Just in case you are hungry for more pics...

No time to blog today, but wanted to share one of my favorite recent photos. Leo loves to sprawl out for naps in the day (what I call the touchdown position) and be swaddled up tight at night. Don't you love his converse sneaker socks? And those chubby legs and belly?

4 Weeks Old

Happy 4 weeks Leo!

Today was a truly busy day- I didn't shower until after noon and it is 10pm and I still haven't checked facebook...gasp. So sorry, no picture tonight but a guarantee of one on Saturday when Leo will be ONE MONTH OLD! Yikes. Get ready...he is such a chunk; soon he will be in his 3-6 month clothing!

Success!

I put him in his swing like this...

and after a few wiggles, grunts, cries, songs, and drags on the nuk...
...he was sleeping in his swing- by himself! No mom, no nuk (pacifier, binkie, whatever you call it)...just some country music playing and me vacuuming in the other room. Way to go Leo!

3 Weeks Old!

Seriously, time is going by too fast! I can not believe Leo is already three weeks old- and if it is possible, he just keeps getting cuter! He is definitely filling out more and already looks different to me than when he was born.

This past week we were lucky enough to have Nick's parents visit and meet Leo; they left last night and now for the first time since birth we are kind of alone and going to start resuming real life (I have a deadline for work this Friday!) The house really needs cleaning and I have no idea how I used to prepare meals for us every single day, but we are looking forward to figuring out a new routine :) However, our routine won't be set for long as we are expecting to make a decision on grad school for the fall in the next few weeks- wish us luck!

This year for Valentines...

...I had a bath with these two studs! Leo is still learning to love his bath, and we are still learning how and when to give them. He is super cute though and I am very grateful to have such a healthy baby. :)

Happy Two Weeks Leo!

I love you buddy! I am so glad that you joined our family :)

Leo - Part 2

The Epidural

So we finished our card game and I asked for some pain medication. The nurse checked and made sure I was dilated enough for the epidural (I was...barely). They called in Dr. Mark Christopher Simon to give me the epidural...why do I remember his full name you ask? Well once he found out we were having a boy and weren't set on a name yet, he offered any of his three names. I told him that I would have to wait and see how much the epidural helped; if we were going by that alone, Leo would definitely be a Mark...the epidural was great! Getting the epidural didn't hurt nearly as much as I had thought it might and it made receiving the cathedar completely painless.

My legs got pretty heavy and so it was tricky to turn on my sides- I kept switching from one side to the other for Leo's monitoring- but it made it possible for me to rest and almost nap while we were waiting for Leo. Kudos to those women that can or want to go through childbirth without an epidural, but I am a big fan and won't be attempting it without one! :)

Pushing

Nick had been at my side all day and my parents and been in and out. My doctor was going to come by after her regular office hours and hopefully finish the job. She arrived and we started pushing about 7:30pm. I had a great nurse name Kris that coached me well and Nick dove right in to help! At the beginning I couldn't feel too much when to push because of the epidural, however it wasn't long before I could tell- the doctor and nurses would look at the monitor and each other and confer if we should push this contraction or not and I could beat them to it by the end. We pushed 3 sets of 10 seconds each. There were only a few times by the third set, count 7 or so that I thought I couldn't push any longer...for the most part it really wasn't that bad.

Birth

They asked if I wanted a mirror to see the head...are you kidding me? No way! Just get him out! They kept saying they could see the head and finally with one big push his head was out, I felt the doctor kind of twist him or something to get his shoulder out, and then the rest of his little body just slipped out! What a miracle! We looked at the clock- 8:40pm. They weighed him immediately- 9 lbs .07 oz (rounded up to 1 oz). His head was so long from being in the birth canal for so long, but it only took a day or so to get to its nice round shape.

Recovery

After that, it was kind of a blur...I laid there and the doctor finished up with me and the nurses were taking care of our baby boy right next to my bed. Everyone was taking pictures and texting and such, myself included! We called my dad back in from the waiting room and ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the perfect little being that just joined the world. We tried to feed immediately and then baby and Nick headed off to the nursery!

The doctor and nurse finished me up and I got into a wheelchair to be wheeled down to our new room. We passed Nick on the way and sent him to gather up all of our belongings- he joined us shortly in our nice private room and my parents headed out to McDonalds to get me a Big Mac...after a long day with only ice I was dreaming of a Big Mac (which is weird because I have only ever had one in my life and it was a few months ago...I figure being pregnant I had a good excuse to eat one!)

It was getting late, already 10pm or so, and so my parents headed home and my nurse for the night - Stephanie - came in and helped me figure out what was going on and how to make it through the night...both for my sake and little Leo's! There was a pull-out couch for Nick to make a bed on and we soon settled in for night one as a family of three! :)

LEO - Part 1

Well, I really have been wanting to blog, i.e. document for myself, all about Leo's entrance into the world, but I have been finding that what everyone tells you is true...time flies when you have a little one to attend to! So at least when I have a few moments where he is sleeping and the dishes are done, etc. I am going to start my record. Read it at your own risk!

Tuesday, January 25th

Still waiting for Leo to come on his own. When I tell people that I am to be induced Wednesday morning they all tell me he will come on Tuesday...not true. I made a Walmart run and got one of my last chocolate fixes for a while, a Frosty at Wendy's- a medium! It kind of feels like I am going on a trip or something...I am cleaning the house, cleaning out the fridge, doing our laundry, etc.

(Yes, right before we left the hospital I let Nick take a picture of my huge belly to document that I was indeed carrying a porker for nine months!)

Wednesday, January 26th

I actually slept! We wake up early and get dressed to go to Willowbrook Methodist Hospital; when we get there we park, grab our bag for labor with snacks for Nick and cards and reading material for me, climb the stairs to the 2nd floor, make one last trip to the bathroom, and check in. I fill out one little form and then they take us back to our room- our nurse's name is Rosalind. She gives me a hospital gown and I change and get in bed. She starts the IV of pitocin at about 7:30am. We take a picture and text people that we are starting.

Before long my doctor arrives- they had initally said that they would break my water around lunch if we hadn't progressed enough by then, but my doctor wants to get the show on the road and she breaks my water at about 8:30am...what a weird feeling. We call my mom and let her know she might want to get to the hospital sooner rather than later.

While Nick and I wait, we watch my contractions on the computer screen; one monitor shows my contractions and the other shows the baby's heart rate. I slowly am starting to actually feel the contractions and can tell when one is happening without looking at the screen...but they aren't too painful yet. Nick is a good sport and watches my morning routine of GMA, Regis & Kelly, and The View with me while giving me ice and handing me my phone when I get a text.

Shortly after my mom arrives we decide to play cards...it has been a few hours of laying there and I am getting bored. So Nicholas, my mom, and myself start playing 3-14 (a card game) and I take bathroom breaks every couple of hands; The View is on tv in the background; by the last few hands I am holding my breath during the contractions as they are getting stronger and definitely hurting. I made it a goal to finish the game and then ask for some pain medication...I was pretty cranky the last few hands but I won and we hurried to call the nurse. She asked if I was ready for the epidural...sure! I mean, if now was the time to have it then YES! I will not even pretend to be one of those women who want to do it naturally...and especially after having an epidural I think those women are crazier than ever!

LNV - One Week Old!

Happy 1 Week Birthday to my little lion. In some ways it is hard to believe it has only been a week- remind me what was life like before you again! In other ways I can not believe that a week has already gone by...please don't grow up!

PRESENTING...

Leo Nicholas Vernon

January 26, 2011

8:40 pm

9 lbs 1 oz

22 inches

He is perfect in every way and we are so happy to have him home with us! :)

Stay tuned for many more pictures and details on his birth and first week...once I finally get caught up with things enough to justify spending "free time" on blogging.