The first week

We are adjusting quite well to the arrival of Andrew! We have hit some bumps in the road with Matthew wanting to go to bed, but other than that he hasn't been too jealous of Andrew. He is slowly warming up to Andrew too. Today he actually gave him a kiss on the lips and a few real hugs. Up until now Matthew has been scared on Andrew and would only give him "air" kisses. Andrew is doing wonderful, almost gaining back all his weight he lost after he was born. I take him to the doctor on Monday for a 2 week check-up. He is eating about every three hours during the day and every four to five hours at night, which is really nice! He hasn't been the eater that Matthew was, so I usually have to feed him, then change his diaper to wake him up and then feed him again to finish the round. It takes a bit longer, but hopefully as he gets older his little tummy will hold more.

My recovery has been excellent! I pretty much stopped the big pain meds the day after I got home. Occasionally I will take some Motrin for a headache or small pains. The second time around has been much, much easier on my body. Not sure if it is because I knew what to expect and I made sure I handled labor differently. I also didn't gain as much weight this time around and was more active while pregnant chasing Matthew around. I lost my last two pounds today and am now at my pre-pregnancy weight. My wedding ring fits great and I got into my regular jeans yesterday! I also am taking it easy and listening to my body. I haven't picked up Matthew yet because he is too heavy and that KILLS me! About another week or so and I will be able to. I also can't drive until Monday, so I have been at the mercy of others to cart my behind around town. I have been fortunate to have my mom here with me during the day, she has helped out a lot! She has been getting Matthew to daycare, cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and driving me around. We'll see how I do next week on my own!

Andrew David Chenery

We had a very eventful weekend to say the least! Ryan and I were battling a respiratory cold/infection which caused a lot of coughing for the both of us. Not a big deal for Ryan, he was able to get a Z-pack antibiotic and was feeling better by Sunday. The coughing for me started labor! My contractions started at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning and were a bit erratic to start, so I didn't worry too much. By 9:00 a.m. they were about 7 minutes apart and starting to gain some ground in the pain department. I called the doctor and he had us come in to get checked. There was nothing happening with my cervix, so they gave my an IV for slight dehydration and a shot to help stop the contractions. After three hours at the hospital we were sent home with a note for me to be on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy.

On our way home the contractions started up again, but they were very sporadic. My coughing got a bit worse and cough drops weren't helping, nor was cough medicine. By dinner time they were getting more regular, but still about 10 minutes apart. As the night went on they got closer and closer together and they shifted from the front of my pelvis to my lower back (the exact same as Matthew). By 1:00 a.m. they were consistently 4 minutes apart and time to call the doctor back. We were told to come in again for a check, but if nothing was happening I would be sent home again.

As we left for the hospital I got sick in the front yard, another sign of labor. We got the the hospital at 2:00 a.m and was immediately checked. I was dilated to 2 cm, 100 % effaced and my water was about to break. My doctor did a quick ultrasound to determine the position of Andrew and to our surprise he had turned that afternoon. He was head down, but not in my pelvis. At this point my contractions were every 90 seconds and very painful. I walked myself to the operating room and climbed up on the table to receive my spinal. We knew ahead of time that we were going to do a spinal instead of an epidural because with Matthew the epidural didn't work and I ended up getting knocked out for the procedure. Plus, the spinal would be less of a risk with the respiratory crud I had. Surgery started at 3:29 a.m. and he was born at 3:55 a.m. He was 7 pounds even and 21 inches long. He has long fingers and toes and a full head of dark, black hair. The longest eyelashes I have ever seen too and a spitting image of Matthew! He is eating great and sleeping great too. He is not much of a crier, but I am positive that will change.

I got to spend three more days in the hospital recovering and went home today to finally be a family. Our hospital was a very busy one too. The night Andrew was born, they delivered nine babies. On Tuesday they delivered 17 babies and another 12 last night! I was more than happy to be discharged early today to give up my room to another new mom. Overall, the doctors are saying that Andrew was 2.5 weeks early because they are using the February 2nd due date (from my 9 week ultrasound) instead of my calendar due date (January 25th). All I care is that he is healthy, which he is. Enjoy these pictures and the others we posted at our site!

Baby Update

I went to the doctor today for my weekly visit and to see how things are going with the baby. I have been having some contractions, mainly in my lower back and lots of discomfort in general. I was eager to go today to see what they had to say. His heart rate is good and strong at 144. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual, but just getting back to work may have been the reason for that. We did find out that he is in a breech position and slightly tilted to the right. Meaning his head is near my right rib cage. This explains the constant heartburn and acid reflux and the odd pressure and kicking I have been feeling in my pelvis. Turns out it is his feet kicking down there, which feels completely different than with Matthew. I am also measuring a week ahead, which is new this week. I was very constant up until now and measuring what my calendar due date was. This week I am measuring 38 weeks, even though I am 37. I get to continue to work for the next week unless something comes up or happens. I return to the doctor next Thursday for another visit and exam.

Now that we are getting very close, we have really gotten into full gear getting things ready in the house. We brought up the car seat to get in the car and Matthew has really taken to that. Every morning he puts his Curious George in the car seat, covers him with a blanket and says "Bye baby bruder" before we leave for daycare! He seems very fascinated with babies at the store too and always points and calls to them. Not sure if this is all related or not, but it's cute.

Ryan's work is going good too. He worked two 84 hour weeks during Christmas vacation and is now back to a normal 40 hour work week...for now. It will most likely change next week. Although it is hard to have him gone that much, it is also a much needed paycheck to pay ourselves back for the time he was off. Unfortunately in his trade there are no "normal" work weeks. When they have work, you work your behind off and you don't turn anything down. When they are slow, you're laid off until work picks up again. It may not be the "norm" but it is our life and we'll take it.

We really learned a lot over the past year about our life. Not working for seven months was hard, but we got through it and we are stronger as a result. It doesn't matter where you work or what you do. What matters to us is our health, our family and that we have each other. Who knows what this year will bring us, but we know we will make it through no matter what.

On a side note, I'd like to wish a BIG congratulations to Lindsay and Jon Brink. They welcomed Connor Stephen on Monday, January 4th. He was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 21 inches long. Brady loves being a big brother. I can't wait for Andrew and Connor to grow up together and have the friendship that Matthew and Brady do.