I thought that since I have Tess sleeping, I’d share a quick update. We’ve been home two weeks… WOW!!!... Those two weeks have gone by incredibly fast! Steve’s mom was here last week and Steve and Cooper are home this week. We are doing well bonding as a family! I am back to where I was when Cooper was a newborn in trying to figure out how to do things. I struggle to get in a shower and brushing my teeth in a “timely” manner. Most days this week I haven’t even gotten to blow-dry my hair. Oh well. I’m sure in the next few weeks I’ll get into a routine. I’m healing well from the c-section and feeling really good. I walked around our “block” and it felt good to get out of the house. I’d really like to get out, but I’m not ready to take Tess out yet. We are out of diapers so I think we might tag along with Steve for a trip to Target.
Miss Tess loves to be held… by me and hasn’t given me much of a break. I’d estimate that she is held 22+ hours a day. This means I hold her while sleeping on the couch… maybe not the best idea, but what else do I do??? I prop the Boppy under her and my arm and then use a pillow behind me and another pillow under head on the arm of the couch. Little One does great at sleeping 3-4 hours at night. Now if we could just get her into the bassinet. She sleeps in it for about ten minutes, but that’s it. She’ll sleep in the Boppy fairly well, but I can’t leave her alone in it. I’m hoping we can transition into the bedroom in the next week or so.
Cooper loves his sister. He has been so gentle with her (just occasionally needing a reminder). The last couple of days he just giggles when she is looking at him. He is so loving that he gives her gentle hugs and kisses her head. I can’t wait until they can truly interact with each other. I hope they are always close.
Well naptime is over…
More later.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
In joy and excitement… She’s here!
Introducing Tessa Grace Hull… 
She arrived Monday, August 10th at 10:30am. She weighed 7lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long.
Last Monday, we arrived at the hospital at our scheduled 8:30 check-in time. Things seemed fairly quiet and we had about an hour and a half of just getting ready… filling out the social security information form, getting an IV, talking to OB and anesthesia, and what seemed like a lot of time just waiting. They thought we might even get started early, but I didn’t walk back to the OR until a little after 10am. In my last post a little over a week ago I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of our daughter. I was nervous about the OR, but I had been reassured by several people that a planned c-section usually goes very smoothly… and just about everyone that took care of us before going to the OR told us the same thing. Things don’t go quite as smoothly as we had hoped and there was probably more drama with Tess’ arrival than Cooper’s. After placing my spinal anesthesia my blood pressure significantly dropped and I stopped breathing and became unconscious. With fluids and medications, I came back fairly quickly, but they lost Tess’ heartbeat and they had to proceed with an emergency c-section. The first thing I remember when I became aware of my surrounds was them asking for the staff surgeon and said “We need to get the baby out now!” Steve was still in the pre-op/recovery area waiting to be brought in. They never did tell him what had happened, but told him that he needed to hurry or he was going to miss it. He thought they had just forgotten to get him. He made it in time to tape her birth. Our beautiful little girl arrived at 10:30. After a few minutes she was fine and demonstrating she has a great set of lungs. We have a healthy beautiful little girl. They did share that our silly little one was breech. I had ultrasounds the last four weeks and she was always head down and even the nurse checking us in thought she felt her head down, so the thought is she turned sometime in the OR before her delivery. We stayed in the hospital until Thursday.
She arrived Monday, August 10th at 10:30am. She weighed 7lbs 5 oz and was 20 inches long.
Last Monday, we arrived at the hospital at our scheduled 8:30 check-in time. Things seemed fairly quiet and we had about an hour and a half of just getting ready… filling out the social security information form, getting an IV, talking to OB and anesthesia, and what seemed like a lot of time just waiting. They thought we might even get started early, but I didn’t walk back to the OR until a little after 10am. In my last post a little over a week ago I was anxiously anticipating the arrival of our daughter. I was nervous about the OR, but I had been reassured by several people that a planned c-section usually goes very smoothly… and just about everyone that took care of us before going to the OR told us the same thing. Things don’t go quite as smoothly as we had hoped and there was probably more drama with Tess’ arrival than Cooper’s. After placing my spinal anesthesia my blood pressure significantly dropped and I stopped breathing and became unconscious. With fluids and medications, I came back fairly quickly, but they lost Tess’ heartbeat and they had to proceed with an emergency c-section. The first thing I remember when I became aware of my surrounds was them asking for the staff surgeon and said “We need to get the baby out now!” Steve was still in the pre-op/recovery area waiting to be brought in. They never did tell him what had happened, but told him that he needed to hurry or he was going to miss it. He thought they had just forgotten to get him. He made it in time to tape her birth. Our beautiful little girl arrived at 10:30. After a few minutes she was fine and demonstrating she has a great set of lungs. We have a healthy beautiful little girl. They did share that our silly little one was breech. I had ultrasounds the last four weeks and she was always head down and even the nurse checking us in thought she felt her head down, so the thought is she turned sometime in the OR before her delivery. We stayed in the hospital until Thursday.
Getting ready to go home...
Our first family photo...
Tess is doing great. She has taken to nursing like she has done it her entire life… well I guess she has. I should say like a pro. No struggles with latching on. We initially were concerned about her being jaundiced, but the docs thought she was in a low to intermediate risk category and if it didn’t appear to be getting worse, she’d be fine and she is. Her weight dropped to 6lbs 13 oz at her doctor visit on Saturday so we had her checked again on Monday and she was up to 7lb. I will take her back on Friday just to be sure she is at her birth weight or above. She likes to eat and make wet and poopy diapers so we know things are moving through her.
I really appreciate my parents coming to take care of Cooper. He did really well with them. They brought him up to the hospital several times. So far he seems to like his sister. My parents were here until Saturday and my sister came Friday for the night. Steve’s mom came Saturday and his dad will come on Friday. Steve will be home with us next week. We are starting to get settled, but I’m sure it will take some time before we are in a routine. I’m taking 12 weeks of maternity leave so we have time to bond and figure things out.
My little one LOVES to be held and since I’m not good at one-handed typing I will close for now. I LOVE to snuggle, too!
Bear with us if the blog goes a few days without an update. I’ll post as soon as I can.
Life is beautiful!!!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
In anticipation…
Not much longer and our little one will be here! We will soon be a family of four. I can’t wait to meet her. With each passing hour I am a bit more excited… and maybe a little nervous. I have been reassured that we will be in good hands. I know we will. First, we are in God’s hands… it doesn’t get more perfect than that. Second, there are many skilled and wonderful hands at Mayo. My OB said she would have any of her colleagues operate on her and she said she really meant it. But, this is major surgery and I am just not a fan of pain. I know that this c-section will be different from Cooper’s. It will be controlled and not the mad rush to the OR we experienced with him. I still remember the tugging and pulling, my hands going numb, and just the environment of the OR. So yes, again, I am a bit nervous. However, I am focusing on what I will gain from going through it. My little girl will be in my arms by this time tomorrow!
With this anticipation comes a bit of sadness. These are the last few hours that only I get to sense when she is moving or has the hiccups. If this is my last pregnancy, it is the last time I will ever experience the growth of a child within me… a very precious experience that can’t ever be put into words. I love my baby belly! I won’t miss the backaches and some of the other aches and pains of the last few weeks, but I will miss being pregnant.
My mom and dad are on their way here now. It will be wonderful to know that Cooper is well taken care of and we can focus our attention on Tess. I will miss my little guy. The longest I have spent away from him has been one night. Mom and Dad will bring him up to meet his sister and spend time with us each day. But it will be hard to not be here to tuck him in bed or see the excitement on his face when I go to get him out of the crib in the morning. It is only for a few days and then we will be home as a family.
Cooper has been fun of hugs today. I’m sure he senses something is happening, but he probably has no idea of WHAT is about to happen. In church during the praise music, he was cuddling so hard he brought tears to my eyes. He gives the best hugs. Just in case you are wondering, I am in absolute love with my little guy. He is so incredibly precious to me!!!
God is going to bless us with two… wow!
So for now I wait in eager anticipation of our daughter!!! Here is to a restful night, a calm morning, skilled and talented surgeon hands, and the amazing birth of Tessa Grace!
More tomorrow… I hope.
With this anticipation comes a bit of sadness. These are the last few hours that only I get to sense when she is moving or has the hiccups. If this is my last pregnancy, it is the last time I will ever experience the growth of a child within me… a very precious experience that can’t ever be put into words. I love my baby belly! I won’t miss the backaches and some of the other aches and pains of the last few weeks, but I will miss being pregnant.
My mom and dad are on their way here now. It will be wonderful to know that Cooper is well taken care of and we can focus our attention on Tess. I will miss my little guy. The longest I have spent away from him has been one night. Mom and Dad will bring him up to meet his sister and spend time with us each day. But it will be hard to not be here to tuck him in bed or see the excitement on his face when I go to get him out of the crib in the morning. It is only for a few days and then we will be home as a family.
Cooper has been fun of hugs today. I’m sure he senses something is happening, but he probably has no idea of WHAT is about to happen. In church during the praise music, he was cuddling so hard he brought tears to my eyes. He gives the best hugs. Just in case you are wondering, I am in absolute love with my little guy. He is so incredibly precious to me!!!
God is going to bless us with two… wow!
So for now I wait in eager anticipation of our daughter!!! Here is to a restful night, a calm morning, skilled and talented surgeon hands, and the amazing birth of Tessa Grace!
More tomorrow… I hope.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Happy 18 months old, Cooper!
Wow, 18 months ago tonight we were holding our precious newborn son. Now he is a toddler, my big boy. I have loved every stage with him. Of course each stage also has its moments, but the journey has been incredible. Cooper continues to change every day and fascinate me with what he can do. Over the weekend he bought me his shoes and said, “shoe’! No prompting, just said it. The other day I was getting him a cup of juice and I asked him if he wanted some and he said, “Juice”. Wow. His language is starting to pick up. On a related note… we took Cooper in for his ENT follow-up and hearing test and I was amazed to watch him during the test. He was hearing sounds that he didn’t hear six weeks ago before his tubes were placed. I am so glad I pushed to get them placed and not wait six weeks to see if the fluid would clear. He proved that he was an excellent candidate for them.
He is doing great at daycare. I love seeing him have fun with his friends on the playground. He is a different kid from a few weeks ago.
Cooper… aka Mr. Monkey, loves to climb. Nothing deters him from trying to climb. Cooper was trying to climb on the coffee table by pulling out the drawer and stepping up. Steve was quickly pushing the drawer back in before he could get his foot in it, but Cooper decided he’d try a different route. He went to the end of the table and pulled himself up. He has mastered the coffee table, the dining room table, and the wooden highchair. The kid needs a rope and a helmet. I’m a bit worried about what he’ll try with the swing set once it is put together. Kids!
Tonight we have a picnic at the daycare. It will be fun to watch Cooper play and get to meet other parents and get to know the teachers better.
He is doing great at daycare. I love seeing him have fun with his friends on the playground. He is a different kid from a few weeks ago.
Cooper… aka Mr. Monkey, loves to climb. Nothing deters him from trying to climb. Cooper was trying to climb on the coffee table by pulling out the drawer and stepping up. Steve was quickly pushing the drawer back in before he could get his foot in it, but Cooper decided he’d try a different route. He went to the end of the table and pulled himself up. He has mastered the coffee table, the dining room table, and the wooden highchair. The kid needs a rope and a helmet. I’m a bit worried about what he’ll try with the swing set once it is put together. Kids!
Tonight we have a picnic at the daycare. It will be fun to watch Cooper play and get to meet other parents and get to know the teachers better.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Wondering what is up in the Hull house???
Well, a lot of preparing and just getting last minute stuff done. I have just one more load of Tess’ stuff to wash after the one in the washer is done. I should go down and get a suitcase and get it packed. Steve put the car seat bases in the Jeep and van. I should also have him bring up the bassinet. I think we might be ready… well, she could come and we’d be okay.
I had a great appointment on Wednesday. I think part of it was that Dr. M had a medical student with her and she was praising me in front of the medical student about how well I have done compared some other moms they had seen that day. With the gestational diabetes I have gained about 11 pounds and she anticipates Tess to be about 6-6 ½ pounds when she is born. Of course, she could surprise us and be a little bigger, but she is measuring about 36 weeks instead of 38 weeks.
Tess snoozed through the first part of the non-stress test. In fact, she was making me and the nurse a bit nervous… probably the nurse more than me until the nurse told me what would happen next if she didn’t wake up and then I got really nervous. Her heart rate was really steady, but she was a sound asleep. The nurse was going to give her ten minutes to rest and then have me turn on my side or use a baby alarm to wake her up. If that didn’t work I would need a full ultrasound to watch for breathing and movement. If she still wasn’t reassuring them she was okay we would go to labor and delivery to be monitored and either be sent home or be delivered that afternoon. When she got to the delivery part is when I started to panic. But Tess woke up once I turned on my side and was very active. During the ultrasound to check fluid levels, she had her hands up so I couldn't see her face, oh well.
Cooper is doing great in the Toddler room and is enjoying playing with his new friends, especially on the playground! For the month of August they will have a zoo theme. They have some fun days planned according to their calendar.
Today we went to JC Penney to get Coopers 18 month pictures taken and had a family photo done at the same time. It used to be so much easier when he couldn’t walk. Today he was much more interested in the umbrella light and the camera cord than actually having his picture taken. The poor girl tried really hard. She got a few good shorts, but he was a difficult subject.
Enjoy…
Well, a lot of preparing and just getting last minute stuff done. I have just one more load of Tess’ stuff to wash after the one in the washer is done. I should go down and get a suitcase and get it packed. Steve put the car seat bases in the Jeep and van. I should also have him bring up the bassinet. I think we might be ready… well, she could come and we’d be okay.
I had a great appointment on Wednesday. I think part of it was that Dr. M had a medical student with her and she was praising me in front of the medical student about how well I have done compared some other moms they had seen that day. With the gestational diabetes I have gained about 11 pounds and she anticipates Tess to be about 6-6 ½ pounds when she is born. Of course, she could surprise us and be a little bigger, but she is measuring about 36 weeks instead of 38 weeks.
Tess snoozed through the first part of the non-stress test. In fact, she was making me and the nurse a bit nervous… probably the nurse more than me until the nurse told me what would happen next if she didn’t wake up and then I got really nervous. Her heart rate was really steady, but she was a sound asleep. The nurse was going to give her ten minutes to rest and then have me turn on my side or use a baby alarm to wake her up. If that didn’t work I would need a full ultrasound to watch for breathing and movement. If she still wasn’t reassuring them she was okay we would go to labor and delivery to be monitored and either be sent home or be delivered that afternoon. When she got to the delivery part is when I started to panic. But Tess woke up once I turned on my side and was very active. During the ultrasound to check fluid levels, she had her hands up so I couldn't see her face, oh well.
Cooper is doing great in the Toddler room and is enjoying playing with his new friends, especially on the playground! For the month of August they will have a zoo theme. They have some fun days planned according to their calendar.
Today we went to JC Penney to get Coopers 18 month pictures taken and had a family photo done at the same time. It used to be so much easier when he couldn’t walk. Today he was much more interested in the umbrella light and the camera cord than actually having his picture taken. The poor girl tried really hard. She got a few good shorts, but he was a difficult subject.
Enjoy…
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