Tate's Fifth Week

Well this past week has been one hell of a week. After Tate's one month birthday things definitely spiralled downwards in unforeseeable ways. Beginning with me being taken to the doctor then rushed to the emergency room and ended with me having surgery.

Let me back up... The night after Tate was born at about 130a.m. I began feeling terrible, terrible pains in my upper abdomen spreading to my back and shoulder. After writhing around in bed for about 30 or 45 minutes my husband sent for a nurse who assured us that it was either heart burn and/or gas pains from the pressure that built up after having a baby. I spent the next two hours in pain and ended up throwing up about 10 times and sitting in a hot shower for 40 minutes trying to find any way I could to relieve the pain. Nothing helped. I finally took a pain pill that helped me pass out and go to sleep.

I thought that was the end of it until about 2 weeks ago, shortly after going to bed I experienced the same thing. The throwing up, the gassiness, the pressure, the excruciating pain. After a couple of hours it kind of went away on our own. I stopped drinking carbonated drinks and was trying to avoid greasy, fatty foods because both nights I had eaten a hamburger and french fries with a soda later in the evening within a few hours of bedtime.

Then on Friday night I experienced the same thing, only worse. On Saturday there was another attack but nothing nearly as severe or discomforting as the previous times. Gabe and I decided we would seek a Dr's opinion during the week, likely early Wednesday morning when Gabe was off. Then Monday afternoon I had an attack that was by far the worst one yet. I was doubled over in extreme amounts of pain unlike anything I've ever felt before. I told Gabe we would need to go to the doctor when he got home. I called back shortly there after and told him there was no way we could wait and he needed to come home NOW.

We headed to the doctor's office, who skipped several patients to bring me back. She took one look and one feel and sent me to the ER. After waiting for over 2 hours I was finally brought back to a room. We had Tate with us since he's exclusively breastfed and Connor was thankfully picked up at the hospital by Amanda where he ended up spending the night Monday night.

After doing an ultrasound they determined I had SEVERAL gallstones in my gallbladder and had one stone that was lodged in my common bile duct, which was elevating my liver enzymes and basically starting to shut off my liver functions. They admitted me to the hospital so I could have an ERCP procedure done in the morning. Tuesday morning by the time I woke up I was jaundiced to the point my hands and fingers were yellowing. I was yellow from the waist up!

The ECRP, a procedure where I was consciously sedated, consisted of a camera probe being inserted in my mouth, down my throat where they flushed out the stone that was in my common bile duct. This procedure also confirmed that my gallbladder needed to come out. After a long wait we finally met the surgeon who scheduled the procedure for Wednesday at 1230. They removed my gallbladder, stones and all, and did a liver biopsy. We won't get the results from the biopsy back for a couple of weeks.

The procedure went well, but I'm still swollen and quite uncomfortable. Having surgery like this 4.5 weeks postpartum was not at all what I had in mind. I'm recovering, but the recovery, unfortunately has been harder and more painful than childbirth.

Gabe took a photo of my belly today- you can see the swell and the sites of the laproscopy. Thank you to all of you who prayed us through this ordeal. We wouldn't have made it through without the prayers you sent our way. So, basically the world's sweetest Tater Tot spent his 5th week in the world, back where he began... only two floors up! Unfortunately with all that's going on I only got two pictures of Tater Tot this week. I feel terrible about it, hopefully he and all of you can forgive me.

Four Weeks Old

He's growing and changing so much I can hardly stand it!

Have I mentioned just how stinking cute this little Tater Tot is?

Monday night I had an upset stomach and ended up throwing up for a couple of hours. Since Tate was going to be ready to eat at any point in the midst of it all we thawed some milk I had in the freezer and Daddy was able to feed Tate for the first time and give him his first bottle!

Family Story Time Before Bed

No Second Child Syndrome Here

I've heard other parents and friends discuss at length how things change from child number one to child number two. How you go from needing everything to be shiny and new to being much more accepting of hand-me-downs and consignment finds. I've heard people talk about how with #1 a dropped pacifier meant breaking a new one out of the package whereas with #2 they'd just pop it in their own mouth and give it back. (And with #3+ it doesn't even get that, it's just floor to mouth again).

I'm beginning to think I have something wrong with me. I don't have the second child syndrome... not yet anyway.

With Connor if someone offered me clothes, I took them and used them without fail. With Tate, all of the clothes I had shared with my sister when she had her two children found their way back to our closet- in addition to all of the clothing she bought/received for her two! I've bought new stuff, new bedding and such for Tate and I've had friends shower he and I with wonderful gifts and ensembles. I wanted things for Tate to be just as perfect (if not more so) as they were for Connor.

As for the whole pacifier scenario, I can't really say one way or another what we'd do with that. We don't use pacifiers. Before both boys were born we said we wouldn't use them. We ended up starting to use them when Connor was 2.5 months old and his reflux was so incredibly terrible that per the Ped GI's recommendation we gave them to him to help him keep some of his "food" down. Tate thankfully has only spit up about 10 times in the past 3 weeks 6 days (I'll post tearfully tomorrow about my struggle to cope with him turning 4 weeks old) and he doesn't really cry.

The real test has been as far as germs and hand washing are concerned. I still have a bottle of hand sanitizer on the table as soon as you walk into the house. Gabe still comes in, changes clothes, washes hands, sanitizes hands and then picks up Tate. Connor tells people to wash their hands, etc. I carry a container of Lysol wipes in the diaper bag and wipe down anything we touch outside of our "bubble". Today while dropping Connor off at VBS (again another post) a little well intending girl walked over to us squealing "He's sooooo cute" at an ear piercing level. Then (cue Psycho music) she reaches her hands over to his face and says "Can I touch him". I felt like a truly evil, unchristian woman when I unapologetically said "No."

Again, no second child syndrome appearing as of yet. I suppose I'm still in Mama Bear mode. My poor boys are probably going to have me committed at some point. If they don't my husband might.

Week Three

Tate officially turned 3 weeks old last night. I'm trying to figure out just how it works out that the 40 weeks (okay, 37 weeks and 6 days) of pregnancy crept by at tortoise speed and the past 3 weeks have passed us by in the blink of an eye. I'm not complaining by any stretch but I just feel like it is all too soon for Tate to already be 3 weeks old.

People ask how I'm doing and to be honest I'm completely, wonderfully happy and in love with my boys and life. When I look at us, and the pictures taken and the memories being made, I know this was the perfect dynamic for us for the time being. I cannot imagine life any other way. Saying this catches me off guard, especially since just weeks ago the thought of adding a fourth to our trio left me feeling anxious and edgy. Seeing Gabe with the boys, and Connor and Tate bonding with another brings me pure joy and peace. We're also learning that a new baby makes for more than just tire parents... apparently big brothers get exhausted too!


On Tuesday afternoon, Tate's umbilical cord fell off. Wednesday brought Tate's first real bath- as real as a kitchen sink bath gets. He still doesn't enjoy getting naked or cold, but he does enjoy getting his hair washed.


We took Tate to the doctor this morning for his "2 week" well check. Our eyes were not deceiving us this week as we noticed him slowly filling out. While he weighed 6lbs 10oz at birth, he dropped to 6lbs 2oz. Today he weighed a "whopping" 7lbs even. He's in the 5th percentile for his weight and in growing an inch since leaving the hospital he's in the 23rd percentile for his height at 20.5 inches.

Tate's Second Week

I realize I'm behind in posting and updating on the second week of Tate's life. It's not that I don't have anything to say, simply that we've been so busy with our TWO boys that I haven't made the time for it.

Gabe's been on vacation since July 4th and after his two days off this week he returned back to work this morning. Connor and I were both sad knowing he was going back to work, and knowing that our foursome wouldn't have all day together like we have for the last 11 days. Gabe and I talked about it a little bit last night, and I finally sighed and smiled and said, "Yeah, but at least we have a lifetime to spend together." Gabe's response, "And that's pretty awesome." Yes, love, it is.

We had a lot of fun during vacation time just being a family. The big boys went to the pool together, played lots of Legos and Bionicles together and exhausted one another! We had more family visit this past weekend- another blessing- and had fun settling in to our new family dynamic.

As for boy #1... Connor is adjusting to having a baby brother. I know it's tough on him to have to wait his turn at times, and vie for attention. The truth of the matter is that Tate reminds me of when Connor was a baby. He's so sweet and warm and cuddly- just like Connor was. We keep telling Connor how they are similar which makes Connor happy. C's also gotten better with holding T. He LOVES to hold his baby brother, and usually asks to be the one to hold him during our family bible time.

Connor keeps gushing about "his baby" to people. He gets somewhat annoyed and noticeably disappointed if he doesn't get to "show and tell" his baby brother. He says to people "Let ME show you my baby brother." It makes us both so happy to see the love, care and concern he has for Tate. He's also made it VERY clear that he has a lot to teach his brother. "I'm going to teach Tate about Legos and Transformers and Teen Titans and Bionicles and Star Wars and Light Sabers and Dinosaurs." I hope he always feels like this for his baby brother.

And now, on to the baby brother... He's amazing. He has stolen my heart the same way that Connor did. I've informed my wonderful husband that he now has double competition from our two boys. How is it that in an instant you can hold a teeny, tiny, 6lb person and lose your heart completely? TWICE? These boys and their little faces, and hands and coos and cries... They melt me and leave me completely wrapped up in them. Connor did it first, and Tate has done it again.

Tate's sleeping incredibly well. The past two nights he's slept for over 5 hours before waking up, eating and going back to sleep for 3.5-4.5 hours. He's also still eating like a champ! We're so very happy to report that. I can't put in to words the frustration and disappointment I experienced when we were having our nursing issues. Knowing that he's eating well, and seeing him start to put on a little weight brings me pure joy.

Life is so GREAT right now. It just keeps getting better. I know that we made the right decision when prayerfully decided to try to expand our family. All of my fears, anxieties and worries about the choice have dissipated. Now I just focus on raising these boys and watching them grow. I have to stop and ask myself daily what I did in this life to be blessed like this.

Tate's First Week

After coming home from the hospital last Saturday, things have been busy and wonderfully exciting and different! When we left the hospital everything was going well and we were ready to take on the world as a family of four. Then life and reality sunk in and things went a little haywire. Sunday was a rough day for us. Gabe had to return to work (less than 24 hours after we came home from the hospital), and it was just going to be the boys and I until Wednesday when Dad, Cheryl and Colin came to town. I was extremely extremely tired, operating on less than 25 hours of sleep in over 5 days, not to mention the postpartum hormones going wild! On top of it all, Tate and I were having some issues nursing. Our little Tot did not want to latch on which made for very long, tiresome, frustrating, unhappy feedings.

All I can say is, THANK GOD FOR GOOD FRIENDS! First, Tate's Godmother Troy heard my desperation and tears on the phone and spent time with us on Sunday afternoon helping us find a niche and try to battle through our nursing woes. While her tips and help were appreciated, the company she provided and the reassurance of the support system in place brought much needed relief. Later that night, Amanda came and kept Connor and I company for a little while and was able to meet Tate. After my teary goodbye to Gabe that night, I definitely needed a friend to "pick me up".

Monday brought a weight check at the Dr's office. Tate was down to 6lbs 2oz.- not too bad. We had to return to the office on Friday and were pleased to find out that he had gained 1oz and was at 6lbs 3oz- let the growing begin. Monday I was also given the most amazing gift. Saint Troy picked Connor up around 9:30a.m. and kept him until after 6p.m. She kept him busy, entertained, and active. He had lunch, dinner and came home and crashed hard. I was also able to get a MUCH needed first nap at home since having Tate. I can't thank her enough for that gift.

We survived the next few days, and I was so very grateful for the help the lactation consultant at the hospital was able to provide! We ended up having a picnic in the yard on Tuesday. Tate had his first bath at home, got lots of cuddles from his big brother and the boys and I enjoyed some time together as a trio while Daddy was working and closing all week long!

Wednesday the reinforcements arrived- and so did more gifts! All day Thursday and Friday, Connor was kept busy, entertained, happy and spoiled. I've been so very worried about boy #1 and his adjusting and him being jealous of boy #2. With trips to the hotel pool, the park, walks around town, Star Wars toys and more there has never been a happier boy! Tate and I were able to continue our feeding successes and spend some time one on one.

Last night we celebrated our first fourth as a family of four. We are so very proud and blessed to be Americans. As per our usual routine we invited Gabe's fellow managers over for food and fun. The neighbors came down too! Just as Gabe was pulling the chicken off the grill the tornado warnings sounded and the torrential downpour came. With festivities altered we came inside, spent time laughing and enjoying one another and after goodbyes we all filed into bed very willingly.

At mass today both boys behaved impeccably well. Tate slept the entire time and Connor was still, quiet and attentive. At communion they sang "On Eagle's Wings" I couldn't help but get teary eyed as I listened to it and thought of my boys.

Gabe has officially begun his vacation. Our plans? NOTHING. We are staying at home, doing nothing and going to love every minute of it! Life is beyond good right now. Beyond great. We are blessed beyond measure.