Happy Belated Birthday Thomas!

Name: Thomas Alexander
Birthday: 11/11/08
Time: 7:27am
Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz
Length: 19 inches





With everything that's been going on I realized I didn't even post TAD's birthday information. And I've been bad with sending pictures too so here are some for now.










Just born

















In the hospital again












2 weeks old and back home again




Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Quick Hospital Update

Yup, we're still here.

Thomas' test results came back showing he has MRSA, the most resistant form of a staph infection. It started to get a lot worse before it got better and his chest was so swollen and red and painful. Today there has been major improvement as the antibiotics are kicking in and the site is draining (something ugly, but I've never been so happy over the sight of oozing puss). Thanks to heat compresses every 2-3 hours on his chest it started to drain on its own late Thursday night, and the pediatric surgeon will not need to touch him since it's better for the body to do it on its own. He was supposed to have his last dose of IV antibiotics tonight at 4am, but earlier this evening the nurses had to take it out again. They have been closely monitoring his IV since it fell out and his arm puffed up a couple days ago and the poor little guy had to be poked a few times again since they have trouble threading the needle into such small veins. All I could think was not again, he cried so much both times they tried to start it, and his skin is all red and irritated from the tape.

Luckily, they've decided to spare him (and they're running out of places to try) so he is going to get the oral antibiotic at 4am. This is the first time today I've had a chance to breathe, and I should probably get some sleep. He has been feeding like crazy today that I think all I've been doing is nursing him. I thank all of you for your voice mail, facebook, and text messages of keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. I'll hopefully be able to return calls soon.

We are expected to go home tomorrow (later today technically) if he doesn't react badly to the oral medicine.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........

One Week Old

and two hospitals.

I will preface this by saying Baby Thomas is doing remarkably well for what he is going through; he is such a little trooper.

Yesterday he turned one week old and though I haven't been online for a few days I was going to try to post a little about his birthday, but instead we ended up at the pediatrician and then at the Emergency Department. We're still here at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and will be for at least 48 hours while he gets antibiotics for an infection he has, and they check for other things like meningitis (just to be on the safe side). It was hard seeing him stuck with so many needles since his veins are so thin and the needle is small; they failed to get it in twice and had to stop. He also got a spinal tap (and didn't even cry) and some cultures taken.

Poor little guy is 8 days old and half of his life has been spent in the hospital. We have to be careful holding him as he is attached to an IV and other monitors so there are a lot of lines connected to him. Overall, he is a good little fellow and still feeding and very alert. He didn't get a fever until today and already the medicine has knocked it down. He is a hit with all the ladies because he is so adorable and sweet (luckily they attached a lojack-like device on his leg so no one steals him! One of the student nurses joked that she wanted to.), and is being very well taken care of.

Hopefully we'll go home tomorrow night if his tests come back alright and he responds well to treatment. Fingers crossed...

Red Sox Baby

OK so it's not the real reason we chose Beth Israel to deliver Thomas, but I can't wait to see him in the cute little cap! Being the Official Hospital of the Boston Red Sox has its advantages. I actually used to go to Brigham and Women's Hospital and had a really great OB/GYN but then she moved to Chicago, and since I already had other doctors I see at the BI, figured it made sense to have them all at one hospital if they ever needed to share information.

BIDMC’s name is displayed throughout Fenway Park while photos of babies born at BIDMC are featured on the jumbotron, wearing the official baby hat of the Red Sox. Each newborn at BIDMC receives the hat and other Red Sox goodies, including a certificate for a free tour of Fenway when the baby reaches five years old.

It's really nice to be able to choose between such top notch hospitals in Boston, but I also wish I were closer to family.

Last Weekend of Blessed Sleep?

So TAD's projected birthday was yesterday and I guess I should have trusted my initial instinct that he will be late (he already takes after his parents!) After my appointment last Monday I thought he was a lot closer when to my surprise the doctor told me I was 3-4cm and 90% effaced! It wasn't the cms since I know plenty of women who have walked around for 2 weeks being a few cms dilated but it was the effacement that really caught me off guard. I have been feeling a lot of pelvic pressure, but no contractions. The doc said I would probably be fine if I wanted to get it over with and be induced as he was pleased with the progress and said I would probably not need a c-section. He said I could have the baby tomorrow if I wanted. I told him I had to vote and still had things to finish at work. Since I wasn't expecting the news too I didn't feel ready either!

Though the last few weeks of pregnancy are no walk in the park, it doesn't really bother me if he comes late, if anything I'm grateful for the extra time to get things ready, but what I find annoying is the many people who act like he's 3 weeks late (even before his due date); there's only so many times I can stand to hear, "He STILL hasn't come yet?!?!?" or hear the jokes that he will be "4 feet tall by the time he is born" UGH! I consider myself a pretty calm person, but those comments only make me feel anxious and that doesn't do any good. I've still been working, but the last couple of days I worked from home, which is a little less distracting and I can be in my comfy pajamas all day. Everyone tells me I'm crazy to still be working, (and toward the end of this week I've started to think they're right) but I'd rather spend as much time with the little one after he's born.

Besides the whole miracle and amazing process of conceiving and growing a new life, it has been interesting to say the least being pregnant. On a social aspect you really learn so much about people's private lives. I went to go vote during my lunch break at work last Tuesday since I work closer to my old crib in Brighton than where I live now, and keep forgetting to change that; actually they still had the good ol'
Rock for me. It took so long, not because I had to wait in line, but because the women signing me in and then walking me to the booth had a million questions and then had to tell me all about their experiences. Besides slowing me down a lot, I don't mind and find it's funny all the personal stuff you learn about complete strangers! And it's not just women, it's the men too! At times it can be touching as their eyes glisten with joy and pride just thinking back to the day their own babies were born. It's a moment many have tried to describe, and ultimately say it's a feeling you have to experience yourself to fully realize that amount of love...I can't wait!

Week 39

I have a suspicion TAD is feeling quite snuggly, which isn't a horrible thing even with the general uncomfortableness of late pregnancy. Reason being, I still feel like there's a lot of last minute things we need to do; things that of course we can still do after the birth but I'm expecting we'll be both too tired to want to do anything besides sleep when not taking care of the little guy.

I'm still working, and plan to work up until I think he's coming, though it's getting pretty tiring so I may take a day off this week since I have the time, and then I can go run some errands. I put together an Oktoberfest at work and while we were celebrating the office gave me a card everyone had signed and a very generous Babies R Us gift card. It was really nice; then the Friday before last the women of the office threw me a lovely baby shower after work. It was really sweet and felt like a 2nd family. My friend Zoi's little man Rocco "crashed" the party, and he was such a hit. Quite charming at 18 months old. (I may have some pictures to add later, but the coworker who took them is sea kayaking in Mexico (so awesome!), so maybe when she comes back.)

We bought the Baby a new car last weekend, ha ha. I should have thrown that on the registry! It was easy getting by with only one car when we lived in Boston, right on the Green Line, and we had figured we would have had to buy a 2nd car 2 years ago when we moved here, but we actually made it work pretty well, and saved money in the meantime. It's awesome having a 2nd one now though! We bought a 2009 Hyundai Sonata, and thanks to the Hub's diligent research combined with the crappy economy we got it way below invoice. When other dealerships can't even match the price it's safe to say you're getting a good deal.

Well off to do some more cleaning and errands. I can't say I'm getting the "nesting" instinct, but I can't sit around while SD does all the work. Well technically I probably could, he's been so great and accommodating, but I'm not that kind of girl!