TITUS JAMES IS HERE!

Titus James

12/22/2010

4:35am

7lbs 13oz 20in

So I went in for my induction at 7:30pm on 12/21 and Tim's flight was supposed to land at 10:50.

At 8:00 they began my first dose of antibiotics (to be done every 4 hours until delivery). At 8:30 they started the pitocin. I came in at 2cm and 50% effaced, and the initial dose of pitocin put my contractions at 2-4 minutes apart. 

At 10:30, my OB arrived to break my water, and boy did my contractions pick up! Man, I tell you, contractions really do seemingly hurt worse when you don't get the ramp up time that you get in natural labor. Anyway, I called for the epidural and the anesthesiologist came and started at 11:25.

After he got the catheter in, but before he got any of the meds through it and into me, my BP crashed. It went down to 55/33 and I was almost completely out. All of a sudden my BP started to rise again, BUT, Titus's HR completely disappeared. :( My Labor & Delivery nurse started trying to jostle him and look for him on the monitor. He finally came back on, but his HR was around 50 and wasn't rising. All of a sudden, my room was flooded with people. In all the commotion, Tim arrived into the room, just as an oxygen mask was put on me and I was rushed out of the room, straight into the OR. I basically got to wave at him as I left the room and my mom kinda filled him on what she knew. Once in the OR, everyone was working super fast. I'm slightly hard of hearing, so I couldn't make out anything with them wearing masks over their mouths and I wearing the oxygen mask. 

Finally, the anesthesiologist, who still hadn't started any of the epidural medication but had never left my side, leaned over and told me the 3 options: 1. If things stayed where they were, I'd be put under general and they'd deliver the baby and Tim wouldn't be allowed in; 2. They'd get enough of a rise to hold off for the time it took for the epi to kick in and then deliver and Tim WOULD be allowed in; or 3. everything would get his HR back up and stabilize enough to wheel me back into my room and let me continue to attempt a vaginal birth.  Things with me started to stabilize and Titus's HR began to slowly climb again! So after a half hour of monitoring, I was wheeled back into my room by around 12:30am!  

From there, the pitocin was held off for an hour and a half, and I was given a half dose of the epidural. After the hour and a half (2am), they restarted the initial dose of pit (which they never went more than the initial dose) and again, his HR plummeted and my BP tanked. So, again, the pit was stopped and things stabilized! It was then decided that I would continue to labor with no pit, but I was at this point exhausted and give another 1/4 dose of the epidural. 

So with 3/4 dose of epi, I continued the "slow and steady approach" to labor and delivery. They, at this point, said that they would let me labor as long as I needed to and wouldn't augment it in any other way! (I LOVE my OB!) Seriously, I was thinking this would take awhile since I was only at 4cm! 

At 4am, my L&D nurse told me to let her know when I felt pressure. I told her that I had been feeling that for a little bit now, but only when I had contractions. She was a little skeptical if I really knew what she meant, but she checked me and I was at 7.  While she update my chart about checking me, I told her that the pressure was continuing now beyond a contraction, she looked at me, and decided to check me again, and I was at 8 approaching 9. She decided that it was not time to leave the room. She stayed and 5 minutes later checked me again and I was 9 approaching 10!! 

Titus at this point started to drop his HR again. (Oh... throughout the whole labor, I couldn't roll off my left side without his HR tanking). So my nurse just had me start pushing as she literally yelled down the hall for everyone to come and to call my OB! Within a minute or two all the pediatric nurses were there... and within 5 minutes my doc was there and just in time! His head was crowning, and due to his HR, I was NOT allowed to "stop" pushing... it was just GO GO GO!! 

He was out in 10 total minutes (born at 4:35am) and it was discovered that the culprit of his dropping HR was that the cord was wrapped around his neck and then his torso as well!! My doc was able to unwrap him, and DH got to cut the cord!

Titus ended up with what looked like low blood sugar, having already passed meconium, and was "jittery", so he was taken immediately to the nursery for observation (Tim went too).

At 7:20am the next morningI began hemorrhaging. :( I lost a bit of blood, but my nurse was able to stop it.

At 8:20, while attempting to nurse Titus again, I began hemorrhaging again, and this time it wasn't stopping. Rapid response was called, and Titus and DH were again sent to the nursery. Everything was happening so fast: a drip of pitocin was started, I was given a shot of Methergine, and had Cytotec inserted. LOTS of pressure was applied to my abdomen and after about an hour, all the bleeding finally stopped. I lost a total of 400cc. A catheter was put in, and the pit drip continued for hours to make sure it had all stopped. 

Now, we're home, and I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Titus is doing well. Anastasia loves him but is adjusting to the fact that he does not go home with someone else at the end of the day.

AND... TIM MADE IT FOR DELIVERY!

I'll post pics later... :) 

Wow... Not good at keeping you up to date!

:) At least I'm a little (and that is VERY little) better at blogging than emailing! Well, kinda. I THINK about blogging... I just don't do it often. I don't even REMEMBER to email! :)

Anyway, as of last post, we were living in Monterey. Tim was almost done with classes. Ana had just turned a year; and I was a little over half way done with this pregnancy.  NOW, things are different! :) As they should be!

Tim:
He graduated top of his language class!! YAY!! Even received the highest academic award for the entire graduating class! He is now completing his training at Goodfellow AFB, where his teachers are already watching him for his success. :) Thats our Tim!! I can't say much else about what is going on with the career aspect of him. I don't know much else! He is now on to the part of training and his job that he can't talk about, even with me. Its hard to ask questions about how his day has been without seeming like I'm prying for information. I'm not prying, by any means, but my questions are carefully worded, as are his answers. Oh well... this will just become a part of our everyday lives from here on out and we'll have to get used to it. I'm glad that he's following protocol and not telling even me; that way I don't have to worry about censoring myself in conversation with others! :)

Anastasia:
At Ana's 15 month appointment, she weighed in at about 18lbs 9oz and was 29 inches. This dropped her to 2% for weight and brought her UP to 20% for height! So SHE'S GROWING UP!  Ana showed off for the doctor and had a "conversation" with her. The doctor is VERY pleased with her communication skills and places her at about a 24 month level! Gross motor skills are right where they need to be for a 15 month old, and her fine motor skills are advanced. The doctor also discovered a "whisper" in her heart. She was born with a murmur, and so the doctor seemed content when I didn't show outright panic when she told me.  It just meant that we received a referral to a pediatric cardiologist.

Wow... was the cardiologist appointment an ordeal, or what?! Its routine to receive an EKG at an appointment. This procedure is completely painless!! Probes are stuck on the chest and torso and ankle and then a machine is turned on, and about a minute later its done. Ana LOOKED at the machine and wires and started screaming! She screamed and stomped her feet through the whole process of getting prepped and while the machine was on. She screamed through the weighing process, the stethoscope, the blood pressure monitor (which the nurse said she could use the reading from due to the screaming), etc. I felt sorry for the nurse and any other patient in the office. There is no way that people did NOT hear her and I'm sure if there were other new patients, that they were now TOTALLY freaked out! The doctor came in, and Ana was quiet. It was so weird! She let HIM listen to her heart! No freak outs or anything! He was pretty sure that her murmur is a Still's Murmur. A benign, innocent murmur that will come and go throughout her childhood and into early adulthood. He knew she had been born with a murmur due to her charts, but I asked if it was something that had just reappeared or if it were something that had been there and been missed. He was unable to tell for sure, but did say that if she acted the way she had with the nurse with the screaming, then it would have been very easy to miss! Ok... note to self, its most likely been there... she HATES doctors and regularly freaks out! He did order a echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis, but said that IF she freaked out again, that he was SO confident in the diagnosis that she would not need to be sedated for a good echo, that she would just need one around the time she turned 2.  So, to the echo, we went prepared with Veggie Tale dvds and her blankie and paci (which she had at the first appt) and Grandma to help distract her. She did extremely well for the echo!! The technician was able to get a good reading of everything she needed and assured us not to worry because she didn't see anything alarming but that the doctor would call us if he did. Well, its been a month with no call, so I'm assuming all is good with the Still's Murmur diagnosis! :)

Now, at almost 17 months old, Ana has earned the nickname of Snot Bucket. She is sassy, feisty, bossy, a climber, a runner, a squealer, a giggler, a cuddle-bug, and a really fun person to be around (most of the time). She is into ANYTHING and EVERYTHING and has a huge imagination!

Titus:
Titus is due in 8 days! He's big! And although the doctor and nurses say he moves a ton, I'm not convinced, because compared to Anastasia, he is super calm! Since Anastasia is a carbon copy of me, we're hoping that Tj takes after Daddy... if not, we're done! 3 of me is a lot! :) And Tim says thats not what he signed up for!! :)

Me:
I'm doing ok. Turned 28 yesterday. Its weird to think that 2 years from now I'll be 30! But a lot has happened in the last few years from graduating college, to getting married, to having Ana last year and about to give birth to another baby this year, that its weird to imagine all the changes that can happen in the next 2 years! It'll be exciting though, for sure! :)

Well.... expect another update soon! Hopefully Titus (Tj) doesn't hang out too long! I'm ready for him to be here!! :)

Its been awhile...

Hmm... where to start. Lots have happened since my last post.

Anastasia:
Anastasia is doing well. She is 1 year old now.  At her 12 month Well Baby Visit, she weighed in at 17lbs 4oz and was 27.25in long. That put her in the 3% range for both height and weight.  She doesn't look all that small - if she is standing by herself and you can't see another child around. But once compared to another child around her age, her small stature is apparent. Her doctors are a little concerned about the drop off in growth. She was in the 75% not too long ago. They ran blood panels. Everything from thyroid functioning to a mutation causing dwarfism and all results came back "in the normal range." :) So that was good news! At this point, we'll be going back to the doctors to check her height and weight again and see if there is any improvement before going any further. What is the next step beyond that? I have no idea. :)  She is hitting all of her milestones though! So as far as social and cognitive development she is perfect! :)

She is walking now. Not confidently. Well... not steadily. She has confidence. Enough to THINK she can run. Can she? Not at all. Does that stop her from trying? Not at all. :)  She LOVES climbing and exploring. Give her a box ad she is happy for days! We went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium the other day and she was SO excited! She was mesmerized by each and every tank. I had to pull her away from viewing windows so that we could explore another exhibit! At the "touch n' feel" pools, she touched and felt everything! The dossier was amazed! At first, we were worried that she would splash in the water, causing the sea cucumbers to shoot out their intestines due to the threat; but she gently stroked the cucumbers and pet the starfish, and even poked at a crab! She was full of giggles and smiles the whole time!  She was fascinated by the largest tank containing sharks, tuna, and a few VERY large schools of fish. I think we sat at that window for at least 15 minutes and she just stared at everything. She even "read" the plaques describing the different species. :)

Titus:
As you can see by the name, we are having a boy! His name will be Titus James. We are due on Christmas Eve! This time, barring Titus making an early appearance, Tim should be able to be at the birth!

Titus is a lot mellower in the womb than Ana was! So its a nice reprieve from the somersaults and her slamming her head into my rib cage. I only feel the occasional kick and twist. I know I'm only about 22 weeks, but Ana had been kicking my rib cage by this point! He is measuring a tad bigger than Ana was, but he is more "normal." But as far as the pregnancy is going, its a LOT smoother! Not one episode or pass out for me!! :)

Tim:
Tim is ALMOST done with school!! Next week, he takes his DLPT (the BIG test). He has already passed his classes, but this test is for his job. Its kinda the equivalent of the bar exam for lawyers.  His OPI (Oral Personal Interview) was this past week. We'll find out soon how he did on that! His graduation is so far scheduled for September 2nd. Then we'll have a few weeks left in Monterey before he heads to Texas and Ana, Donner, and I to Sacramento. It'll be another separation, but 'tis Army life!  Come March, we are tentatively off to Georgia. Another part of Army life is knowing that whatever they tell us, could most likely change at any moment.  Georgia is just the most likely possibility at this point.

Donner:
::sigh:: Donner. We had to pull her out of Intermediate Training classes. Once I got pregnant, her anxieties kicked in full swing and she "lost it." She became very irritable with the other dogs in the class, and stopped listening to my commands (mainly Stay) in the house because she felt it was her job to keep an eye on me and when she is "working" she thinks she is the boss. So there was no way she was going to pass the class. The trainer said he would give us a few private lessons and really work on her trust issues with Tim. We just need to get in and plan what days. I'm really hoping those lessons work out and  I think they will be more beneficial to us as a family! Once back in Sacramento, a new Vet at my sister's work place is going to work with me on different homeopathic treatments for Donner's anxieties. I'm really hoping we find a solution before we move across the country. I'm really not looking forward to dealing with a young toddler, a newborn, and a dog who is vomiting everywhere because the change is just too much!

Me:
I'm hanging in there. :) I love being a stay-at-home mom. Domestic Engineer. I like that term better. It makes more sense to me. Afterall, I don't JUST take care of Ana all day. I do more than that! :)  Well, I'm off to meet Tim at work for his birthday lunch!

LOOK OUT DRIVERS OF MONTEREY COUNTY!

I GOT MY LICENSE BACK!

My interview with the Drivers Safety Division went great! My field agent finished by telling me that I'd have to take a behind the wheel test but that if I passed I'd walk out with my license! Yay! She then looked in the system to set me up with an appointment; however, there were no open slots until June 2nd! :( She told me that she would see what she could do and that she would call me back. Later that evening I got a call from her saying that they could squeeze me in first thing Thursday morning! Of course, I took the slot!

Bright and early we arrived at the DMV. When I finally got to the front of the line, I learned that they didn't know anything about me coming! UGH! But they were willing to call the Driver Safety Unit. Sure enough, they forgot to fax over the necessary documents. Come 9:00, they were finally ready to give me my test! AND! I PASSED!

ANOTHER road block! In all the brilliance that is the DMV, the safety unit forgot to mention that I could walk out with my license... SO instead of signing the document that stated I COULD drive again, I had to sign the document that stated that I was aware my license was still suspended. BUMMER AGAIN!  This time I called Driver Safety to learn that, of course, my field agent was out of the office!

Monday, I called her. She checked her system and was just as confused as I was! She said that the system showed that my license was ok to obtain and that I just had to renew it! So back to the DMV we went that afternoon.  This time, I was told that I needed to take the written test! They weren't sure why I wasn't given the written test BEFORE the behind the wheel.  I bit my tongue.  The DMV isn't known for being on top of things. :)  I passed the written test. Upon passing it, the man that corrected my test said that he needed my current license so that he could waive the need for a behind the wheel test. WHAT?! I informed him that I had already taken the test. He just looked at me blankly and said, well you don't have to take it again. Good! LOL - there was no way I was gonna take it twice in 5 days!

::sigh:: Whatever, I GOT MY LICENSE BACK!! WHOOHOO!!!!

In all the wonder that is the DMV... Tim missed the Soldier of the Month Board, but his superiors deemed me getting my license back more of a priority... so next month! :)

Developing Donner

Donner has started training classes!!

We are 3 weeks into the class and she has shown... well... no improvement when it comes to her separation anxiety.  But she is learning the basic commands rather well! All except for "Down." She only "downs" while on her bed or on the bathroom rug. No other rug seems to suit her fancy. Its weird. Oh well. We have 5 more weeks for her to be able to "down" on the concrete of the training classroom so that we can get our diploma!! :)

She already new the "Sit" command. However, I was using a different hand signal, so she had to learn the new one.  We have also learned "Stay." She isn't GREAT at it... but it has a lot to do with the separation anxiety. The further away I get the more she visibly shakes.  :(  We are working on "Leave It." But... I'm not sure how much more I'm gonna work with her on that.  We were told to work on it when the dog gets to something they aren't allowed to have. Well, Donner doesn't get into much (I think she is too afraid to). She does, though, LOVE Ana's unpainted blocks (the painted ones she shows no interest in). One day, I caught her with one in her mouth. As soon as she made eye-contact with me it was on the ground, but I still took the opportunity. I showed it to her, she took the bait and thought I was gonna give it to her. I put it on the floor, waved my hand over it, and said, "Leave it." Let's just say she is now afraid of the blocks! I tried the next day. I just showed her a block and she ran away!  Then I tried with a piece of cheese. I put it on the floor, she ran over, again... waved my hand over it and said, "Leave it." Done. Now she is afraid of cheese. Poor thing. Oh well... at least she gets the concept. :)

Her newest tricks are "Wait" (creating an invisible barrier... say, at the kitchen... that they aren't allowed to cross until invited), and "Take It" (being shown a treat but not allowed to take it unless told). Both she is learning rather quickly. We are also working on perfecting our walking on a leash... but she was decent before... just working the kinks out. :)

Oh... and all commands seem to go out the window when Tim is in the room, but he at least can get her to walk for him on the leash... after a short bout of bucking in the beginning. But... hey!... PROGRESS!!!

On another note: Anastasia is 9 months!! Almost walking! She is LOVED in her Sunday school class! We are told every week that she is a joy to have because she is not as needy as others and plays well (go figure! At home she is VERY needy and does NOT share with others!!).

Tim is still doing well in his class! His GPA is second only to the native speaker, but he is catching him! :)

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I have a phone interview with someone from the Driver Safety Division of the DMV! Here's hoping!! I'm starting to itch to drive again!! Its been 17 months!!

ALSO!! EXCITING!! TIM AND I ARE EXPECTING AGAIN! We (I really mean "I") are 5.5 weeks along, with a tentative due date of December 22, 2010! Of course, that could change after an ultrasound, so we'll see!

Anyway, its getting late and I have to get up early in the morning!! For good reason... I'll post again soon!

Bumps and Bruises

Dear Bumps & Bruises,

Please don't hurt too badly when you come! I know you will come unannounced and stay with us for awhile, just don't leave any permanent reminders of your visits! Thank you!

~Mommy, Daddy, and Ana

Oh Ana...

She has been "army crawling" for a little while now... and I KNEW she could do the real crawl but was refusing to on our hardwood floors and rug. Every once in awhile I'd catch a glimpse of her doing it before she would throw herself onto her belly and scoot across the floor to what she wanted. Well, last weekend it all changed. We went to help a friend pack her house up into storage so that she could move into the barracks and her family to Utah. They had wall to wall carpet. Anastasia loved it! She got plenty of practice real crawling so that when we got home she was ready to go! And now she is everywhere!! She has even mastered crawling with pants on hardwood floor! She makes it slowly, and not without slipping and sliding around, but she makes it!

She even decided to join me in the kitchen while I cooked the other day. She then did something rather new. She pulled up on her knees on the dishwasher! It was then that I noticed that she caught her reflection in the front panel! Babies love mirrors. Unfortunately we only have very small bathroom mirrors. She is crafty! She figured out a way to see her reflection in a kitchen appliance! :)

Also the other day, I came in to get her after a nap. She way awake but laying down. I had to put a few things away in her closet so I turned to the closet. By the time I looked back she was standing in her crib!! Very proud of herself too!!

Just this morning, she decided that she was going to kick it up yet another notch! She pulled herself up, using mostly upper-body strength, to a standing position on the couch! She is still very shaky on her legs... but she is doing it!

Now that she is able to pull herself up on things: Bring on the Bumps and Bruises!!

6 month check up!!

Ana had her 6 month check up today.

The stats:

15lbs 14oz (50%)

25in (30%)

She is doing really well! The doctor was impressed by her mobility and body control! As she was trying to listen to Ana's chest with the stethoscope, Ana decided she wanted it... so she started grabbing at it. I came and held her arms down and so Ana started grabbing at the stethoscope with her feet!! The little bugger! :)

Her shots were a little more traumatic this time. She sobbed... not just cried a mad, scared cry... but sobbed an "I'm hurting" cry and got the eeby-jeebies pretty bad. :( Then once in the car, two of Tim's friends sat in the back with her for the ride home. One look at them and the cry started all over again. It happened again, after shots, the only person she wants is Mommy... (she "blames" Daddy for the pain and refuses to go to him). Oh well... :)

Pray for Tim... he is being put up for Soldier of the Month or Soldier of the Quarter... we aren't sure which... its within the next two weeks... so I'll let you know!

She's asleep!

:) It never ceases to amaze me how good God is! The last few days have brought a pretty big storm to our area. The winds have felled trees. Our pine trees to the back of our home, who have just produced pine cones, have not been able to hold onto them against the winds and they have become little flying weapons pelting our windows. Our power has been out twice: once in the daytime and once in early morning. I woke up to this one thinking that I was completely under the blankets - I wasn't. I had Tim bring me Anastasia so that if she woke up I wouldn't have to fumble around in the dark to get her. When he went in to her, she was wide awake but too scared to cry! :( Poor thing! She didn't fall back asleep until the lights came back on. But in all of this, as we drive down our main road leading out of our community, we see the huge waves crashing into the coast. Usually these waves are pretty small (by California wave standards), but right now they are big, and I see that as a testament to God's power.

Anastasia is also a testament to God's goodness. She is almost 6 months old (2 days shy) and a bundle of energy! She sleeps great at night (minus the waking to eat) but during the day she only cat naps. Therefore, I really relish the little breaks I get when she sleeps. For those of you who work a regular 9-5 job, I miss the lunch breaks and 15 minute breaks. Now, as a mom, I get three 15 minute breaks in a day... and that is all day! But, its ALL worth it!! :)

Two nights ago, Tim and I tried to have a date night in our own home. I planned dinner and nap time to land at the same time, and I had planned to try a new dessert to eat during Tim's shows that were on. It was almost as if Ana saw what I was doing, and knew that we were planning something that she couldn't be apart of. And she got us back!! She refused to sleep during her nap, instead screaming from her bed and giggling when we went in to her, so she was able to "participate" at dinner time. THEN! After she went down at her normal bedtime, she decided it was time to get up JUST as I finished making dessert. So we ate dessert while going in to soothe her every 10 minutes or so, and then I ended up lying with her in our bed until she FINALLY fell asleep at midnight. So much for our "at home date night!"

Tim and I, for the first time in our marriage, have decided to make a New Year's Resolution. I'll share it so that we have accountability! :) We have decided to live more simply and healthily. By this, we mean, that we will eat more healthily, move more healthily, and be more spiritually healthy. Also, we plan to live more simply. I'm de-cluttering our home and we are trying to not buy buy buy. We don't think that this is too hard to keep going throughout the year. Ask us how we are doing on this! :) I'm also wanting to blog more.

Coming up next week we have Ana's 6 month doc appt. Not sure if she'll be getting shots since she has been sick, but we'll see how she is feeling! Also, on February 6th she will be dedicated at Bridgeway Christian Church in Rocklin!

I hope you are all having a great New Year so far! Hope to hear from you soon!