Mark update

Just wanted to say that he's doing wonderfully! We had another check up this morning and the doctor is very pleased. There has been no lingering effects of the fever and nothing to persuade us that Mark isn't as healthy as can be. He's gaining weight like a champ-- now a pound and 7 ounces past birth weight. We don't have to go back again until he is one month old, which will come quickly, as it is in two weeks!

In Mommy news: Mark is amazing. He's so content and calm it even baffled the good doctor today. He was rolling Mark's hips, a test that I remember Matthew wailing while happening, and Mark just laid perfectly still sucking on his hand, making baby noises. The doctor actually asked me, "he does cry, right?" haha! Yah, he does cry... but not very often. I remember the hours and hours we'd rock and bounce and sway and swing and pray that Matthew would stop crying. Mark is just content. (Thank you Jesus)! Doc said not to be alarmed if around 6-7 weeks Mark gets a "crying stage" as he grows.

I can't believe he's over two weeks old already. I really can't. I remember with Matthew just crying my eyes out right along with him, and with Mark that just hasn't been the case. Life hasn't been roses since he's been born, but it hasn't been awful either. I've had a couple friends tell me the same was true with their second. That life just kinda keeps going, the second kiddo just slid right in. Now Matthew's world has been rudely disturbed, but I for sure am glad I'm not a "first time mom" again. I'm so glad you only go through the insane amount of "what if's" once in that area of life. I know that it's okay if he sleeps 4 hours. I know that it's okay if he falls asleep while eating. I know that it's okay if he cries for an extended period of time, he's not going to die from crying. I know my heart will break a thousand times though, while the baby cries, but my heart will keep on beating. I'm so glad I don't have to wonder "is he getting enough?" "should I pump and measure" "should I weigh him daily" "is this working" "is that working" "is he okay" "is he okay now?" "what about now"??? HA! When I go back and read my journalling and delusional thoughts from Matthew's early days and first few weeks... I laugh at myself. My poor sad state of mind back then. How do our husbands stay with us while we're dealing with the "first time mom" syndrome of that kind of CRAZY?! Whew!

two weeks old

So at two weeks old today, we've been very busy. This has been our agenda today:

Not a bad day so far, huh? hehe

Kris and Brian's visit

Just some snap shots from the past week. Enjoy

Bath time!

Here's a few pictures from Mark's first bath time on Friday night. Though we couldn't submerge him in a real bath yet, we washed his hair and got him real angry! We had a neat assembly line going: I was holding Mark, Kris was sprinkling the water (she said she felt like she was Christening him) and Mom was soaping him.

**More pictures to come from Kris' visit--they all left this morning**

RINGS!

I tried on my rings a couple days ago and they still wouldn't fit, they did fit my pinky but snugly... however, they went on today! I'm so excited I could just burst. I can't remember exactly when my rings went back on after Matthew was born but I know for sure it wasn't within the first two weeks. Yippppppie!

Reflections

After reading some other friends' blogs, I realized I posted my New Years thoughts, but I didn't take time and think back and reflect on what 2008 brought. So before I get too carried away with '09, I thought I'd think back and remember '08 ...

January was spent in MO for me. I spent time in KC and in STL visiting family and friends and waiting for my dearest friend's sweet baby girl to arrive. I was actually with her in the labor room when she pushed out her daughter. I'll never forget that moment for my whole life. I was present and witnessed life being born, such a blessing.

February was a roller coaster. We found out we were pregnant and lost that baby. In fact, I went to the hospital on Feb 29th, so that date will forever be printed on my memories. Every leap year instead of rejoicing with the extra day in the month, I'm sure it will be a hard one to tackle.

March was rough to say the least. I was mourning the loss of a tiny child I'll never know and still trying to be a mommy to my firstborn. My sister came at the end of the month and we did have a good visit over her spring break.

In April I found myself neck deep in the world of weight watchers. I was doing a "step challenge" and walking and working out often, trying to work off my grief.

In May, (early May) we were shocked to find out I was pregnant again. This wasn't planned and I was in complete disbelief. ... to think in April I was running the stairs and pregnant all the while makes me tired now to think about it. haha May also brought me back to St. Louis for a concert. The St. Louis Children's Chorus held an alumni anniversary Gala Concert. It was amazing. I also had a chance to finally fully close a door that needed closure.

In June we went to Orlando with Jamie's family. 10 adults and 3 kiddos in a two bedroom condo!! (were we nuts!?) It was a lot of fun. Also in June my big boy turned 2~ I can't believe it, a full grown toddler we have now on our hands.

July took Jamie to the mountains for his annual camping trip and me back to Missouri once again. I spent a week in St. Louis with my folks and then a few days in KC with Nic's family. I can't believe her big boy turned 3! It was the first time I was present on his birthday!

August sent Jamie and me on a weekend get-a-way without Matthew. We went to Helen, GA and left Matthew with Jamie's parents. It was so nice to find ourselves again as husband and wife and not mommy and daddy. And Helen is just beautiful.

September brought us back to St. Louis just for a long weekend. My best guy friend from High School got married. I was so honored to sing during his ceremony, which was just gorgeous! I'm so happy for him and his new bride. This would be my last trip of the year, still pregnant and soon unable to travel.

October brought my annual Relay for Life walk to find a CURE for CANCER. I was hugely pregnant and made it most of the night... starting at 7pm and ending at 7am, I left around 5am. I didn't walk the whole time, but I put in several hours on that track. I pray that we WILL find a CURE some day!

November kept me GA bound, but I didn't mind it. My mom came for a long visit before Thanksgiving and I loved having her here. Jamie's brother's family came up for Thanksgiving weekend and it was nice to have them up as well, it had been way too long.

December of course is always CRAZY! Being the children's choir director at church, I had to get through our Christmas production! And it was wonderful. I was so blessed with all of my kiddos in it. December also brought us a very special gift... my second born, another son!


Well that's my 2008 broken down month by month. It's neat to go back and see what the year had brought and given...

New Years

Well, it is New Year's Eve after all, so I thought I'd blog about my goals and thoughts for the year to come... (as expected most are weight related)

1. Lose 60 pounds by the end of 2009. I will have about 10 months to do this once I can actually get going... so we're talking around 1.5 pounds per weekly average once I start. From where I am currently, this amount lost would put me back to where I was back in Feb before we miscarried. I'm ready to get back there.

2. Go to WW meetings. If I'm cleared to do so, I'm planning to be back at meetings Feb 21st. I am shouting this for the world to see. Someone better be asking me about that one! (Theresa, I'm coming!)

3. Walk to the park at least once a week, once weather allows for such. There is no excuse for not at least going once a week. We have a double stroller now (thank you!!!!) so I can load up both boys.

4. I could joke about other work out related goals, but I would fail at them more than most likely. I would like to at least just have MORE in this category.

5. Starting in March, join an online every day challenge that my best friend is starting up. ... March will be hard for me. A friend is getting married and I'm planning a trip back home for it so it's always more difficult to stick to plan when traveling is involved. But I'm bound to do my best!

6. CLEAR OUT DEBT! We were following Dave Ramsey's plan for a while and we've strayed from it. We need to build back up our 1000 that car repairs have recently dipped into and then start the snowballing again!

7. Be more in the Word. I've really strayed lately. I need to be having a quiet time every day. I need to be having honest prayer time, and I've just flat haven't been. Stop making excuses...


Why is it that "Resolutions" seem to be ultimatums? And why is it that you feel like if you make one you're bound to fail at it? I look at this list, heavy with weight goals and wonder if I'll make or fail them... however the one that is most concerning is the last one on the list... Try and try and try to stay in the Word, to do a daily devotional, to have quiet time, to have prayer time-- why is it hard to keep doing the things that matter most? I take the time to tell my earthly husband I love him every day, so why is it I deny my heavenly one? Sorry to post such a heavy post but that's what's on my heart today... As we make our New Year Resolutions and we set goals for the year to come, are we willing-- am I willing-- to include the Lord in those plans and goals? Am I willing and ready to make more time for Him? ... I hope the answer is an honest yes.

One week today

Mark is a week old, I thought I'd share some more photos...

I love my Christmas present!

Bright Eyes

Had to throw in a good one of Matthew!

Put him in the swing for the first time today. A week old and swinging!

Daddy with both boys last night... Matthew was driving his train on
Daddy's lap while Mark was having awake time.

Mark's arrival

This is the long version, just a heads up.

Mark Edward’s Birth and Journey Home…

We arrived at the hospital to register at 6:30 Monday morning on the 22nd of December. Less than a week away from our due date, we were scheduled for an induction due to the estimated size of baby and potential strain on my previous c-section scar in the laboring process.

We had a very slow start even though we arrived so early. After 1000 questions of family health history, blood work, two IV attempts (oh my!), and then the first bag of saline solution going, we were finally underway. My water wasn’t broken until about 8:50 am and it’s from here that I’d consider “in labor”. After my water was broken – and let me tell you—I was laying at a near 45 degree angle upside down for this. Very very weird. After my water was broken, they started the pitocin drip. I started feeling intense contractions within the first hour. However sadly, at noon I was only progressed to a 2. (Some point in there my dad brought up Matthew to see me. They stayed in the waiting room until it was time for his nap and went back home) At four I was still a 2, and at five-thirty still only a 2.

This was very discouraging to my midwife and we discussed what our options were at that time since it was clear I was not progressing, even with the aid of the pitocin. And worse of all, I was having back labor. Each contraction sent me a little further over the edge of insanity as I thought my back was being clawed out… I did ten hours with no pain meds, yet at seven-thirty, I was only barely a 3. At that point I did get a small dose of something (don’t remember what!) in my IV. And painstakingly, I agreed to do the Epidural. I had to at that point, in all that pain, watch the stupid Epidural video I’d refused to watch at the start. (They can’t administer the drug without you watching the video). I have to say I didn’t hear it all as I was crying through the contractions during the video watching. Oh well. Anyhow, the Epidural was done at eight pm. I then fell into a sleepy state of stupor and have no idea what happened in the next four hours. Thank you medicine. I was then checked at a 4 and then a 5 and then BAM! (Hi, I’m Dori…) I started feeling the pains again. Each one was low in my back and worse each time. They tried to give me a second dose of meds but, my Epidural catheter had come out, they’d have to redo it. I mustered up all the strength I could and sat through the torture of the Epidural being re-administered. I remember chanting in my head “do not move. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Do not move.” Again and again so to only be stuck once, instead of what I think was three times the first Epidural try…

After that… WOOOSH! We were off! At one am I was a 6 and then an 8 and then a 9 and then we started practicing pushing. Somewhere in that time span I had to have an oxygen mask on. Baby wasn’t getting enough oxygen and the heart rate was dropping some with the contractions, trying to avoid that exact reason we went into a C-section with Matthew, they upped my oxygen levels and rolled me from one side to the other when necessary. I can say that the mask was the devil himself to me. It was so distracting and so frustrating. As if all that wasn’t enough to complain about, I also started shaking-shivering. I was so so cold after that second IV that my lips were literally shivering the whole time. They’d pile on the blankets and I’d still shiver. Ugh. Anyhow, back to pushing!!!… We practiced for an hour in two thirty minute sets. Jamie went to get my mom (Chuck, Sandy, Kimby and my mom were all in the waiting room and had been all that time). Mom came in at about 3am and took up a place in the corner, and we started pushing. I pushed for 45 mintues. My midwife had to use a vacuum, she says non-aggressively. There was a point when I remember my midwife saying "Kate it's do or die time, we've got to get the baby out or we'll have to go to surgery" (this was after he'd crowned) and buddy, I just didn't feel pain anymore. I just cried to God and repeated Phil 4:13 over and over and over and I pushed out that baby!

Jamie was able to tell me that Mark was here.

(MANNA WAS A BOY!!!)

It was beautiful... My mom was in the room with us and she cut Mark's cord. Jamie says I was smiling through my pain. I did it!

Tuesday morning, December 23rd 3:56 Mark Edward Hobbs was born!

Mark weighed 8.3 and was 19.5 inches. Matthew was 6.13 and 19 inches, so on just a half an inch of length more, there was another 1.6 pounds to look at... Mark is a chub! I love his chin rolls and chubby cheeks and thigh rolls....

Sadly though, we both ended up with a fever at delivery and Mark had to have a culture taken because of it. (More about that later) Also, though he wasn't breathing well, gulping but not taking a full breath, so he had to go straight to the NICU after only about ten minutes from arrival. After only an hour there though, he was released to the regular nursery for observation... and we finally got him back to our room 4 hours later. He was a trooper. I was in and out most of the morning and afternoon and he was so content. He started nursing well right away and knew just what to do!

We thought all was well and were expecting to go home Wed sometime. ... however (remember the fever and culture taken)... Wed morning when the pediatrician came in to let us know about the morning’s assessment, we were told that we couldn't leave until the culture results came back. Ooops. We'd forgotten about that. If it was negative, we'd go home. If it was positive, we'd have to stay. She was expecting that it was probably just a false positive or a contaminant of some kind, and that we’d be fine to go Thursday morning after the results were in, that they’d take 48 hours from the blood draw to be processed. Slightly bummed about not being able to go home FOR Christmas we made the calls to family about the potential of Mark being sick and us waiting to find out more in the morning. I was cleared to go at that point but the doc was waiting to discharge me until we found out the results.

However, later that evening, a nurse came in and said she’d need to get the baby to take him to get an IV. WHAT?!?!? They still don’t know what yet. The conclusive results wouldn’t be ready until tomorrow morning. But, it was positive. Mark was taken from us to start an IV port and he was given antibiotics. He'd have to have them every 12 hours until we knew for sure what it was or until the doc said he didn't need them anymore. A repeat culture was taken and we were again waiting on the results. All we knew was that some kind of bacteria had show up in the first culture, we didn't know what though. After being gone for two hours, he came back to uswith his whole left arm wrapped up and taped so he (or we) couldn’t move the IV port. He came back into the room with his eyes open, looking around. Content as could be. God is so good…

We did well through the night.

Thursday, Christmas day, Mom and Dad and Matthew came to see us in the morning. We had a great visit. We kept waiting and waiting for the doc to come in and tell us about the culture but when she came in, she said the lab still didn’t have the results back. (pout) She promised us that we’d know *something* today. Mom, Dad and Matthew all left so Matthew could take a nap. About 3pm my nurse came in and said that we should know something within the hour. I prepared for the worst and prayed to God Mark was okay. Just before 4pm the charge nurse in the nursery came in our room and said "I'll be taking the baby now" (MY HEART STOPPED) "to get his IV removed. The second culture came back negative" (PRAISE JESUS!) She even said they all thought we'd be staying on and that Mark would be moving to the NICU again which is what we were told could happen... that if it was positive, he'd need additional testing in the NICU... but it wasn't! Praise God for His GREATNESS!!!! What a Christmas present. We willingly and tearfully (of joy) sent Mark down the hall to the nursery yet again. As he was gone, we called the folks and started packing our bags. The nurses came and went to get all the discharge papers in order. We took Mark’s sweet pictures when he came back to us and right at six pm, we were all three in the car heading home to be rejoined with Matthew as a family of four at home on Christmas night.

Merry Christmas!

Mark pictures

Here's a few pictures to tide you over... story still to come.

8.3 pounds of chub

Daddy holding Mark

Matthew meets Mark

Matthew holds Mark

Mark holding his soothie all on his own

A sleeping baby