Pushing a Stroller

There is something about pushing a stroller. Every little girl pushes a stroller with dolls in it her whole life. I have always dreamed of pushing a stroller with MY baby in it. It is so surreal. I feel like I was just at Babies R Us "practice pushing" around different strollers trying to decide which one I liked best. In the end, I don't think it would have mattered the stroller. I feel so prideful as I push my stroller down the street with my little man smiling/sleeping up at me! Oh its glorious. I love it!

Our morning walk starts our day off right and helps me get moving and ready for our day. We have so much fun listening to the birds chirp and look at all the bright colors of everything blooming. I always hated going for walks by myself but now I have a little mini me to come with me! Granted, after we get half way down the street little Ascher is fast asleep. 

Sleeping & Smiles

My heart overflows with love for this little boy. One of my favorite things is when he is sleeping in my arms, wakes up, looks at me, smiles & goes back to sleep. Oh my heart could burst. I am pretty sure I take at least one photo a day of him sleeping in my arms. I know they all look the same to you but I just can't help but snap a photo of him each and every time he is sleeping in my arms! 

Okay mom...I'm done with you taking photos of me sleeping!! 

Quarantine

Yup...we were quarantined. Ridiculous.

Thursday afternoon they had told us that their "hospital policy" Ascher would have to be 8 feet away from all the other babies because I have had MRSA staph (in 2007- have had a pic line and haven't had staph since, I probably have less staph on me than all of you). I was annoyed but whatever. I told them thats fine as long as he isn't treated like the dunce in the corner. They laughed and said no of course not. Well Thursday night came and the nurse came back to check on us at 10:30 and I thought pick him up for the night. However, when she arrives she tells me that "hospital policy" is that he isn't allowed in the nursery anymore. Wait...this afternoon policy was he could be buy had to be 8 feet away now he isn't allowed at all??? Super annoying. Well we survived our first night just fine without the nursery. HMPH. However, they wouldn't even weigh him or take his temperature or anything in the nursery- they had to cart everything to the room. At the time, I just thought this was normal but the more time went on the more nurses talked, the more I understood.

Friday morning Justin goes to get coffee and comes back and is shocked to find a giant box on our door and a big sign with all these rules regarding "the patients in this room" You had to check in with a nurse, had to wear a gown and gloves, we weren't allowed to be transported, etc. It was ridiculousness. It looked like we were lepers or something. The thing that got us too was that NO ONE TOLD US. They just put this stuff on the door and didn't say a word. All day Friday we asked about his circumcision and no one would give us an answer, no one brought us papers, nothing. Well were supposed to be dismissed on Saturday morning and Friday night still no one had answered us. At 10:30, the night nurse tells us that "hospital policy" they can't perform it because he would have to be in the nursery and he isn't allowed in the nursery. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? By this time, my mama hormones are in full force. I was so upset. Where did they want me to take him!? Is the hospital not supposed to be the cleanest, most sterile place to perform anything!? Wouldn't I take him to the hospital if he had staph- not be sent away! Not to mention, they are't telling us they won't do it until 10:30 the night before we are supposed to leave! I wasn't even mad at this point just so upset. Thankfully I talked the nurse into calling the doctor and pleading on my behalf to do the surgery. So the nurse called the doc at her house & thank the Lord she agreed to do it. Saturday she said she was planning on doing it all along she didn't know why the hospital was being like this.

**We did have some visitors during all the chaos as well**

**And I did manage to take some cute photos**

my favorite photo of him

So Saturday comes and he gets his surgery and they check him for jaundice. Well it comes back pretty high so we ended up having to stay an extra night for him to get the lights. Oh wait...the lights are in the nursery, which he isn't allowed in. Oh was I ready to come home at this point! So they give us a biliblanket for him to be on instead so he can stay in the room with us. Well Ascher didn't like it one bit. He hated the things on his eyes so the entire night Justin and I rotated holding him on our chests on the billiblanket.

Sunday morning they re-tested him and then had to re-test him again. Sunday was another long long day. Finally Sunday afternoon they call and say we can go home! PRAISE JESUS! Here are some photos from Sunday...

Yeah- We are finally home!!! 

Miracle of Birth

Ascher's Birthday

Thursday March 29, 2012

They started my pitocin at 7 am on Thursday morning. As soon as they started my pitocin I said put me on the list for my epidural. I knew I wasn't ready for it ( I was still 1 cm) but I wanted to be on the list cause who knew how long it would take to get him to my room! So they started pitocin and at around 9:30 I felt a terrible pain told Justin omg it hurts and his response while looking at the screen, "You're not even having a contraction" no sooner did he say that then I heard a loud pop and FLUSH! I told Justin OMG my water just broke and then I started balling. It was really happening- as soon as the water broke I was in IMMENSE PAIN. The nurse comes and checks me and says my water didnt break! I was like are you kidding me!? Yes it did! 


Anyways- I suffer for 30 minutes before the epidural guys comes and does my epidural. However, I broke my back when I was 18 and had said I didn't want a student doing it. Well the doctor comes in with a student and the nurse said she doesn't want students- the doctor goes okay, well my student is gonna poke around a bit...HMMMM NO HE ISN'T! So instead, the doctor does it but talks to the student play by play telling him things I didn't want to hear and asking him questions about what he should do next!?! HMMMM HELLO I SAID NO STUDENTS! It was super annoying but I just wanted an epidural- I didn't care at that point. He gives me the epidural and I am feeling much better. They check me afterwards and I am 5 cm and the nurse tells me she thinks "my bladder relaxed" when I got my epidural (ie- she says I peed on myself). My response-- I think my water is broken!! Can you please check again!? So she goes and gets another nurse whom I tell I heard a loud pop and before I even finish about the gush she says Your water broke! HMM HELLO I TOLD THE OTHER NURSE THAT! She checks me and says YUP, your water is broken. I knew it was important for them to know because if I didn't progress I knew there is only so long you can go once your water has been broken. Around 30 minutes passes and I suddenly start feeling everything again. I am panicked. I broke my back when I was 18 and they said my epidural may or may not take, etc. so when I started feeling everything again I was so upset. The nurse said she would get the doc back in here and he may have to do it again. UGH -- my biggest fear was coming true. However, she didn't check me- instead she tells me while I wait to push the button for 10 extra doses of medicine. I do it. Not helping. Not helping. NOT HELPING! So again, the other nurse comes in and says well lets check her- I bet she is ready to have a baby. Hmmm...thank you- yup it was time to push! So around 10:30 I started pushing....10:43 Ascher was welcomed into this world!! CRAZY I only pushed for 15 minutes!! It was all so beautiful and absolutely perfect. After he is born it is all a whirlwind. Ascher crying- me crying- Justin having his "wedding face" - (I'm trying really hard not to cry). Oh the miracle of birth. It is so amazing. One of my mom's friends said it best.... "Today I get to aide God in a miracle." 

We were moved to a recovery room fairly quickly and I felt like crap. I guess I had so much medicine in me & I hadn't eaten in so long. The rest of the day is a blur. We had our family visit and we just spent time with our baby.

( I don't have photos of Justin's family that came- not on my camera)

Night came and I was planning on putting him in the nursery for the night & have them bring him to me every two hours to eat, well that didn't work out too well... more on our hospital stay next...