Today one year ago started off with me finally giving in and saying YES to an epidural. I asked for it and within 15 minutes the anesthesiologist was there and had his work done. At this point I had progressed to a 6. I was excited but still a little angry that was as far as I had progressed after a full days worth of work. I got the epidural at 2 a.m. and within 30 minutes I was able to sleep-- deep, real sleep for the first time since Wednesday night.
They woke me up around 5:30, I think, to check my progress. I felt so much better after having some rest but I was unable to feel my left leg AT ALL. I had limited feeling in my right leg. It was a weird sensation but in comparison to what I would have been feeling, it was like heaven! They said I was a 10 and ready to push. WOAH. Talk about a crazy wake up call. "Okay now it is time to have a baby!" I didn't expect that. I guess part of me had lost hope after how long the day before had been. By 6 a.m. I was pushing with the nurse. It took me a while to get the hang of it since I couldn't feel anything. They had to tell me each time a contraction was coming. Shortly after I started pushing, my epidural FELL OUT of my back.. seriously, I was starting to feel the pain more and asked if they had turned off my meds... they quickly realized the needle had fallen out! They had the anesthesiologist come back to fix it. Then Hunter's heart rate started to go crazy. It was way too low in between contractions and way too high during them. The nurses were shoving oxygen on my face in between every push... It was so stressful and I was so scared. I had no time to take a break at all. I would push and then have to deep breathe so Hunter could get oxygen. This still wasn't working, so they used the vacuum on Hunter to try to help him out. One try. Two tries. Three tries. Four tries. None successful. At this point they were VERY CONCERNED about Hunter's health. The doctor came to me with papers to sign saying that I needed to have a C-section and that they needed to get me in there fast.
By 8:10 I was in the operating room getting set up. Josh was able to come in with me and stand by my head. They didn't allow either one of us to see anything. It was so cold and I was soooo thirsty. I hadn't been allowed to drink anything all morning. I remember shivering all over-- I think it was a side effect of the medicine as well as me being so nervous. Josh held my arm (since both my hands were strapped down with medical gear) and was comforting. All we could do now was wait.
Then, we heard the cry. I knew my baby was alive and in the world! He was born at 8:22 a.m. The rushed him off to a side room and I could see the doctors, but not the baby. They did all their checks on him and said he looked healthy. Then they allowed Josh to go meet him. Oh, the jealousy! Serious, serious jealousy! They did let me see Hunter before they took him to the nursery... I couldn't touch him yet, but I saw his beautiful face. They fixed me up and then took me to a recovery room where I had to be monitored for about 45 minutes. I was dying of thirst. I thought my tongue was going to fall out of my dry mouth. The nurse wouldn't let me have anything at all. About 30 minutes into it, my doula snuck me a piece of ice and that was sooooo awesome.
I was still really out of it when they wheeled me back to my room. I couldn't feel anything below my chest. FINALLY Josh brought Hunter to me. I was finally able to greet my son and hold him and feed him.
He was so precious. Such distinct features! His little face was so huggable and he was so tiny he just fit right on one arm. He was very sleepy and cuddly. Oh I immediately loved him!!!
_________________________________________________________________
Today Hunter woke up at 3 a.m. Josh thinks he was having a bad dream because he called out "DA DA" and when Josh went in there he was trying to get out of the back of his crib, which is the part facing the wall. He was all turned around. We tried everything to comfort him and finally at about 4 we gave up and brought him into our bed. He tossed and turned and pulled my hair... But no resting!
We decided since it was his birthday and he loves baths so much that we would give him 2 baths, so we ran one early for him. He had so much fun. Then we let him explore his presents and open one before we left for church. During church he fell asleep in my arms for about 20 minutes. Then he was up and ready to go again! We put him in his crib for his normal nap and he would have none of that! After about an hour of him talking to himself, we got him up and let him crawl around. Then we opened presents. He got a little tikes piano, maracas, and an alphabet bus. He also got a card with money from his great grandpa Ray and a stuffed animal turtle from great grandpa Jack and greatnana Bev.
We had a cupcake party for him with neighbors and friends at Covenant. It was so special to celebrate him with people we have met here. He devoured his cupcake and loved every bit of it!!!
I feel so grateful that we have been parents to Hunter for a whole year now! What a blessing it is to love that little guy! He has changed me for the better. I told him tonight that I am a better person because of him.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
6.12.09 vs. 6.12.10
I woke up a year ago today really early-- maybe around 4. I was feeling contractions but they weren't painful. They were uncomfortable and causing great excitement for me... hoping that my baby would come more naturally rather than the required pitocin and other induction treatments. Josh had set up an air mattress next to my hospital bed and was still fast asleep. These moments were so precious to me. I prayed a lot about my labor, my son, and my soon to be family of 3. The emotions were thick within me, ranging from excitement to fear.
I was not allowed to eat breakfast, but the sweet nurses did bring me ginger ale as they started me on my IV fluids. They offered to allow me to take a quick shower, but I felt certain my labor would not take long so I declined. Biggest mistake I made of the day! By about 8 a.m. I was having contractions on my own, but they were not consistent and they were definitely not painful. Just uncomfortable. Around then, my doctor came to check on me and seeing that I had made no progress she determined it was time to start pitocin. I was quite saddened and a wave of anger came over me again. I really wanted to have as natural a birth as possible. Hunter's heart rate and movements were still showing great health. But Dr. Talraja, who was now on call for the weekend, determined that the risks were too high to allow me to just continue naturally. I think the pitocin started around 9:30ish.
I was still quite hopeful at this point that my natural labor would continue to progress on its own and the pitocin would simply be a jump start. I refused all medicine to dull or stop the pain as I was hopeful that feeling the labor would help my body to progress. By 10 a.m. the contractions were getting stronger, so I called my doula and told her it was time for her to come.
Josh started laboring with me. At this point I still wouldn't call it painful, but uncomfortable. I really liked sitting on the birthing ball and Josh was kind enough to rub my lower back when I started feeling the contraction coming on. I tried squatting and other positions to help lower the baby all with the hopes of my body going more naturally. When my doula got there, she helped with positions and gave Josh a break to go eat and to get a shower. Since my pain was still minimal and I had not progressed AT ALL, I was comfortable with this decision. Amara was great in keeping me calm and she held my hands through the contractions that were now getting a little stronger.
I kept the Ginger Ale on constant order and the nurses were kind enough to comply with my requests. By noon, the contractions were getting STRONG. I remember feeling comfortable only in the rocking chair and squeezing Josh's hands so tight with every contraction. I don't remember exactly when I was checked, but sometime around this time I had gone to a 2. Not great progress, but it was something. Considering I hadn't had too much pain, I was excited. For many hours after this I fought strong contractions by sitting in the rocker. I was experiencing contractions that lasted for about a minute and would have about 30 seconds in between. It was intense. Though they were strong and I definitely struggled to breathe during them, I still wasn't feeling overwhelming pain. It was tiring but "do able." This continued for many, many hours. My time line gets blurry at this point since I was not really focused on the time. I know at some point the doctor came in to check me and I wasn't too much further along. She broke my water and at that point I knew there was no turning back. Around 6ish she came back and said I was at a 3. This made me want to cry. I had been working sooo hard for the bulk of the day, convinced that I must be near transition. One of the side effects of pitocin is stronger contractions. Since the doctors still experienced me as a pleasant patient, they assumed I must not be feeling the contractions enough. They had the pitocin on as high as it would go for mannnnnny hours. My usually smile-y self was deceptive! Some time that evening they decided maybe they were pumping me too full of pitocin and they turned it way down. They hoped this would help my body to naturally catch up. I was so thankful for the little rest. This didn't stop my contractions, but did provide a little bit more time between them.
Sometime that evening, when the doctor checked me and said I was still at a 3, I gave in. I was so tired and quite angry that was all I had progressed to, so I asked for something to numb the pain. I think this was around 9 or 10 p.m. They gave me nubain, a drug that takes the edge off. I could still feel the contractions but they weren't as strong. I actually feel asleep between them. While I was laying in bed with this medicine, I decided I would take a 2nd dose. Each dose would last 1 hour and you were only allowed to have 2. I thought the 2nd dose would give me enough energy to make it through. But by the time the 2nd dose wore off, I knew I didn't have enough energy to make it through. I asked for an epidural.
I got the epidural at 2 a.m....
_______________________________
Today I have spent the morning at a coffee shop reading about the Holy Spirit. I am taking a class called Spirit, Church, and Last things. I have been reading about how the Holy Spirit seals us in God and provides us assurance of God's salvation on our lives. We are born again into the salvation that Christ purchased for us at the cross.
"The metaphor of birth itself implies not only a radical new beginning, but one which is never autonomous."
This quote really struck me, especially in light of my recalling Hunter's birth. It was a radical new beginning, a new life being brought into the world. And he couldn't have done it alone! I was very much present and working hard for this new life. And Josh was working hard, too (in a different way, of course!).
The same new beginning is offered to us in the Spirit. "As flesh, man gives birth only to more flesh. He cannot give birth to spirit, or to what is spiritual." I gave birth to my son in the physical sense, but he, just like every other man, needs a second birth. "If we are to belong to the kingdom, or family, of the Spirit, we must be 'born from above' by the Spirit."
Today, as I look back on the process of my son entering the world, I also look forward to his second birth into the Spirit of God. Both births are important and necessary for salvation. I feel so privileged to have spent the day a year ago praying for his entry into the world. Today I have been praying for his entry into God's kingdom. I pray that Hunter never knows a day where he didn't know the Lord. I hope God calls him at such an early age that he feels he has known the Lord all the days of his life. I ask that God's seal of the Holy Spirit would come over my son, even today, to mark him as the Lord's forever.
What a privilege it is to be a mom. What an honor and responsibility it is to pray for and be a part of both births in a person's life. I feel completely blessed for both today and today a year ago. Though painful a year ago, and though requiring much faith and trust for his second birth today, God is close to me in both instances. What an awesome God we serve!!!!
I was not allowed to eat breakfast, but the sweet nurses did bring me ginger ale as they started me on my IV fluids. They offered to allow me to take a quick shower, but I felt certain my labor would not take long so I declined. Biggest mistake I made of the day! By about 8 a.m. I was having contractions on my own, but they were not consistent and they were definitely not painful. Just uncomfortable. Around then, my doctor came to check on me and seeing that I had made no progress she determined it was time to start pitocin. I was quite saddened and a wave of anger came over me again. I really wanted to have as natural a birth as possible. Hunter's heart rate and movements were still showing great health. But Dr. Talraja, who was now on call for the weekend, determined that the risks were too high to allow me to just continue naturally. I think the pitocin started around 9:30ish.
I was still quite hopeful at this point that my natural labor would continue to progress on its own and the pitocin would simply be a jump start. I refused all medicine to dull or stop the pain as I was hopeful that feeling the labor would help my body to progress. By 10 a.m. the contractions were getting stronger, so I called my doula and told her it was time for her to come.
Josh started laboring with me. At this point I still wouldn't call it painful, but uncomfortable. I really liked sitting on the birthing ball and Josh was kind enough to rub my lower back when I started feeling the contraction coming on. I tried squatting and other positions to help lower the baby all with the hopes of my body going more naturally. When my doula got there, she helped with positions and gave Josh a break to go eat and to get a shower. Since my pain was still minimal and I had not progressed AT ALL, I was comfortable with this decision. Amara was great in keeping me calm and she held my hands through the contractions that were now getting a little stronger.
I kept the Ginger Ale on constant order and the nurses were kind enough to comply with my requests. By noon, the contractions were getting STRONG. I remember feeling comfortable only in the rocking chair and squeezing Josh's hands so tight with every contraction. I don't remember exactly when I was checked, but sometime around this time I had gone to a 2. Not great progress, but it was something. Considering I hadn't had too much pain, I was excited. For many hours after this I fought strong contractions by sitting in the rocker. I was experiencing contractions that lasted for about a minute and would have about 30 seconds in between. It was intense. Though they were strong and I definitely struggled to breathe during them, I still wasn't feeling overwhelming pain. It was tiring but "do able." This continued for many, many hours. My time line gets blurry at this point since I was not really focused on the time. I know at some point the doctor came in to check me and I wasn't too much further along. She broke my water and at that point I knew there was no turning back. Around 6ish she came back and said I was at a 3. This made me want to cry. I had been working sooo hard for the bulk of the day, convinced that I must be near transition. One of the side effects of pitocin is stronger contractions. Since the doctors still experienced me as a pleasant patient, they assumed I must not be feeling the contractions enough. They had the pitocin on as high as it would go for mannnnnny hours. My usually smile-y self was deceptive! Some time that evening they decided maybe they were pumping me too full of pitocin and they turned it way down. They hoped this would help my body to naturally catch up. I was so thankful for the little rest. This didn't stop my contractions, but did provide a little bit more time between them.
Sometime that evening, when the doctor checked me and said I was still at a 3, I gave in. I was so tired and quite angry that was all I had progressed to, so I asked for something to numb the pain. I think this was around 9 or 10 p.m. They gave me nubain, a drug that takes the edge off. I could still feel the contractions but they weren't as strong. I actually feel asleep between them. While I was laying in bed with this medicine, I decided I would take a 2nd dose. Each dose would last 1 hour and you were only allowed to have 2. I thought the 2nd dose would give me enough energy to make it through. But by the time the 2nd dose wore off, I knew I didn't have enough energy to make it through. I asked for an epidural.
I got the epidural at 2 a.m....
_______________________________
Today I have spent the morning at a coffee shop reading about the Holy Spirit. I am taking a class called Spirit, Church, and Last things. I have been reading about how the Holy Spirit seals us in God and provides us assurance of God's salvation on our lives. We are born again into the salvation that Christ purchased for us at the cross.
"The metaphor of birth itself implies not only a radical new beginning, but one which is never autonomous."
This quote really struck me, especially in light of my recalling Hunter's birth. It was a radical new beginning, a new life being brought into the world. And he couldn't have done it alone! I was very much present and working hard for this new life. And Josh was working hard, too (in a different way, of course!).
The same new beginning is offered to us in the Spirit. "As flesh, man gives birth only to more flesh. He cannot give birth to spirit, or to what is spiritual." I gave birth to my son in the physical sense, but he, just like every other man, needs a second birth. "If we are to belong to the kingdom, or family, of the Spirit, we must be 'born from above' by the Spirit."
Today, as I look back on the process of my son entering the world, I also look forward to his second birth into the Spirit of God. Both births are important and necessary for salvation. I feel so privileged to have spent the day a year ago praying for his entry into the world. Today I have been praying for his entry into God's kingdom. I pray that Hunter never knows a day where he didn't know the Lord. I hope God calls him at such an early age that he feels he has known the Lord all the days of his life. I ask that God's seal of the Holy Spirit would come over my son, even today, to mark him as the Lord's forever.
What a privilege it is to be a mom. What an honor and responsibility it is to pray for and be a part of both births in a person's life. I feel completely blessed for both today and today a year ago. Though painful a year ago, and though requiring much faith and trust for his second birth today, God is close to me in both instances. What an awesome God we serve!!!!
Friday, June 11, 2010
6.11.09 vs. 6.11.10
One year ago today I had an ultrasound and non-stress test appointment. I was officially 6 days overdue and the doctors just wanted to make sure everything looked good with the baby (who was still nameless at this point).
The non-stress test went very well-- he was obviously very active. We really struggled keeping the heart rate monitor on him because he was moving so much! It was evident from this test that the baby was doing fine. During the ultrasound, the technician became very quiet and it was clear to me that something was not right. She wouldn't show me the baby's face and she quickly took the picture off the screen. She said, "The picture is showing some things that I think I need to show Dr. Talraja." Off she went and thus started my tears flowing.
The OB/GYN office I chose had 5 doctors on a team working together so each time I would go in I would see a different doctor with the knowledge that whatever day I go into labor it could be any of the 5 doctors on call. Dr. Talraja was my least favorite in the practice mostly because of her formal, non-personal style of dealing with me as her patient. When she came in to check my ultrasound, she had a completely different demeanor. She was gentle and soothing in her voice, she rubbed my arm, and had sincere care in her eyes. Though this would usually be comforting, it only made me MORE concerned about my baby.
She told me that the fluid around the baby was "cloudy" and that could be a sign of either fetal bleeding or meconium. She didn't suspect that it was blood because of how much movement the baby was doing during the non-stress test. So she was fairly certain it was meconium, or the baby's first bowel movement. This is very dangerous for the baby to start breathing in while in the womb. She also said that the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. These two issues led her to the conclusion that I needed to go to the hospital ASAP. I told her I was not comfortable being induced and that I would rather wait until my labor started naturally. At this point she became very serious and said that if I choose to forego her medical advice by not going immediately to the hospital, I needed to sign papers saying that I am no longer under the care of my OB/GYN. Of course I couldn't do that!
I was so scared and also somewhat MAD that I had to be induced. This was not part of my birth plan!!! So Josh & I went home, even though we weren't supposed to, and packed our bags. I figured an extra 30 minutes wouldn't matter that much, plus I needed the time to calm down. I was sobbing and so scared. This is not how I pictured going into labor! We walked into the hospital, and the thought that went through my mind was that when I leave here I will be holding my baby. It took a while to get processed, but by 6 p.m. my induction had officially begun. I spent that night watching movies & hanging out with Josh and I tried to sleep a little, since there was little to no pain at this point.
__________________________________________
Today we took Hunter to Toys R Us to shop for presents for his 1st birthday. We went up and down the aisles looking at the toys and showing them to him. This was the first time Josh & I had shopped for toys for our precious little boy. Talk about FUN! We had such a grand time. We put Hunter on the ground and showed him some of the toys to see how he would interact with them. I had the best time watching his little eyes light up and then seeing his huge smile. He would go from toy to toy trying it out, banging on it, and turning it over. It was clear there were a few that were his favorites and those are the ones we got for him. We also went to Costco today to buy cupcakes & drinks for his birthday celebration.
Both of these days show great preparation and anticipation of his day of birth. But I much prefer today over last year. Toys and food vs. doctors and needles. Yea, that is a no-brainer. Plus the joy of getting to hold my baby and see his precious face is much better than the anticipation!
The non-stress test went very well-- he was obviously very active. We really struggled keeping the heart rate monitor on him because he was moving so much! It was evident from this test that the baby was doing fine. During the ultrasound, the technician became very quiet and it was clear to me that something was not right. She wouldn't show me the baby's face and she quickly took the picture off the screen. She said, "The picture is showing some things that I think I need to show Dr. Talraja." Off she went and thus started my tears flowing.
The OB/GYN office I chose had 5 doctors on a team working together so each time I would go in I would see a different doctor with the knowledge that whatever day I go into labor it could be any of the 5 doctors on call. Dr. Talraja was my least favorite in the practice mostly because of her formal, non-personal style of dealing with me as her patient. When she came in to check my ultrasound, she had a completely different demeanor. She was gentle and soothing in her voice, she rubbed my arm, and had sincere care in her eyes. Though this would usually be comforting, it only made me MORE concerned about my baby.
She told me that the fluid around the baby was "cloudy" and that could be a sign of either fetal bleeding or meconium. She didn't suspect that it was blood because of how much movement the baby was doing during the non-stress test. So she was fairly certain it was meconium, or the baby's first bowel movement. This is very dangerous for the baby to start breathing in while in the womb. She also said that the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. These two issues led her to the conclusion that I needed to go to the hospital ASAP. I told her I was not comfortable being induced and that I would rather wait until my labor started naturally. At this point she became very serious and said that if I choose to forego her medical advice by not going immediately to the hospital, I needed to sign papers saying that I am no longer under the care of my OB/GYN. Of course I couldn't do that!
I was so scared and also somewhat MAD that I had to be induced. This was not part of my birth plan!!! So Josh & I went home, even though we weren't supposed to, and packed our bags. I figured an extra 30 minutes wouldn't matter that much, plus I needed the time to calm down. I was sobbing and so scared. This is not how I pictured going into labor! We walked into the hospital, and the thought that went through my mind was that when I leave here I will be holding my baby. It took a while to get processed, but by 6 p.m. my induction had officially begun. I spent that night watching movies & hanging out with Josh and I tried to sleep a little, since there was little to no pain at this point.
__________________________________________
Today we took Hunter to Toys R Us to shop for presents for his 1st birthday. We went up and down the aisles looking at the toys and showing them to him. This was the first time Josh & I had shopped for toys for our precious little boy. Talk about FUN! We had such a grand time. We put Hunter on the ground and showed him some of the toys to see how he would interact with them. I had the best time watching his little eyes light up and then seeing his huge smile. He would go from toy to toy trying it out, banging on it, and turning it over. It was clear there were a few that were his favorites and those are the ones we got for him. We also went to Costco today to buy cupcakes & drinks for his birthday celebration.
Both of these days show great preparation and anticipation of his day of birth. But I much prefer today over last year. Toys and food vs. doctors and needles. Yea, that is a no-brainer. Plus the joy of getting to hold my baby and see his precious face is much better than the anticipation!
Monday, June 7, 2010
27!
I am 27! :) This was my first birthday with my wonderful baby boy... You know I'm not sure if it is because it was a non-exciting number or if it is because my birthday seems so non-important in light of Hunter's 1st birthday, but I was really laid back. I enjoyed waking up with my whole family and having birthday cake for breakfast! Then I got to spend the whole day with my two boys, and even though it was in airports and on planes, I really enjoyed it. I even got free birthday tiramisu at the Macaroni Grill in the airport.
Vacation
We have had a CRAZY couple of weeks since the Spring semester ended...
As soon as Josh finished his last final, we all jumped in the car and drove North to the Wisconsin Dells. Josh's family all gathered to enjoy time together and to celebrate Alyce's graduation from her Master's program. We ate wonderful food, went to a winery, took a boat ride down the Wisconsin River, ate at a Cajun Restaurant and at an Irish Pub. We had a wonderful time hanging out with everyone. We were able to celebrate Hunter's 1st birthday with all the family, too. It was a great time.
We came home in time for Josh to get his hours in the maintenance department. Then we were off again!
We took a flight South to San Antonio to meet my family and celebrate lots of family events. My brother just graduated from his Master's Program and my cousin just became a nurse. Both of them are engaged, so we celebrated the newest family members. We were able to celebrate Hunter's birthday with all of them, too! Then I got to wake up and have birthday breakfast with everyone including chocolate cake & homemade ice cream!!! It was a great trip that also included boat rides, a trip to a winery with all the ladies, and a nice float down the Guadalupe!
We got back and Josh had to go to his drill duty. Then today, the summer session started.
We are so thankful we were able to see family and celebrate Hunter's birthday with everyone. Though we are exhausted, the memories were wonderful!
As soon as Josh finished his last final, we all jumped in the car and drove North to the Wisconsin Dells. Josh's family all gathered to enjoy time together and to celebrate Alyce's graduation from her Master's program. We ate wonderful food, went to a winery, took a boat ride down the Wisconsin River, ate at a Cajun Restaurant and at an Irish Pub. We had a wonderful time hanging out with everyone. We were able to celebrate Hunter's 1st birthday with all the family, too. It was a great time.
We came home in time for Josh to get his hours in the maintenance department. Then we were off again!
We took a flight South to San Antonio to meet my family and celebrate lots of family events. My brother just graduated from his Master's Program and my cousin just became a nurse. Both of them are engaged, so we celebrated the newest family members. We were able to celebrate Hunter's birthday with all of them, too! Then I got to wake up and have birthday breakfast with everyone including chocolate cake & homemade ice cream!!! It was a great trip that also included boat rides, a trip to a winery with all the ladies, and a nice float down the Guadalupe!
We got back and Josh had to go to his drill duty. Then today, the summer session started.
We are so thankful we were able to see family and celebrate Hunter's birthday with everyone. Though we are exhausted, the memories were wonderful!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
11 months
Hunter is 11 months old today. Where has the time gone? Before I know it he is going to be one.
He is just as affectionate as can be. He loves to cuddle and every morning we enjoy about 15 minutes of what I call "morning cuddle time." It is one of the highlights of my day. Hunter is curious, talkative, and tender-hearted. He loves to be around people. He loves textures: hair, carpet, blankets... anything he get his little fingers around and play with. He still likes his bounce bounce, but for much shorter amounts of time and he likes it for different reasons now: it gives him the ability to stand upright and grab things. He pulls himself up to standing as often as he gets the chance. He loves bath time.
He weighs around 21 lbs now. He can crawl and prefers to army crawl--he goes much faster that way. He knows the word "no" but does not always chose to obey it. He says lots of things. Here is an example of his talkative self:
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Pictures- 10 months
Before Hunter is officially 11 months old (tomorrow!) I want to get caught up on his 10 month pictures. (I really should be studying. I have to take 2 finals in the next 40 hours. But I am ooovvveeerrr studying. Here's to slacking! ha!)
Here is Hunter at 10 months. He got sick right around his 10 month birthday and it really freaked me out. At 4 a.m., he woke up crying and felt so hot to me. He had a fever of 102, but no other apparent symptoms. We had stopped giving him his medicine for his urinary tract infections just a few weeks before so we were afraid it was another UTI. The doc examined him early that Saturday morning and determined it was probably just a virus. In the process, she had to scrape hard balls of wax out of his ears. I have never seen him more upset than he was that morning. It took him a LONG time to calm down. It was heartbreaking. But I was so relieved he didn't have a UTI. At that appointment, Hunter weighed right at 20 lbs.
One more quick story from Hunter's 10th month:
He began pulling himself up to standing quite regularly. One afternoon, instead of falling asleep, he decided to test out his new skills in his crib. He pulled himself up and proceeded to stand on top of the bumpers. Then, since he couldn't figure out how to get down, he cried and cried. I went in to check on him and was shocked to see him standing! I decided I better take the bumpers out of his crib so that he didn't stand on them and use them to hoist himself out of the crib.
I took them out, tucked him back in and left the room. Hunter was very upset... wasn't it play time now that I had come in? So, I let him cry for about 10-15 minutes. His cries seemed to be getting harder instead of calming down, so I went in to check on him. Poor little guy... his leg got stuck in the slots of the crib! He was crying because he was stuck! Oh I felt awful! I tried and tried to work his little leg back through the slot but COULD NOT get it un-stuck. Feeling very emotional, I called Josh. He was at work and there was nothing he could do... so I went and knocked on my neighbor's door. It was like I couldn't think clearly... I needed someone who could be rational to help me!!! Katie was so nice. She and her three little girls came over and helped rescue Hunter. It took us a while, and all the while he was getting more and more frustrated... he was turning bright red and screaming. Katie finally had the idea to use Vaseline on his leg and on the crib. That worked. Hunter was free and although very shaken up, his little leg was fine.
I put the bumpers back in the bed. That night, Josh helped me realize that even if Hunter stands on the bumpers, he is simply not tall enough (let alone strong enough) to hoist himself out of the crib yet. And the bumpers are way better than his little limbs getting stuck all the time.
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