Our Solstice Baby is Here!

What a blessing to have our boy arrive in this world on Summer Solstice. Emmett Quin delivered on June 21st at 12:41p mid-way through the longest day of the year. We're thrilled to have our little crab of a Cancer who would have been a Gemini had he been born 7 hours earlier.

The birthing experience was nothing short of a miracle. We were blessed with a healthy boy after 11 hours of labor. After 1 hour of contractions, my water broke at 2:30a. We were at the hospital by 4:30a and my cervix was fully dilated by 9a. One of my favorite friends of the day was Anesthesioligist Eric who relieved the excruciating pain, but also slowed the labor. The trade-off was 3 difficult hours of pushing. Three, VERY difficult hours made more bearable by the four individuals cheering and encouraging me to go the distance: Nurse Anita, Dr. Matin, dear friend Nurse Beckie Merce and loving husband, Justin.

My fondest memory is having him on my belly with the umbilical cord intact. Beckie leans over and asks, "what is the sex?" while Justin opens his legs, turns to me with tears rolling down his face and says, "it's a boy". The new proud daddy cut the cord and we officially began our lives as two separate beings. All 8 lbs., 7 oz. of him came out perfectly except for the double-scoop ice cream cone head. He looked like the boy with 2 brains, due to him being rotated incorrectly while passing through the birth canal. Fortunately, after only 24 hours, he looked almost normal and mommy and daddy could rest a little easier.

Being new parents is the most fulfilling, crazy experience of our lives. We never knew how much we would fall head over heals in love with this little pea-punker.

6/20/2006

This baby is taking after mommy being fashionably late. If s/he arrived yesterday on the due date, we know it would have inherited daddy's timeliness trait. We're ready for Baby Arnold!

3-2-1...blastoff!

Is Monday really the 19th and I'm due to give birth in 3 days? Did I really surpass my 9-month mark this week? Will contractions begin while I am driving my car, walking through aisle 5 of Safeway or sleeping soundly (for one of the last times) at night?

My words to describe what I am going through is excitement and nervousness. Not knowing the sex, I have never been more elated and anticipatory about something to come. To hear our baby's first cry and then discover if we're blessed with a son or daughter will be the most fulfilling, exciting news of my life! Everything leading up to it is what I am trying to concentrate on right now. My formula for calming the mind: massages, cranial sachral, meditation and phone consultations with my doula and dear friend, Nurse Beckie Merce.

Beckie and I talked last night about what to expect, how to prepare and keeping things in perspective. It felt good to get my fears out on the table. I told her about my intense dreams lately concerning hospitals and large bodies of water (symbolism = life). Hearing her say that Swedish Ballard is a non-hospital hospital with an intimate, community environment made me feel so much better. Then she jumped right into labor coach mode, pumping me up with a reminder that I have a high pain threshold and push myself to the top of Mt. Rainier. I can see her and Justin now, "push, push, breathe, push, push, breathe". The analogy of Mt. Rainier has come up before in preparation and Justin says he will bring our favorite, we-made-it-to-the summit treat, Nutter Butters. I'm so lucky to have these two by our side!

Justin officially started the "Free Baby Arnold" campaign this week. I told him we have to hold off because I have a house to sell in Fremont in the next few days. Fortunately, I have been working hard and getting around albeit slow, but at least, I am moving. Oh, and it looks like an offer will roll in, so that is a huge relief. I asked the daddy-to-be to jump-start the campaign come early next week. Then again, if I go into labor and give birth on Father's Day, I can't think of a better gift for a man who will be an unbelievable daddy.

38 weeks, oh my!

My 38th week of pregnancy officially begins today! We visited the hospital last week. Since our dear friend, Beckie, was doing her clinicals at Swedish Ballard Labor & Delivery and it was her last day on Thursday, we knew we had to take advantage of it. Justin and I rolled in with a bunch of donuts to win the hearts of the nurses and their large appetites. They looked tired and confused as to why this happy, refreshed and very pregnant couple was in there with big smiles saying, "we'll be here soon, we'll be here soon."

So many moms have told me the last month is brutal: little sleep, very uncomfortable and ready to take ownership of your body again. I have been sleeping like a champ despite the 5-6 times I wake up to pee. I'll even throw in a nap here and there, which I know I will have no problems doing once little one keeps us up in the wee hours of the night. One of the best pieces of advice came from our pregnancy class to get the sleep you need. Stay in bed until you get your 7-8 hours. Even though the sun is up doesn't mean you get up and start your day. After each feeding, go back to sleep until all 8 hours add up even if that takes from 11p-12p into the next day. Can you say breakfast in bed? Ahhhhh, Justin will definitely be my night in shining armor bringing me food and juice while making sure mommy and baby get their needed zzzzzz's. We're going to be a great team and getting so excited to dive into parenthood!

The excitement is mounting

Will the due date really be the 19th of June? Is it 1 month from now, sooner or later? The parents to be have certainly been busy getting the home ready both physically, emotionally and spiritually. What and exciting time for Jodi and I. We can't wait to share our love with this little one that kicks and puches the insides of my wife.

The Gottman classes have been wonderful for helping to prepare ourselves for the emotional challenges to come. My favorite part so far has been learning how "constructive criticism" is a terrible way to help your child. Never before have I thought that this was a bad form of educating your child, but it makes a lot of sense to me now. My hope is that I will find the strength to encourage our child through praising their triumphs and not critiquing their trials.

The other great lesson taught in these last few months is to treat the first 3 months of life as the "fourth trimester." This seems like a good way to view the first few months as most parents tell me that they are difficult since the child is harder to interact with.

8 months have never gone by so quickly in my life; I am anxious to meet our child.

One Month and Counting!

Holy smokes! It is May 19th, which means only one thing in my mind...due date is one month away! Where did the 8 months go? I feel like I blinked my eyes, grew a big belly and now I am going to be a mom. If the belly wasn't growing so rapidly, I think I would ask for one more month. It does feel surreal at times until I am quickly reminded by a punch, kick or somersault that yes, a baby is living in me.

The idea of parenthood is starting to really excite me! Fortunatley, you have 9 months to mentally and emotionally prepare for this HUGE transtion in life. In the first few months, you really have to shed your layer or idea of independence. For those who can do it over night, I want to know what's in their drinking water. It took me awhile to come around as I now see and feel this incredible joy that I will soon be able to experience life with in so many ways. I can't wait to learn from him/her as much as s/he will learn from us.

Justin and I love our classes! We finished up our biology course, Pregnancy and Childbirth Preparation with Penny Simkin. Penny is internationally known in the birthing community and has helped deliver thousands of babies into this world. Her philosophy of "rhythm is everything" will be very useful in the upcoming weeks. Our next class focuses on the pyschology of parenthood and relationships. It's called Bringing Baby Home and is offered though the Gottman Institute. I've enjoyed this class even more because it focuses on strengthening the relationship between mom and dad because "that is the greatest gift you can give your child". Justin and I have learned a lot about each other already and continue to work on how to be a better partnership for our family.

Hernia for Love

Sweet Dana reminded me that it had been awhile since I updated our blog. I need to remind myself that now is the time to journal what's going on because time is still plentiful. In the last month, a lot has gone on with my body and the baby, so I need to dive into the details.

After catching a virus that everyone seems to have caught around town, I found myself in the doctor's office asking for help to relieve my symptoms knowing I would get the standard "tylenol and take it easy" response. I was so desperate that I thought there had to be some magic wand the doctor could wave to make the misery go away. After I explained all the crummy things I felt in my head/nose/throat, I mentioned casually that I felt uncomfortable pain down in my groin area every morning after I got out of bed. The doc told me to drop my pants as she needed to check the area and then asked me to cough. For a second, I could almost relate to how a man feels when getting his tools checked for operational competency. Immediately, the doctor says, "you have a hernia".

A hernia? I thought only men get hernias! How can a pregnant woman deal with a hernia on top of the additional weight and hormones?! Sure enough, I have an inguinal hernia that is a result of the pressure from the abdomen and uterus. Unfortunately, the only way to treat a hernia is by surgically removing it. Ouch, that means the knife. Of course, a surgeon touching a pregnant woman is like Jodi being able to touch her toes right now. It's just not going to happen. Now we wait until after the baby and breasfeeding takes place. Then we get to look forward to surgery and a 2-3 week recovery. I hope their generous with the pain killers.

My only real concern after hearing the news was the baby. The baby is perfectly find and having fun in the womb with no clue that mommy's insides are coming out. For the first time, I felt completely selfless as all I cared about was the baby's well-being. To hear that he/she is okay is like music to my ears. It's as good or better than listening to The Doves, Lost Sides on a rainy day. Now I get to sport a stylish looking maternity belt that I wear 24/7, which is worth it if it means little to no pain for mom until The Big Day!

Sleepless in Seattle

So many mothers have told me to take advantage of my sleep while I can. I try to sleep my full eight hours, but for some reason in the last few weeks by 3 or 4am, I am fully awake and ready to start my day. This frenzy of energy is weird and unnecessary, but nature's way of saying get ready.

I know it's too early when I wake up, walk downstairs and even the dogs are still too tired to greet me with their usual waging tails. The only time they came to say hello was when I had a piece of peanut butter toast in my hand. As soon as the last bite was gone, they both got up, walked away and laid back down to sleep. I just sat there, read and listened to Ruby snoring like an old man who is completely at peace.