighed in at 12 pounds and 24 inches long! Growing, very quickly.
Just a week and a half ago, I put him in the baby carrier, and his head barely reached the top. Yesterday, his head was sticking right out the top!
Everything else was good with Chase. The finally changed his formula! Woo hoo. And he seems to be taking it better than that Alimentum , he was on.
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